In its first year, Hill Country Golf Course was nominated for best new resort by Golf Digest. It was also listed among Golf Magazine's Top Ten Courses You Can Play and was the recipient of Corporate Meetings and Incentives Golden Links Award.

The Bandit appeals to all golfers but especially to the purist. With 100 foot elevation differentials and pristine condition this course offers an unforgetable experience. Not a single hole is embraced by housing. The Bandit is a delightful "change of pace" experience waiting for the golfer who enjoys a challenge of some unforgettable holes while enjoying the twisting, rolling terrain of the historical Texas Hill Country.

The distinct Hill Country character of SilverHorn can be credited to designer Randy Heckenkemper along with PGA Tour Professionals Willie Wood and Scott Verplank. SilverHorn’s tree-lined fairways, strategic use of sand and water, and beautifully framed contoured greens make this par 72 course a treasured Hill Country experience long remembered.

Canyon Springs is set in a scenic oak forest covering a series of hills. The isolated routing makes you feel as if you're on top of a private mountain, as no two fairways run parallel. Some might expect a tricked-up course with wild elevation swings and long forced carries. Instead, the design blends in with its environment instead of taking advantage of it.

There were some heated discussions during construction on whether or not to leave some strategically placed trees, and in the end, the correct decisions were made. The result is a thinking person's layout where placement off the tee is critical and the huge greens can make for wildly different pin positions. It needs some time to mature, but is set to become one of the area's finest.

The watery, treeless front nine lies between an adjacent expressway, railroad tracks and an office complex -- not exactly a serene golf experience. Tall heather abounds, adding an esthetic touch with a propensity to swallow golf balls.

An entirely different experience awaits as you descend into the quarry for the back nine. It's one beastly hole after another, with carries over waste bunkers, narrow fairways, and 400 extra yards.

The setting, however is something to behold. The sheer walls of the quarry extend up to a rim lined with luxury homes, and the factory where limestone was once converted into concrete is now the upscale Quarry Market mall. It's urban renewal, with a touch of The Flintstones' Bedrock.

• 7,022 yard par 72 course 
• 4 sets of tees on each hole 
• 44 sand bunkers, 4 waste bunkers and water on 11 holes 
• Tiff eagle greens and 419 Bermuda tees and fairways. 

The Palmer Course at La Cantera opened in March 2001 and offers visitors to The Westin La Cantera Resort a second 18-hole course, designed by Arnold Palmer and the Palmer Course Design Co. The course complements the existing Resort Course at La Cantera, and together the public daily fee courses are the first in South Texas to provide 36 holes of championship golf designed by golfing legends.

Located on 225 acres, The Palmer Course at La Cantera provides golf enthusiasts a par-71 course measuring approximately 7,000 yards. The course includes several signature holes, including the par 3 No. 4 hole with dramatic waterfalls along the entire front of the green and a tribute to Palmer’s late wife: The Winnie Palmer Memorial Bridge. 

Also featured on all of the course’s carts is the state-of-the-art ParView GPS system, which is key in assisting golfers as they map out their strategy for each hole. 

Arnold Palmer played a six-hole exhibition on the course during the grand opening, and stated that, “The Palmer Course at La Cantera is one-of-a-kind and a first-class golfing experience.”

The Palmer Course was named as one of America’s 100 Best Golf Shops by Golf World Business magazine in 2003 – one of just four awarded in Texas. 

The 7,001-yard layout is spread over three hilltops, serving up views of the surrounding terrain. Some holes seem like a game of "can-you-top-this," with dramatic elevation changes, carries over ravines, and risk-reward opportunities. But La Cantera pulls this off without being gimmicky because it's the roller-coaster property, not the design, that causes the drama.

Speaking of roller coasters, the seventh hole provides one of the most remarkable scenes in all of golf. The tee shot on this 316-yard par four drops 80 feet down to the fairway, set in the bottom of an old limestone quarry. However, your eyes seem glued to what sits to the left of the hole: The Fiesta Texas Amusement Park, complete with "The Rattler," a huge wooden roller coaster directly on the other side of a fence from the green. Every 40 seconds or so, your concentration is interrupted by the shrieks of yet another group of thrill seekers as they cascade down the coaster's initial drop.