Yoakum County Golf Club

Located between Denver City and Plains, Yoakum County is a wide-open course that was built on moderately rolling terrain. Water hazards (ponds, lakes, creeks, and streams) come into play on over half the holes, which is surprising for a course in this region. Avoid the driver if you can, as the course is short enough to score well without it. (You might need the driver, though, on the number-one handicap, a 440-yard, par 4 No. 14.)

Watch for storms blowing in quickly on hot, summer afternoons. The course gained a few moments of fame one recent June when newscasts captured winds upwards of 100 MPH that took out whole trees and blew roofs off buildings.

Getting there : From Lubbock drive through Brownfield; 12 miles south is Wellman. Take a right on Hwy. 213. The course is 23 miles west of Wellman on the south side of the road. Turn left at the stop sign and button-hook back through the park.