Ranking the top 25 golf courses in Texas that cost under $100 for 2026

Fall color envelops Stevens Park Golf Course in Dallas as a golfer tees off.

Tom Fox/Staff Photographer

The Dallas Morning News course rankings are a team effort. The 77 panel members were given a ballot of 300 courses and asked to rate them on a 10-point scale. Panel members are golf professionals, golf course architects, superintendents, people involved in the golf course industry and amateurs. Many of the amateurs compete in statewide and national events, and others have GHIN indexes north of 10.

Not even the most avid golfer has played all 300 courses, and the first marching order all panel members are given is to vote only for the courses they have played, preferably within the last five years. We also give each of the panel members a list of criteria to consider when rating. These criteria are similar to what national golf publications use.

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The votes are tabulated, and a process known as winsorization is used to account for outliers – high and low – to smooth the data. Because not every course is rated by every panel member, we determined that a course must receive votes from at least 13% of the panel members (10 this year) to be eligible for Top 100 consideration and for the top-50 public course list and the two lists of public courses broken down by price points. Fee is the cost of a greens fee and cart for a prime Saturday tee time. Fees are from April 2026. Actual rates may vary. To be eligible, a course must have been rated by 10 panel members.

Top courses under $100

(x-original design; y-redesign/renovation; NR-not ranked)

Rk.

Course

Location

Designer

Year
Open

Fee

Gus Wortham Park Golf Course

Houston

Baxter Spann

1908

Texas Star Golf Club

Euless

Keith Foster

1997

Squaw Valley GC, Comanche Lakes

Glen Rose

Colligan Golf Design

2001

Brackenridge Park Golf Course

San Antonio

x-A.W. Tillinghast;
y-Colligan Golf Design

1916

Waterchase Golf Club

Fort Worth

Steve Plummer

2000

Stevens Park Golf Course

Dallas

x-Jack Burke Sr.;
y-Colligan Golf Design

1950

Delaware Springs Golf Course

Burnet

David Axland, Dan Proctor

1999

Tenison Park Golf Course, Highlands

Dallas

x-Ralph Plummer; y-Weibring-Wolfard

1960

Live Oak Golf Club

Abilene

Charles Coody

1999

Grapevine Municipal

Grapevine

x-Byron Nelson, Joe Finger;
y-Weibring-Wolfard Design

1979

Landa Park Golf Course

New Braunfels

Baxter Spann, Ken Dye, Joe Finger

1969

Cedar Creek Golf Course

San Antonio

Baxter Spann, Ken Dye, Joe Finger

1989

Squaw Valley Golf Course, Apache Links

Glen Rose

x-Jeffrey D. Brauer;
y-Colligan Golf Design

1992

Eagle Pointe Golf Club

Mont Belvieu

Rick Forester

1999

Firewheel Golf Park, The Bridges

Garland

Dick Phelps

2001

Canyon Springs Golf Club

San Antonio

Thomas Walker

1998

Hawks Creek Golf Club

Fort Worth

Colligan Golf Design

2002

Tangle Ridge Golf Course

Grand Prairie

Jeffrey D. Brauer

1995

Courses at Watters Creek

Plano

x-Bruce Devlin/Robert von Hagge,
y-Weibring Wolfard Design

1991

Rockwood Park Golf Course

Fort Worth

x-John Bredemus;
y-Colligan Golf Design

1938

Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course

Fredericksburg

Jeffrey D. Blume

1969

Cedar Crest Golf Course

Dallas

x-A.W. Tillinghast;
y-Weibring-Wolfard design

1918

Bridges Golf Club

Gunter

Fred Couples, Jeffrey D. Brauer

2008

Split Rail Links and Golf Club

Aledo

Phil Lumsden

2002

Squaw Creek Golf Club

Willow Park

x-Ralph Plummer;
y-Colligan Golf Design

1971

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x-original design; y-redesign

Course rating criteria

Versatility: Does the course create a good mix for the high and low handicappers? Are better players challenged, while the high handicappers are able to enjoy play through the use of shorter teeing areas, alternate routes, location of hazards and accessible pins?

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Shotmaking: Does it test accuracy, finesse, length and putting without putting too much emphasis on any of these skills?

Design: Is there a good balance? Differing lengths? Doglegs right and left? Placement of hazards? Contours and shapes of greens?

Afterthoughts: How much do you remember about the course? Do one or two holes stand out as great or bad?

Beauty: Do the scenic values add to the pleasure of a round? Trees, shrubs, hills, mounds, flowers, etc.?

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Maintenance: How would you rate the course conditions, factoring in all aspects – tees, greens, fairways, bunkers? Spring, summer, fall or winter when viewed?

Enjoyment: How do you feel about being at the course? What about the amenities? From arrival to departure, was it a good, bad or indifferent golf experience?

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