Recommendations for second home in Texas?

[jaydub]

golf a must, lake a bonus

I am thinking about buying a second home in Texas or neighboring states. I live in Nebraska and would prefer someplace that is usable most of the winter. I am very familiar with Horseshoe Bay, but would like to hear of any other ideas. Being able to play golf and enjoy a lake the same day would be great. Thanks for any tips.

[Corsair]

If you are familiar with the Austin area - then you know where to go - lots of good golf there, but it is a little cold in the winter for lake activity. I live in the Houston area and we golf virtually year round and there are good private and public options. No real lakes around here but we are close to the GOM - Galveston Bay. Personally, if I were you I would look in Arizona (don't know about the "lake scene") or Florida (lots of water there) if Austin doesn't suit you.

[Simp]

The DFW area has both. We're relocating there in a couple, 3, 4 months and I looked into both golf and fishing/lake activities and I wasn't disappointed. Eagle Mountain Lake, Grapevine Lake to name 2. We looked at the lakes and they were very big and personal watercrafts seemer to be popular.

[texagjosh]

If you can handle a little humidity, check out Lake Conroe.

[ABT]

My Texas fellows will tell you that one of the best lakes around is Lake Forks. Check out Links at Lands End [url="http://www.golflakefork.com/layout9.asp?id=219&page=5373"]http://www.golflakefork.com/layout9.asp?id=219&page=5373[/url]

[swbyps]

You have to go further south than Dallas. Although there are many good choices in north TX, they can get ice up there pretty regularly in the winter. Typically in the Houston area, with the exception of this year, we rarely have even 5 days total a year where the temps get below freezing and that will be in the middle of the night. Lake Conroe is an ok lake and there are 4 or 5 descent courses I can think of within about 15 minutes. Within 30-45 min drive of Conroe there is some great golf. All the courses in The Woodlands, Augusta Pines, Gleannloch Pines, Redstone, Cypresswood, Fish Creek, Blackhorse, Lake Windcrest...to name a few.

[nitram]

New Braunfels.

Heart of the Hill Country and half-way between Austin and San Antone. Plenty of golf and waterworks.

[jaydub]

I appreciate all the input, guys. I'll start checking out some of these ideas. Its a tough call between being within a day's drive and getting to where it's warm all winter.

[The Long ball]

Look around the Lake Travis area, Falconhead golf course is good and Lake Travis is AWESOME!! Also Lake LBJ is another great lake and golf area kinda known as the retirement lake bc its not a huge party lake which you may not mind??

[Flashman]

[size="3"]If I were you I would stay away from the Houston area. I have lived here all of my life and this city is not a good place to live any more. Crime is pretty rampant especially on the west side of town. The Westheimer area that used to be booming is now pretty depressed.[/size]

[RickK]

My recommendation would be to check out Lake Conroe. You have several golf course communities (Bentwater and Walden come to mind but lots more) around the lake itself and more golf courses within 30 minute drive.

I live in the Greater Houston area on the far SW side of town. There are crime areas in Houston just like any other major city. I have lived here for 35 years and I love it. The weather is hard to beat. When you can play golf in January and February in shorts and short sleeve shirts...hard to beat. Sure, we have the occasional freeze but that help keep the mosquito population in check. Since you are looking for a 2nd home, I doubt you would be interested in living inner city anyway. I sure would not be. I would want to be as close to both water and golf as I could be. Lake Conroe has a lot to offer.

[Boomermike]

[quote name='nitram' timestamp='1297794067' post='2979460']
New Braunfels.

Heart of the Hill Country and half-way between Austin and San Antone. Plenty of golf and waterworks.
[/quote]


+1.

I live in New Braunfels & love it. The Bandit is a spectacular course, Landa Park Municipal is a fun, cheap, and fairly easy course, and just outside of town we've got Canyon Lake Golf Club ON Canyon Lake, which is a beautiful, blue-watter, rock bottom lake that dams the Guadalupe River in the middle of the Hill Country. Not to mention a number of other courses within 15-20 minutes in Seguin, San Marcos, or the north end of San Antonio. We do have cold snaps in the winter, but I can tell you that through the months of December, January, February, and now into March, at no point have I gone more than seven days between rounds of golf played in sunny, 60-plus degree weather.

[bigred90gt]

I will also recommend the Houston area. There is lake Conroe (which is a bit north of Houston), and there is also Lake Houston (which is on the north east side of Houston). Being in the Houston area also gives you access to the Bay and the Gulf for saltwater fishing activities (if fishing is your thing). There are tons of great golf courses in and around Houston, and if you can handle heat and humidity, the weather is hard to beat. Admittedly, for someone not used to the heat and humidity, it may be unbearable, but I cannon say that for certain as I've been here all my life.

As far as crime, that is everywhere around any big city, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio alike. I personally think that Houston has more to offer in general. The terrain is quite flat here though, so a lot of scenic elevation changes are not common at the courses here. Some are built up a bit, but you just arent going to get the big changes like you would more toward Austin and San Antonio. If you do decide on the Houston area, I would stick with the north east (Humble/Kingwood), north (Spring/Woodlands), north west (Cypress), and south west (Sugar Land) extremities of the city. You can find small towns around those areas that are nice, clean, and not over crowded. The further you go in toward Houston, the more congested it gets.

[acresi]

If you'd like a slower pace than the big city, you could check out some areas of East Texas. There are a few really nice places in the Tyler area that have great housing developments and good golf. Depending on your price range, here are a few you can check out that are pretty good:

Hideaway Lake
http://www.hideawaytexas.net/

Garden Valley
http://www.gardenvalleytx.com/

Hollytree
http://www.hollytreeclub.com/view.asp?id=156&page=2447

Pine Dunes (As far as golf goes, this is the best course in East Texas in my opinion)
http://www.pinedunes.com/

I personally left East Texas after growing up there because I prefer the city more, but if what you're looking for is a slower pace, then this could be a viable option for you. Any of these places will put you just a couple of hours from Dallas and about the same to Shreveport, LA.

[putt4_66]

I'm a lifelong Texan. I live in the Houston area. I highly recommend The Canyon Lake area. At one time I owned property overlooking the lake and thought about commuting to and from Houston.

http://www.canyonlakechamber.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canyon_Lake_TX_wide.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canyon_Lake_TX.jpg

http://www.canyonlakegolfclub.com/

http://www.banditgolfclub.net/

[nando]

[quote name='ABT' timestamp='1297789222' post='2979262']
My Texas fellows will tell you that one of the best lakes around is Lake Forks. Check out Links at Lands End [url="http://www.golflakefork.com/layout9.asp?id=219&page=5373"]http://www.golflakef...d=219&page=5373[/url]
[/quote]

There are no fish in Lake Fork.


Also, on a side note, the OP mentioned PWC's, Lake Fork is not a good place for them. Too many hidden tree stumps as most bass lakes are like that. Plus, the bass fisherman despise PWC's.

[bunkerboy_tfd]

In the same area is Eagles Bluff off Lake Palestine. All of those are nice and near lakes.

[quote name='acresi' timestamp='1300756217' post='3075966']
If you'd like a slower pace than the big city, you could check out some areas of East Texas. There are a few really nice places in the Tyler area that have great housing developments and good golf. Depending on your price range, here are a few you can check out that are pretty good:

Hideaway Lake
[url="http://www.hideawaytexas.net/"]http://www.hideawaytexas.net/[/url]

Garden Valley
[url="http://www.gardenvalleytx.com/"]http://www.gardenvalleytx.com/[/url]

Hollytree
[url="http://www.hollytreeclub.com/view.asp?id=156&page=2447"]http://www.hollytree...d=156&page=2447[/url]

Pine Dunes (As far as golf goes, this is the best course in East Texas in my opinion)
[url="http://www.pinedunes.com/"]http://www.pinedunes.com/[/url]

I personally left East Texas after growing up there because I prefer the city more, but if what you're looking for is a slower pace, then this could be a viable option for you. Any of these places will put you just a couple of hours from Dallas and about the same to Shreveport, LA.
[/quote]

[842ta]

Check out dcbeweb.com Gated community 18hole par 70 course and 9 hole par 3 and great grass driving range. Also many homes on lake lots!!

[DL4Golf]

One negative about Texas golf is the wind here. I am in Dallas area. For that reason alone, I would check out some other areas. But there are probably locations with a lesser amount of wind. One nice inexpensive course is Legacy Ridge in Bonham. You can get a great deal on a house on the course at current time. It is in a low lying area and wind does not affect it as much, but parts of the course have flooded a couple of times.

[Mikolar]

One thing I did not see in your post was your preference for public or private golf. I noticed that many of the suggestions offered here are for public or daily fee courses -- which is not necessarily bad.
The dry weather has caused some issues on those courses which rely primarily on rain and or local water. More and more of the courses are being tied to effluent which is probably the norm for the future. As for geography, I'm not a big fan of the Houston area -- higher humidity and bugs, traffic, etc. East Texas can be nice and there are several great courses out there.
I'm not a fan of New Braunfels either for the courses are fine, just not great. DFW can still be cold in the winter, but San Antonio is a good option.

While you mentioned that you know HSBay, we've lived in various parts of Texas our whole life. Over the past ten years, we've had a second home in HSB and are planning on moving there permanently shortly. For condition and cost, we've found the best option there to be a private course, Escondido. They are now offering a fractional ownership that seems to be pretty good as well. Good luck.