Texas is one of the great golf states in America, offering everything from links-style coastal courses along the Gulf to rugged Hill Country layouts carved through live oaks and limestone. With over 800 courses spread across a state that spans nearly 270,000 square miles, the variety is staggering. Whether you are planning a buddy trip, looking for a bucket-list resort destination, or seeking the best public courses near you, Texas delivers at every price point and skill level.
This guide highlights the best golf courses across Texas, organized by region, so you can find exceptional golf wherever your travels take you in the Lone Star State.
Best Courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth
Home of the Charles Schwab Challenge on the PGA Tour, Colonial is one of the most storied courses in Texas golf. Designed by John Bredemus and later refined by Perry Maxwell, the course winds along the Trinity River with tight, tree-lined fairways that demand accuracy over power. The small, undulating greens reward precision iron play and a deft putting touch. While Colonial is a private club, the annual PGA Tour event makes it accessible to spectators, and the course’s influence on Texas golf culture is unmatched.
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney
This Tom Weiskopf design hosts the CJ Cup on the PGA Tour and is open for public play, making it one of the most accessible Tour-caliber courses in the state. The layout features generous fairways but demands precise approaches to well-defended greens surrounded by deep bunkers and water hazards. The practice facilities are outstanding, and the course conditioning rivals the best private clubs in the area. It is the ideal place to test your game on a championship layout while enjoying public course accessibility.
Maridoe Golf Club, Carrollton
Opened in 2019, Maridoe quickly established itself as one of the premier private courses in Texas. Designed by Steve Smyers, the course has drawn comparisons to Augusta National for its immaculate conditioning and strategic design. The routing offers dramatic elevation changes unusual for the Dallas area, and the rolling, firm greens test every aspect of the short game. Maridoe is also home to a world-class player development program that attracts top amateurs and aspiring professionals.
Best Courses in the Austin and Hill Country Region
Barton Creek Resort: Fazio Foothills Course, Austin
Tom Fazio carved this masterpiece through the limestone hills and ancient oaks of the Texas Hill Country, and it remains one of the most visually stunning courses in the state. Dramatic elevation changes, natural creek beds, and panoramic Hill Country views create an unforgettable round. The course plays significantly different from the flat parkland layouts common in Texas cities, demanding creative shot-making and careful course management. Barton Creek’s resort facilities make it an excellent base for a golf trip that combines great golf with Austin’s renowned food and music scene. Thinking strategically on a course like this is essential, and our course management guide can help you navigate tight layouts and elevation changes.
Boot Ranch, Fredericksburg
Set among the rolling hills and wildflower meadows of the Fredericksburg area, Boot Ranch is a Hal Sutton design that perfectly integrates into the natural Hill Country landscape. The course features wide fairways with significant elevation changes, native grass areas, and greens complexes that reward smart positioning over raw power. The club’s low density and relaxed atmosphere make it one of the most pleasant golf experiences in Texas, far removed from the crowded resort circuit.
Wolfdancer Golf Club, Lost Pines
Located at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort east of Austin, Wolfdancer meanders through a dramatic landscape of pine forests, ravines, and natural springs. Arthur Hills designed the course to follow the natural contours of the land, resulting in a layout that feels remote and wild despite being just 20 minutes from Austin’s airport. The par-3 12th hole, which plays across a deep ravine to a green perched on the opposite ridge, is one of the most photographed holes in Texas.
Best Courses in San Antonio
TPC San Antonio: Oaks Course
Home of the Valero Texas Open, the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio is a Greg Norman and Sergio Garcia collaboration that plays through rolling terrain studded with live oaks. The course rewards aggressive driving but punishes missed fairways with thick rough and challenging recovery angles. The back nine, which features several risk-reward par 5s and a demanding closing stretch, regularly produces drama during the PGA Tour event. Public tee times are available, giving everyday golfers a chance to play where the pros compete.
Briggs Ranch Golf Club
This Jeff Brauer design is consistently rated among the best public courses in South Texas. The layout moves through gentle Hill Country terrain with wide, strategic fairways that offer multiple playing options from each tee. The greens are large but well-contoured, creating interesting putting challenges even on approaches that find the right portion of the putting surface. At typical public course prices, Briggs Ranch offers exceptional value for the quality of the experience.
Best Courses in Houston
Memorial Park Golf Course
Renovated by Tom Doak in 2019 and now home to the Houston Open on the PGA Tour, Memorial Park is the crown jewel of Houston’s municipal golf. The renovation transformed a tired muni into a world-class public course with strategic bunkering, challenging green complexes, and a routing that uses the naturally rolling terrain of Memorial Park to excellent effect. It may be the best value in Texas golf, offering a genuine Tour-quality experience at municipal green fees.
Houston Oaks Golf Course, Hockley
Designed by Rees Jones, Houston Oaks is a private club that regularly appears on best-in-state lists. The course winds through towering oaks and features some of the most demanding green complexes in the Houston area. The conditioning is consistently excellent, and the club’s limited membership ensures uncrowded playing conditions. For golfers seeking an elevated private club experience near Houston, it is hard to beat.
Best Courses Along the Gulf Coast
The Links at Moody Gardens, Galveston
This Jacobsen Hardy design near the Galveston waterfront brings a links-style golf experience to the Texas coast. Persistent wind off the Gulf of Mexico makes this a completely different challenge from the protected inland courses, demanding shot-shaping ability and creative club selection. The relatively flat terrain and firm playing surfaces encourage a ground game that many Texas golfers rarely get to practice. If you enjoy wind golf, Moody Gardens is one of the few places in Texas that consistently delivers it.
Best Courses in West Texas and the Panhandle
Rawls Course at Texas Tech, Lubbock
Tom Doak designed this university course on the windswept plains of West Texas, and it is one of the most acclaimed courses in the state. The design embraces the flat, treeless landscape rather than fighting it, with massive bunkers, dramatic blow-out waste areas, and firm, fast playing conditions that feel more like Scotland than the South Plains. The wind is a constant factor, adding a strategic dimension that rewards creativity and low-running shots. Rawls is a must-play for anyone who appreciates links-inspired architecture.
Planning Your Texas Golf Trip
The best time to play golf in Texas varies by region. Spring (March to May) and fall (October to November) offer the most comfortable temperatures across the state. Summer in South and Central Texas can be brutally hot, with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees, making early morning tee times essential. The Gulf Coast is playable year-round but prone to afternoon thunderstorms from June through September. The Panhandle and West Texas offer the most dramatic seasonal swings, with pleasant spring and fall conditions but harsh winter winds.
For a multi-course trip, the Austin-San Antonio corridor offers the highest concentration of quality courses within driving distance of each other. You can play the Hill Country courses around Barton Creek and Boot Ranch, then drive 90 minutes south for TPC San Antonio and Briggs Ranch, fitting four or five excellent rounds into a long weekend. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is another strong base, with TPC Craig Ranch, Maridoe, and several other top courses within an hour’s drive.
Preparing your body for the physical demands of multi-round trips makes a real difference in how you play by day three or four. Our golf fitness routines will help you build the endurance and mobility to play your best through the entire trip. And if you are looking to explore other top golf destinations across the US, check out our guides to the best golf courses in Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina for even more trip planning inspiration.
Texas is too large and too varied for any single course to represent it. From the links-style windswept plains of Rawls to the lush Hill Country of Barton Creek to the Tour-tested greens of Memorial Park, the state offers a depth and diversity of golf that rivals any destination in the country. Whether you are a Texan looking for your next great round close to home or a visitor planning a dedicated golf trip, the courses above represent the best the Lone Star State has to offer.
