BOERNE – Jack Nicklaus let the Hill Country property do the talking in designing his fifth signature course in Texas.

"In the case of Cordillera Ranch, it was less about what you could create and more about how to not mess up an opportunity like this," Nicklaus said of the development near Boerne. "We just needed to find the golf course at Cordillera, because it was there. And I think we did that.

"When you are doing a golf course, you try to take the site's best natural attributes. You let the nature of the land and the soil generally dictate what kind of golf course you do."

The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch is one of a handful of new Texas courses opening this year. The 7,464-yard course, which features zoysia fairways and bentgrass greens, is the centerpiece of an 8,700-acre gated development. It has been open for play for members but will not have its grand opening until April or May.

The 125 golf course home sites are priced from $150,000 to $500,000. The houses will be built on one- to three-acre lots set well back from the course.

The object, said David Hill, president of Cordillera Ranch Development Corp., is to retain the character of the property, to make it look like an old ranch.

The rugged property is 10 miles east of Boerne and just north of San Antonio on State Highway 46.

The Spanish word cordillera translates to mountain range. The property features a ridgeline that separates the Cibolo Creek valley and Guadalupe River valley.

"It's not exactly a mountain range," Hill said, "but it's the best we can do."

The signature hole on the course is destined to be the striking par-3 16th. The green is cut into a rock formation between two waterfalls that flow into a canyon 50 feet below. The slight uphill shot plays at 172 yards from the back tee.

"There were tremendous rock outcroppings and a waterfall that already existed on the property, so we just had to incorporate a green in there," Nicklaus said.

"In this case and this hole, Mother Nature was our inspiration and our co-designer."