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Sport The Houston Astros (tel: (713) 627 8767; website: http://astros.mlb.com), the local Major League Baseball team, took on opponents at the Astrodome, before moving to the state-of-the-art open-air stadium, Enron Field, 501 Crawford Street (tel: (713) 799 9567), in March 2000. They have been particularly successful, being the National Division Central Division Champions for 1997, 1998 and 1999. Houston also has two successful basketball teams – the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (tel: (800) 462 2849; website: www.nba.com/rockets) and the Houston Comets of the Women’s National Basketball Assocation (website: www.wnba.com/comets; tel: (713) 627 9622). Both currently have the Compaq Centre, 10 Greenway Plaza East, as their home stadium but a new multipurpose arena is under construction Downtown and is scheduled to open in September 2003. Tickets for the Rockets and the Comets can be purchased direct from the teams. Houston does not currently have its own National Football League team. This will change in September 2002, when a new team, the Houston Texans (tel: (713) 289 2002 or (877) 635 2002; website: www.houstontexans.com) will run onto the field in a brand new football stadium (Reliant Stadium) that is under construction next to the Astrodome. Golf is a popular game in Houston, and the mild climate allows for it to be played all year-round. The city is also home to the Houston Open Golf Tournament, a major venue for the PGA Tour’s players. Tickets for most sporting events can be obtained from Ticketmaster (tel: (713) 586 4263; website: www.ticketmaster.com). Fitness centres: The YMCA Healthclub, 1600 Louisiana Street (tel: (713) 758 9250), is open to non-members. 24-hour Fitness has a number of branches around the city – the 5800 Richmond Avenue outlet (tel: (713) 783 8448) charges US$10 for use of its gym facilities. Golf: There are more than 100 golf courses in the greater Houston area, many of which are open to the public. Hermann Park Golf Course, 2155 North MacGregor Street (tel: (713) 526 0077), and Memorial Park Golf Course, 6001 Memorial Loop Drive (tel: (713) 862 4033), are both easy to reach. Green fees are US$19.85 weekdays and US$25-35 from Friday to Sunday at Hermann Park. The Memorial Park is closed Tuesdays and green fees are US$22.50 weekdays and US$32 Friday to Sunday. Swimming: Waterpark lovers will enjoy SplashTown Waterpark (tel: (281) 355 3300; website: www.sixflags.com), with a number of pools and water rides. It is located at the Louetta Road exit, off I-45 in Spring. Next to the Astrodome is Six Flags Astro World and Water World (tel: (713) 799 1234 or 8404; website: www.sixflags.com), which is a theme park with water slides and a giant wave pool. Tennis: Tennis courts are available for public use in Memorial Park, 6501 Memorial Drive (tel: (713) 845 1000). |
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