Palmilla Beach Golf Club in Port Aransas: A rare Texas seaside course
PORT ARANSAS, Texas -- Formerly known as Newport Dunes, Palmilla Beach Golf Club offers something pretty rare in the state of Texas -- ocean views.
Quite frankly, the Texas coast really isn't conducive to building golf courses, but in 2008, Arnold Palmer Design was commissioned to create a Texas seaside links course on Mustang Island near Corpus Christi. The result is not a true links but probably the closest thing to links golf in Texas, other than Tom Doak's Rawls Course in Lubbock. And Lubbock isn't exactly next to the Gulf of Mexico.
Palmilla Beach isn't right next to the water, either, but it's pretty close. There are several vantage points, especially on the back nine, where you can see the Gulf, and you can certainly feel its effects. Wind is almost always a factor on this tough layout, where fairways aren't exactly tight, but there is plenty of gorse to gobble up golf balls.
Palmilla Beach Golf Club's signature stretch comes on holes 13-15, where the ocean breezes and views come most into play. They're also some of the most difficult holes on the golf course.
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(based on 10 reviews)