SWEETWATER COUNTRY CLUB (SUGAR LAND)

The flat Texas coastal plain rarely produces memorable golf, but this Sugar Land layout defies geography with water hazards that actually matter and greens complex enough to punish lazy approaches. Carlton Gipson's 1980 design maximizes every acre of its constrained suburban site, routing holes around a central lake system that comes into play on nearly half the holes. The par-3 17th over water to a peninsula green separates pretenders from players, especially when Houston's notorious wind kicks up.