Houston’s winters are famous for being pleasant. Yes, winter in Houston, and for that matter, the entire southern part of the State of Texas can be a delight in those crisp days of the year’s fourth season, especially when you want to play golf.

Are you the type of person who has developed a hankering for golf and want to let it soak into your skin? You know the live-it-breathe-it kind of golf. But every once and awhile you want to get away to a new scene with your family, a prime place for biking with the kids and where you and your spouse can really absorb golf for a day or so.

Then you should consider The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center. For one thing, it’s an easy golf Mecca to reach and flying in is a non-hassle as well, as it is located only 30 minutes from Houston International Airport (IAH).

Once there, step out on the balcony of your room, and look around. At one end of a walkway notice the flag flapping on the 18th green of an immaculately manicured course. Turn your head and you’re staring up at a 3-story water tower that shoots kids out of a hidden twisting slide into a gurgling pool. Look around a bit more and you’ll realize there are no highway sounds and you’re totally surrounded by tall trees and glorious silence.

When it comes to golf Texans love to claim bragging rights on The Woodlands. And with good reason, it’s the only golf community in the nation to have signature courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Fazio (in the making). Add to that premier mix two public links: Tournament Players Course and Panther Trail and you’ve got true resort-style golf.

The TPC, for 27 years the venue for the Shell Houston Open (now the new site of the Samsung World Championship LPGA event), is kept in immaculate condition. With century old oaks and plenty of water hazards sprinkled about, playing the TPC means making every shot count.

The playability and condition of the layout is perhaps the prime factor that keeps players coming back for more. A majority of holes offer a traditional rolling design and well-placed bunkers. Perhaps the most memorable hole is the 17th where a precision shot to a smallish green guarded two-thirds of the way around by a lake is a true risk - reward hole.

"There’s a lot more here than we expected." said Adrian Dozier, a recent resort guest who claimed the TPC "An outstanding course from beginning to end." During a recent visit, Dozier played the TPC and then took a shot at the newly unveiled Panther Trail. The two nines are cleverly (and rightly) named Panther’s Lair (front nine) and Panther’s Bite.

After playing a review round we felt it to be a splendid collection of holes but more wicked on the "Bite" layout. For the average player Panther Trail nonetheless means an enjoyable day. Beautiful wildflowers are sprinkled about and more common than golfers here, it seems. Homes are in sight, but they are set back with little intrusion. Being at peace with your golf game after this experience, however, may be another story.

Woodlands assistant pro Kyle Galindo guides players and explains the tricks and treats throughout the course. He gives a warning to first-timers: "Play from the proper tees and think carefully over the whole golf course. I tell everyone that," says Galindo. "They will enjoy the golf course more if they play the proper tees."

The par-72 course yardage ranges from 7,044 to 4,896 with five sets of tees, large sloping greens, some bunkering and a daunting water hazard fronting the eighteen. Panther’s designers converted large stretches of rough into stunning patches of native grasses and wildflowers. A color palate once dominated by dark green is now enlivened with shades of beige, yellow and red. Rye grasses and sculpted fairways give the entire layout an entirely new feel. Best of all, 97 bunkers have been reduced to 50.

Everyone loves splashing around in the resort’s Forest Oasis Waterscape, an amazing collection of pools, spouts, waterslides and waterfalls with even a beach for snorkeling and viewing underwater marine life in the form of a mural designed by Texan Denise Moore Liebel. Management wisely saw to it that kid-less adults have a place of their own; there is a separate large pool area with a soothing wall of water for guests 18 and over. The Waterplex and its pool-side grill bar kept the four of us happy for hours after golf with fresh-made margarita’s and burgers.

Overall the resort counts 490 deluxe guestrooms dotted about the grounds in clusters of condos. Most families opt for the spacious King Rooms located in Fairway Pines that encircles the Waterscape area. Rooms are equipped with premier bedding (firm mattresses, down-filled pillows) and convenient items like hairdryers, thick terry bathrobes, coffee makers, writing desks and high-speed Internet access. Guests also have at their disposal an expansive Spa & Health Club with the latest in fitness equipment and signature treatments ranging from massage and body wrap, to facials and aromatherapy.

With five restaurants, a full-service spa and fitness facilities, guests never need to leave the resort, but there are shops and attractions nearby if they choose to. The Woodlands is 30 miles north of downtown Houston via I-45 or the Hardy Toll Road. Besides the multi-facility resort there is a large shopping mall, movie theaters and numerous restaurants within a minute or two. Phone 281-367-1100 for reservations or see: www.woodlandsresort.com.

Pat Pugh is a Houston-based travel writer. Her golf and outdoor features are published in Golf Houston and the English golf magazine Through The Green. She has received travel writing awards from Delta Airlines and the British Tourist Office.