Golf in Fredericksburg

A majestic, 18-hole course encircles the stately grounds of Balcones Country Club, whisking golfers to an elysian landscape of dense tree lines and large, rippling waterways. The Balcones Course, features the club’s signature hole, a 155-yard par 3 where tee shots must clear a vast water hazard and a central fountain that spews the liberated souls of drowned golf balls. The club prepares greenhorn golfers with a bevy of classes offered through their golf academy, which range from typical private lessons to fitness programs offered by Titleist Performance Institute–certified trainers. A classroom equipped with video swing-analysis technology hosts intense investigations into corrupt swings, and a double-sided, lighted driving range fosters late-night reflections on whether or not golf balls are simply fallen stars.

A more frenetic pace of competition takes stage on the 10 courts that billet Balcones Country Club’s tennis program, and scampering tykes and weary adults can retreat to the club’s two outdoor pools for a more relaxing setting. Guests can fuel up for a day of recreation with a quick bite at the onsite grill or engage the community in the elegant, 250-capacity banquet hall.

A nationwide swing-honing syndicate, GolfTEC attacks ineffective golf techniques with a patented Five Factor approach that harnesses technological resources to boil golf's subtle motions into an objective, data-based science. GolfTEC Austin's staff of PGA-certified aces stays true to the mission in each lesson, as they assess swings with video analysis and compare them to a database of the swing profiles of more than 150 Tour players, which provides a sounder frame of reference than simply swinging in front of a mirror or seeking wisdom from a cardboard cutout of Jack Nicklaus. Pros then pinpoint areas for improvement and build on them in video-based sessions, reinforcing effective motions while helping clients better understand the mechanical elements of the golf swing. GolfTEC even helps their charges bolster their swing out of the studio with their online Player Performance Studio, which contains each players' golf lesson history, past swing videos, and custom-tailored drills that pupils can access 24/7 to prepare for an upcoming outing or seek comfort after slicing the ball repeatedly into the waters of chaos in a vivid nightmare.

Ranked in Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play in Indiana, the course at Prairie View Golf Club is situated on 206 acres of environmentally protected land along the White River with scenic prairieland and five lakes. The Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design features natural wetlands with a rushing stream that comes into play on four holes, forcing players to demonstrate deft control or gilled golf bags. On the front nine, the prairie setting invites harsh winds to blow across bentgrass fairways, often knocking shots off course. As players make the turn onto the back nine, they notice a marked difference in the environment, as open prairies give way to tall sycamore, oak, beech, and cottonwood trees lying just beyond the Kentucky bluegrass rough. Across the river lies Conner Prairie, a historical re-enactment village whose elegant, 1830s-era style was adopted for the design of the course's 15,000-square-foot clubhouse.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 7,073 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 74.5 from the back tees
• Course slope of 138 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole

Most courses have one signature hole. SilverHorn Golf Club of Texas has two—one for both nines—and both provide a window into the landscape-savvy brains of Randy Heckenkemper and PGA Tour pros Willie Wood and Scott Verplank, the trio responsible for this 6,922-yard, par 72 course design. At the par-five sixth hole, a 20-acre lake hugs the left side of a 556-yard dog-leg left, making any attempt to shorten the hole by cutting the corner a daring proposition. The inventive use of water hazards—a recurring feature throughout the course—returns on the par-four 15th hole, where two stone-lined creeks cross in front of the green, demanding a strategic approach shot or an amphibious golf cart. Tree-lined fairways and contoured greens characterize the rest of the 18-hole layout, which offers four tees to appeal to golfers of all abilities.

The Club also offers a driving range that serves as the grassy classroom for The Academy at SilverHorn Golf Club, where Director of Instruction Rob Myers and a staff of PGA pros and apprentices offer lessons. Lessons cover everything from putting form to swing mechanics to learning specialty shots, such as drawing the ball off the tee or chipping it discreetly into your rival’s beverage.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,922 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 73.4 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 138 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options

Built on land rich in both beauty and history, Canyon Springs Golf Club snakes its award-winning championship course through gentle hills nestled within the original site of the Classen Homestead. Golfers armed with the Longhorn pass can play the 18-hole course any time of the day, bolstered by bonuses including 10-day advanced tee-time privileges and discounted green fees and cart rental ($39 Monday–Thursday and $49 Friday–Sunday). In addition to reduced fees, Groupon holders also swing their way through test runs during one free round of golf, navigating the course's challenging bunkers, rolling fairways, and pommel-horsing greens. During each round, pass holders are outfitted with a cart, range balls, and a GPS device that chirps out location in the voice of Arnold Palmer. Members keep an eye on handicaps with complimentary USGA tracking, rein in slices with discounted range balls, feast with 10 percent off of food and nonalcoholic drinks from the club house, and compete for heady bragging rights in members-only tournaments held throughout the year.

After being ranked 19th on Golfweek's "Best New Courses" list in 2011, the course at Vaaler Creek Golf Club has been stacking up acolytes for its challenging play and picturesque Texas Hill Country setting. The Michael Lowry and JR Newman design stretches through oak forests as well as rocky outcroppings, encountering water on nine holes. Throughout each round, players steer new E-Z-GO golf carts over Bermuda 419 and TifSport grasses, taking advantage of the carts’ automatic braking systems as they stop to smell the flowers or the glorious scent of victory over manual controls.

Though the varied layout presents all manner of challenges, the par 3 12th hole requires a particularly cautious approach. Players must exhibit firm control over iron play as they aim for a peninsula green—discipline that must be then be duplicated four holes later to keep drives dry and on the isthmus fairway. Finally, players round out the round by facing a daunting approach over water, made even more difficult by the tree in the center of the fairway that obstructs flight paths and distracts would-be winners with its self-contained, elf-operated cookie factory.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,864 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 73 from the back tees
• Course slope of 140 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard