Lajitas Golf and Resort

Black Jack's Crossing, the course at Lajitas Golf Resort deep in the Big Bend country of far West Texas, rose from disaster. The resort's earlier layout, the Ambush, ran beside the Rio Grande and was largely destroyed when floods swept through in September 2008, shortly after Dallas businessman Kelcy Warren bought the bankrupt resort. Warren funded a replacement on new ground set back from the river, and World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins, the 1977 PGA champion and 1995 Ryder Cup captain, designed it. The course opened in 2011 and takes its name from General John "Black Jack" Pershing, who chased Pancho Villa across the Rio Grande. Stretching to about 7,400 yards at par 72, it climbs from desert flats into mountain holes with sweeping views of Big Bend country and the Rio Grande, while the old Lajitas Trading Post serves as its clubhouse. Remote as it is, it has repeatedly been rated among the best courses the public can play in Texas.