Houston

From Redstone Golf Club to Cypresswood Golf Club to Memorial Park Golf Course, and many in between, Houston is turning into a prime golfing destination.

HOUSTON - Some call Houston the Space City because that's where NASA's Mission Control once heard, "Houston, we have a problem."

Locals might know it better as the Bayou City because of the series of waterways that divide the city. Houston is also known for its oil refineries, medical research and hospital facilities, and shipping industry.

However you picture H-Town or the Golden Buckle, though, there's no denying that the nation's fourth largest city has plenty to offer in terms of entertainment, restaurants and golf.

The city has three major professional sports teams - the Astros, Texans and Rockets - a great downtown theater district, loads of shopping (including the famous Galleria) and warm weather year-round. It also has the country's fourth largest museum district.

The metro also offers the beaches of Galveston, rides and restaurants at the Kemah Boardwalk, and Space Center Houston, a theme park at NASA in Clear Lake City that both entertains and educates.

The average high temperature in the winter is in the mid-to-upper 60s and low 90s in the dog days of summer. Humidity is generally high, but early spring and fall are the best times to play golf in Houston.

And there is plenty of golf - about 150 golf courses in the area to be more precise, the majority of which are public.

Houston, or more specifically nearby Humble, is where you'll find Tour 18 Golf Club, the original of the copycat, or replica, courses. The folks there did a nice job with Amen Corner as well as famous holes from other famous venues. The club is about 15 minutes from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and generally not expensive to play.

Also near the airport is Redstone Golf Club. The Tournament Course, designed by Rees Jones, is the site of the PGA Tour's Shell Houston Open, and it's open to the public. Springtime and late fall are the best times to play when the ryegrass fairways and overseeded greens are thriving as they set up the course to mimic Augusta National.

Another good public facility not too far from Bush Airport is Cypresswood Golf Club. The Tradition, designed by Keith Foster, is the jewel of this 54-hole facility.

Inside the 610 Loop, you'll find historic Memorial Park Golf Course. Renovated a few years ago, it's the annual site of the city amateur championships and once hosted the city's PGA Tour event. Green fees, including cart, are less than $50 on the weekend, but you have to get online to get a tee time, usually.

On the northwest side of town, you'll find a trio of really good courses.
BlackHorse Golf Club has two excellent, 18-hole, Jacobsen-Hardy layouts. Just a couple miles away, Cypress Lakes Golf Club lays claim to having the best greens in the metro area. And just around the corner, Houston National Golf Club has 27 well-conditioned, links-style holes with plenty of water and small greens.

More north, there's the Steve Elkington-designed Woodforest Golf Club at Fish Creek. Located just north of The Woodlands, Woodforest also boasts great greens and conditions. High Meadow Ranch Golf Club is another good layout that's a little bit of a drive toward Magnolia. Designed by David Ogrin, the course is divided into three interesting six-hole loops.

On the southwest side of town, you can check out the high-end daily fee layout of Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club, a good Greg Norman design with plenty of risk-reward holes created out of old rice fields. Or in Friendswood, check out Timber Creek Golf Club (27 holes).

Even farther south is Moody Gardens Golf Course, which recently underwent a $17 million renovation. Featuring paspalum tee to green, Moody Gardens barely resembles its former self as Galveston Municipal.

And to the east, there's Eagle Pointe Golf Club, an inexpensive but well-conditioned, challenging layout that's worth the drive to Mont Belvieu.

Dining in Houston

There are more than 5,000 restaurants in Houston, and Houstonians eat out often. According to a Zagat's survey, Houston residents go to restaurants about 4.4 times per week compared to the national average of 3.3 times a week.

The restaurants are as diverse as the population, from Mexican to seafood to Cajun, the city has it all.

For a really unique experience, you can try the Downtown Aquarium, which features a half million gallons of fish exhibits as well as great seafood offerings.

Houston is also home to the original Pappas restaurants, which includes Pappadeux, Pappas Steakhouse and Seafood, and Pappasito's Cantinas. Ninfa's Mexican restaurants as well as Carrabbas Italian Grille and the Landry's family of restaurants also originated in Houston.

Getting to Houston

Houston is located just 50 miles from the coast. Interstates 10 and 45 intersect at downtown.

Two commercial airports serve the city. Most airlines fly in the larger George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which is home base for Continental Airlines. Hobby Airport, on the south side, is where you'll land if you fly Southwest or AirTran.