In 2008, The New York Times praised Texas Hill Country as one of the best vacation spots in the country, comparing its rolling green hills and miles of vineyards to the south of France. At the heart of this oasis is the city of Austin and the Barton Creek Resort & Spa, home to the state's top two golf courses—Fazio Foothills and Fazio Canyons. Playing second fiddle to these tough layouts are two traditional and somewhat kinder tracks, Palmer Lakeside and Crenshaw Cliffside. If

In 2008, The New York Times praised Texas Hill Country as one of the best vacation spots in the country, comparing its rolling green hills and miles of vineyards to the south of France. At the heart of this oasis is the city of Austin and the Barton Creek Resort & Spa, home to the state's top two golf courses—Fazio Foothills and Fazio Canyons. Playing second fiddle to these tough layouts are two traditional and somewhat kinder tracks, Palmer Lakeside and Crenshaw Cliffside. If you play all four, they will not blur together in retrospect. Each is as unique as a fingerprint and as different as the designers who created them.

The resort's signature course is Fazio Foothills, with its rating/slope of 74/138. The terrain had so many natural features that Tom Fazio trod lightly with earth-moving equipment and let the cliffs, streams, ponds, and caves work their own magic. He spiced the route with frequent elevation changes, varied the putting surfaces in size and undulation, and set up strategic puzzles throughout. Seven holes encounter water in some form, the most memorable being the par-3 ninth hole. At only 175 yards from the back tees, it's more beauty than beast, with a waterfall cascading at the left front of the green.

A decade after the Foothills opened, Fazio returned in 1999 to execute an equally challenging and scenic encore, Fazio Canyons, two miles from the resort, next to the highly regarded Barton Creek Golf Academy. The course slope and rating is 75.4/138. Short Springs Branch flows through the layout, nourishing the big red oaks and sycamores and creating water hazards. Add in elevation changes, ravine crossings, and diabolical bunkering, and the result is a daunting test of nerves and shot-making. Fazio Canyons was the first course in Texas to become an Audubon International Signature Sanctuary, a measure of its environmental stewardship.

On the grounds of the resort, Austin native Ben Crenshaw partnered with Bill Coore to fashion Crenshaw Cliffside. The traditional layout blends into the gently rolling terrain, its generous fairways fostering a false sense of security. Those broad alleys lead to heavily sculpted greens that make you work hard for birdie—or par.

Twenty-five miles from the resort on Lake Travis is Palmer Lakeside, which completes the diverse quartet. Big hitters love Arnold Palmer's handiwork because they're less likely to encounter trouble off the tee than on the other Barton Creek courses. A pleasant track with sweeping views of the lake and an abundance of wildlife, it has its own lakeside clubhouse. Because it's the farthest from the resort, it's also usually not as busy as the others.

For more than 20 years freelancer Dale Leatherman has specialized in golf and adventure travel. Assignments take her all over the world, but she's always happy to be back home playing mountain courses in West Virginia. She is also president-elect of the Society of American Travel Writers.