Category: Featured

Top 100 Golf Resorts

Posted on by jim

The GOLF Magazine Travel Guide 2019 included in the October 2019 issue rates the Top 100 Resorts in North America.  They further break down the best golf resorts into four categories – Luxury, Buddies, General Excellence, and Families.  Three of the top 100 are located in central Texas and partner with Texas Golf Trails –

Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin (Buddies)

Horseshoe Bay Resort in Horseshoe Bay (Families)

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa / TPC San Antonio (Families)

Fazio Foothills Course at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa

Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa is located about 20 minutes west of downtown Austin.  The premier golf resort in Texas features four championship golf courses.  There are two nationally ranked Tom Fazio designed courses, a Ben Crenshaw course, and an off-site Arnold Palmer course that’s about 40 minutes away (shuttle rides from the resort are available).  The entire resort closed for a year during a $150+ million renovation, which included the addition of the all new Mokara Spa and a brand new, expansive, multi-tiered pool complex, the perfect place to relax and cool off after your round.  The renovation also included the addition of seven new dining options, so there’s something to delight everyone’s palate.  The proximity to downtown Austin makes it easy to visit the famous 6th Street entertainment district and experience the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

Apple Rock Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort

Horseshoe Bay Resort on the shores of Lake LBJ is about an hour northwest of Austin and an hour and a half north of San Antonio.  GOLF Magazine rates Horseshoe Bay as a top resort for families, but notes that it is a great buddy trip destination as well.  The resort features three Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed championship courses, Apple Rock, Ram Rock, and Slick Rock, all rated in the top 25 in the state.  Your group will have a blast playing the resort’s 18-hole natural grass Whitewater putting course, complete with sand bunkers, waterfalls, and a new sports bar in the middle of the course.  While staying at the resort, take advantage of the massive Lake LBJ that is adjacent to the resort and offers numerous boating and water activities.  Be sure to head into Marble Falls, a nearby quaint Hill Country town that is home to boutique shops and the historic Blue Bonnet Café (make sure you get a slice of pie!).

AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is co-located with TPC San Antonio.  TPC San Antonio features the AT&T Oaks Course designed by Greg Norman and the AT&T Canyons Course designed by Pete Dye.  The Oaks Course is the home of the PGA Tour Valero Texas Open.  The resort also boasts a colossal pool and water recreation area complete with huge water slides and an enormous lazy river.  The High Velocity sports bar inside the resort has one of the largest screens in the state, the perfect spot to catch a game and grab a cold one after your round.  The buffet brunch served in the Cibilo Moon restaurant is a must.  While the River Walk in downtown San Antonio deservedly get all the pub, visit San Antonio’s newest entertainment district, Pearl, just north of downtown.  This former brewery has been transformed into a 22-acre culinary and cultural destination that offers numerous restaurants and shops to visit.  Noted as a top resort for families, GOLF recommends JW Marriott San Antonio as a great option for buddy trips too.

The Palmer Course at La Cantera

Another central Texas resort that’s just outside the Top 100 that warrants mention is La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio.  The resort is home to The Resort Course designed by Tom Weiskopf and The Palmer Course designed by The King himself, Arnold Palmer.  The Resort Course hosted the PGA Tour Valero Texas Open from 1995 to 2009.  La Cantera overlooks 550-acres of the Texas Hill Country and features 496 luxurious rooms, 34 boutique-style villas, and an exclusive adults-only floor.  The Loma de Vida Spa is breathtaking and there are numerous restaurant options to choose from.  The heated, infinity style pools offer a pleasant escape, especially the adults-only pool that has ten luxurious cabanas and a poolside bar and restaurant.

The new Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa is now open!

Posted on by jim

After being closed for approximately a year to complete a $150+ million renovation, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa relaunched in May 2019. It is believed that oil billionaire and Omni Hotels owner Robert Rowling purchased six resorts back in 2012 so he could get his hands on Barton Creek, envisioning it as Omni’s flagship property. The resort sits on arguably the most beautiful spot in the Texas hill country, and the renovation was completed in order for the Barton Creek to compete with other iconic leisure resorts like The Broadmoor and Georgia’s Sea Island.

Any consideration of a Texas golf vacation needs to start with the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa. Easily one of the best golf resorts in Texas, if not the country, Barton Creek features four luxury golf courses designed by Tom Fazio, the team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, and Arnold Palmer. All four courses were included in the resort’s renovation, and the two Fazio courses, Foothills and Canyons, are ranked nationally among some of the best courses open to the public. The resort will serve as home to the 2020 PGA Professional National Championship which will be nationally televised.

There’s always more to a golf vacation than just outstanding courses, and Barton Creek ensures you’re delighted by seven new dining options offering a wide range of cuisines and atmospheres. The focus is on farm-to-table offerings through partnerships with farmers within 100 miles. The all new Mokara Spa has 17 treatment rooms and an adult only rooftop pool. The rest of the brand new, expansive pool complex is multi-tiered to ensure every guest has an amazing view of the surrounding Texas Hill Country while cooling off and relaxing. The resort also has a redesigned 10 court tennis complex with LED lighting for evening play.

Just as Austin is a one-of-a-kind city in Texas, the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa is like no other. To experience the ultimate Texas golf vacation deal, be sure to ask about Barton Creek Resort when booking with Texas Golf Trails!

Something For Everyone

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If you’re interested in a golf getaway package, Texas has something for everyone. Just let us know what you prefer, and we can put together a custom golf vacation package at a TX golf resort, put you in the middle of all that Austin or San Antonio has to offer, or just make sure you’re playing the best golf courses in Austin or San Antonio.

When the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa re-opens after a multi-million dollar renovation, Austin will once again be the premier destination for a TX golf vacation. Barton Creek is home to four championship golf courses, designed by Tom Fazio, Ben Crenshaw & Bill Coore, and Arnold Palmer. In fact, the Fazio Canyons and Fazio Foothills courses are ranked #1 and #3 respectively on Golf Digest’s best golf courses in Texas list. Plus the resort’s renovation promises to deliver not just one of the best experiences in Texas, but in the country.

Located about 45 minutes west of Austin is Horseshoe Bay Resort, another fantastic TX golf resort that features three Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed courses, Slick Rock, Ram Rock, and Apple Rock. Horseshoe Bay is the perfect place to unwind and really unplug. On the banks of Lake LBJ, you can also enjoy water activities at Texas’ premier golf and lake resort. The Hill Country town of Marble Falls is also fun to visit, and make sure you get a slice of pie at the Bluebonnet Café.

If you’re interested in a TX golf resort experience, San Antonio is a great destination. The JW Marriott is home to TPC San Antonio, which includes two of the best golf courses in Texas. The AT&T Oaks Course was designed by Greg Norman and is home of the PGA Tour Valero Texas Open. The AT&T Canyons Course is a spectacular Pete Dye designed course. The JW also has several pools, a lazy river, and water slides.

La Cantera Resort & Spa is another great choice for your TX golf vacation in San Antonio. The resort offers the Tom Weiskopf designed Resort Course, former home of the Texas Open, as well as the Palmer Course, considered to be one of Arnold Palmer’s best designs. La Cantera is a little less geared towards kids in our opinion, and you can also catch a free shuttle ride to The Shops at La Cantera, which features upscale shopping and numerous restaurants.

The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio is home to Hill Country Golf Club, a 27-hole championship facility designed by Arthur Hills & Associates. Spread over 200 acres, San Antonio Magazine named the club “Best Golf Course in San Antonio.” Set on historic ranch land, the resort has a way to make you feel like you’re in the countryside of the Texas Hill Country, but is only 20 minutes from the airport and San Antonio’s word-famous River Walk.

Not interested in stay and play golf packages at a resort? Do you want world-class dining and entertainment choices footsteps away? We can also create a custom golf getaway package with accommodations in downtown Austin and San Antonio. Enjoy an Austin golf vacation that includes a downtown hotel stay with rounds at some of the best golf courses in Austin. In San Antonio, experience the River Walk just outside your hotel while still getting to play the best San Antonio golf courses.

Lastly, if your TX golf vacation is about golf, camaraderie, and little else, that’s another benefit of booking with Texas Golf Trails. We’ll still get you on at the best Austin golf courses or the best golf courses in San Antonio, but we’ll also set you up with clean, comfortable accommodations centrally located to the courses we book in your custom TX golf package, ensuring minimal driving distance between your hotel and the courses.

Now what?!

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So you’ve decided upon a TX golf vacation. Now what? How do you put together a golf getaway package that includes the best golf course in Austin? How do you decide where to stay while keeping the best San Antonio area golf courses within a reasonable drive? You know you want to visit one of TX golf resorts, but which one?

That’s where we come in. You’re not writing your doctoral thesis, so you shouldn’t have to research like you are just to find the best public golf courses in Austin. We know the best golf courses in Austin and can make recommendations based on our local knowledge. You don’t need to be a sweet talker and make a million phone calls trying to find the right person who can help you play Austin luxury golf courses. We partner with Texas golf resorts and private courses to help you play the best golf courses in Texas, courses that you otherwise would not be able to book. Let the local experts at Texas Golf Trails help you. We live in Austin and we know central Texas golfing.

That means we also know the best golf courses in San Antonio too! The Alamo City is home to some of Texas best golf courses, and we can help you decide which ones to play. Want to play at some of the best golf resorts in Texas, but also want to experience the world-famous River Walk? We can make that happen. There’s more to golf resorts in Texas than just first-class courses, so we can help you decide on which one is right for you based on your preferences.

Now that you’ve decided on a golf vacation in Texas, let us do the rest for you. Fill out the Get A Quote form and provide as much info as you’d like to help us build your custom Texas golf package. We’ll send you a proposal based on your request, and then we can work together to fine tune your Texas golf getaway to your exact liking. No cookie-cutter stay and play golf packages. All of our golf getaways are custom tailored just for you and can be tweaked until you are happy. Now that you’ve chosen Texas, the next step is easy. Fill out the Get A Quote form and let Texas Golf Trails take care of the rest!