The Laredo Country Club

Do what you can to get on this course-it's one of the finest in the state. Joe Finger, whose resume includes many courses in Mexico, built this course in the early 1980s along the banks of the Rio Grande River. Finger's design features tree-lined fairways edged with demanding rough, water hazards and sand bunkers throughout, and undulating Bermuda greens that are very fast.

One hole of note is the number one handicap No. 3, a 455-yard par 4 that requires a tee shot into a fairway bordered by water on the left and out-of-bounds on the right. Play it safe and be happy with a bogey on No. 18, a long dogleg left with water along the entire length of the hole, topped off by an approach into a peninsula green.

Getting there : Take I-35 south and exit Del Mar Blvd. Turn left, and when you get to McPherson, make another left. Drive to Plantation Blvd. and turn right, then turn left on Country Club Drive and head to the course entrance.