Smart Players Shoot for Golf Getaways

Golf in the Heart of Texas

This May, when Royal Dutch/Shell needed a place to let 400 senior managers cut loose, they held their annual meeting at the Woodlands Resort, 40 minutes outside Houston.

And for good reason. The Woodlands is home to 490 deluxe suites, 21 tennis courts, five swimming pools and so many different recreational activities that it's practically a summer camp for adults. The resort offers 120 miles of hiking, biking and running trails, hosts weekend sushi classes and is home to the Forest Oasis Waterscape, a two-acre water park that includes a double helix racing slide, waterfalls and a white sand beach -- in the middle of Texas.

But for all its amenities and attractions, the sprawling resort complex is best known for golf. The Woodlands is home to two world-class courses -- the recently-renovated Panther Trail golf course and the Tournament Players Course. Golf aficionados know TPC Woodlands as the former home of the Houston Open, where Fred Couples snapped a five-year winning drought with a dramatic birdie on the last hole in 2003.

Now you can play where the pros play, without paying a premium. The Woodland's Platinum Golf Escape package is a tremendous deal, allowing duffers a chance to hack away in luxury. For $250 for a single player ($400 for doubles), you'll receive a night of deluxe accommodations, a full breakfast and 36 holes of golf, including 18 holes at TPC. To improve your game, you'll get unlimited access to the practice facilities, free range balls and club cleaning and storage.

John Daly and Phil Mickelson have both managed to hit a hole in one at TPC, but you should be prepared for a challenge. The TPC's 17th and 18th holes were voted two of the toughest in all of Texas. Nearly two decades ago, Angelo Spagnolo shot a 257 there to take home Golf Magazine's Worse Avid Golfer Award. He lost five dozen golf balls, shot a 66 on the 17th hole and ended the day 185 strokes over par.

Hopefully, you won't play that badly. But at least you didn't overpay to do it.