Austin

Texas is a state with a rich golf history, and its capital city of Austin is no exception. Located in the heart of the Texas Triangle and on the cusp of the Texas Hill Country, golfers of all walks of life (and wallet size) will find a suitable course. Legendary instructor Harvey Penick, author of the "Little Red Book," helped shape the city's game in the early 20th century, and his reputation grew nationally thanks in part to two of his major-winning pupils, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite. West of Austin, there are prestigious private clubs such as Penick's Austin Country Club, University of Texas Golf Club and the Crenshaw-designed Austin Golf Club, but visiting golfers should start at Omni Barton Creek, a sprawling private club that doubles as a luxury golf resort, home to two Tom Fazio designs, plus a Crenshaw and Arnold Palmer course, too. Just east of town, Wolfdancer Golf Club at Hyatt Lost Pines shows off 300-plus acres of prime, central Texas countryside along the Lower Colorado River. And while the PGA Tour passes up Austin for its larger neighboring cities, the Champions Tour got its start back in the 1970s at venerable Onion Creek Country Club, founded by three-time Masters Champion Jimmy Demaret. While Austin may be better known nationally as a music mecca thanks to Austin City Limits and SXSW, take note that country legend Willie Nelson owns his own casual nine-holer west of the city, the Pedernales Golf Club Cut-n-Putt.