The Tapatio Springs Resort near San Antonio, Texas is a popular golf destination for Canadians.

When you think of big names in Canadian golf, the likes of Mike Weir and Lorie Kane come to mind. But mention the name Jack Parker, and you're likely to get no more than a blank stare or a shoulder shrug from most Canadian golf fans. Very few people however, do more to keep Canucks golfing year-round than Parker, who goes out of his way to attract maple-syrup-chugging northerners to his Tapatio Springs Resort and Conference Center in central Texas.

"They call me the Canadian Connection because I know almost every club manager from Vancouver Island to Halifax," says Parker.

In fact, Parker is the only American member of the Canadian Society of Club Managers, an organization through which he has met numerous golf club managers in Canada. Through his Canadian contacts, Parker invites thousands of Canadians to his course every winter.

'BERMUDA SHORTS'

"Cold for us is 55 degrees (F), so Texans stay inside when it gets to be that temperature. For the people from up north, 55 degrees is Bermuda shorts weather," says Parker, explaining why he started catering to Canucks about a decade ago.

"Two years after I started recruiting Canadians, we had a 90% occupancy rate in January and February and that was 80% Canadian," he says.

Other courses in that part of Texas are much slower in the winter, and Tapatio would be too, if it wasn't for the Canucks, says Parker.

Part of what attracts them there is Tapatio's Canadian Days promotion. From Nov. 1 to March 1, the resort offers room rates and green fees at less than half the regular price, as well as month-long condo rentals for less than most people would pay for an apartment in Canada. The deals remain throughout March and April but are a little more expensive.

Many Canadians will fly into San Antonio, which is only 20 minutes from the resort.

Cameron Gray, who works in the golf industry in Winnipeg, has been to Tapatio more than a half-dozen times since 1999. He says the 27-hole course offers not only beautiful views of the surrounding Texas hill country, but also a challenging round.

'A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE'

"I was there with a couple of pros, and from the back tees it presented a significant challenge for them,: says Gray, who adds that there are a sufficient number of tee boxes to accommodate those who don't play as well.

While Gray goes for the golf, he has also been down to Tapatio with his family, and said there was enough to do there to keep his wife and kids happy as well.

"My wife and daughter weren't keen on golf, so they went shopping in the little town of Boerne, which kind of feels like old Texas," he says.

Nearby San Antonio also has a Six Flags amusement park and a Sea World, as well as NBA basketball all winter.

The resort itself offers a pool, fitness centre, tennis courts, spa services, horseback riding, mountain biking trails and bass fishing.

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BOTTOM LINE

MORE INFORMATION: Visit tapatio.com.