Austin in Mid-December

[Argonne69]

I'm thinking about heading to Austin in mid-December for 4 or 5 rounds. The long term forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-40's to mid-60's, which is acceptable. I've seen numerous public courses mentioned in several threads, so I'll put together a short list at some point. The top spot will likely be Barton Creek (Canyons, Foothills). Wolfdancer would probably be the next stop.

 

'Any reason to avoid Austin in mid-December?

 

Thanks!

[3eagles18]

Weather perfect and likely in the 60s-70s instead of 40s-50s. Practice your wind shots.

[Argonne69]

Weather perfect and likely in the 60s-70s instead of 40s-50s. Practice your wind shots.

 

Thankfully, I get plenty of practice in the Windy City. My home course doesn't have a tree on the course:

 

[GolfSINC]

Windy or not, that course looks beautiful! Let me know what courses you play and your thoughts on them. I'm hoping to move to Austin in 3 years, and my plan is to get a house on a course there. Still weighing the options. I'd love to hear from those who have played the courses first.

[schwollo]

Weather is perfect for golf in December. only thing that might stop you from golfing is rain since we typically get a few cold fronts and rain like everywhere else.
Barton creek canyons course is my favorite in town. I have not had a chance to play wolf dancer but all my friends love it. Other courses I love in Austin include Twin creeks (hardest course in town imo) and falconhead

[Argonne69]

[quote name='schwollo' timestamp='1414972673' post='10388511']
Weather is perfect for golf in December. only thing that might stop you from golfing is rain since we typically get a few cold fronts and rain like everywhere else.
Barton creek canyons course is my favorite in town. I have not had a chance to play wolf dancer but all my friends love it. Other courses I love in Austin include Twin creeks (hardest course in town imo) and falconhead
[/quote]

Yeah, I was down in Houston a few years back in mid-December, and had 3 days of rain. 'Still managed to get it 5 rounds, though. I always pack the rain gear.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='schwollo' timestamp='1414972673' post='10388511']
Weather is perfect for golf in December. only thing that might stop you from golfing is rain since we typically get a few cold fronts and rain like everywhere else.
Barton creek canyons course is my favorite in town. I have not had a chance to play wolf dancer but all my friends love it. Other courses I love in Austin include Twin creeks (hardest course in town imo) and falconhead
[/quote]

Twin Creeks is private, isn't it?

Falconhead looks promising. Barton Creek Canyons and Foothills are not open to resort guests on the same day, so I'll have to split my rounds across two days. Falconhead is close to Barton Creek, so it should serve as a nice 2nd round for the day.

[Argonne69]

Has anyone played the Cliffside or Lakeside courses at Barton Creek? How do they stack up against Star Ranch? I'll be playing the Foothills course in the morning, and it seems like quite a hike to Star Ranch. Playing one of the other two BC courses would appear to be a wiser move than hiking across the city.

[DTXgolfer12]

November and December are THE best months to play golf in texas in my opinion. It's not 108 degrees. The grass is usually greener, ground is softer, greens are usually lush. Go for it.

[schwollo]

You can get on twin creeks . Just give them a call they are fairly flexible.
Since you're at barton Id skip star ranch and go to wolfdancer . Star ranch is fun and is is good shape always but it isn't really challenging . (Well I guess it depends what you're looking for lol) I've never played lakeside or Crenshaw but greens are huge at Crenshaw .. Lakeside is just plain too far for me to drive . Might as well go to horseshoe bay resort . I played onion creek last year before floods messed up one of the nines and I loved that course . Very tight not long but still tough . Not sure how course is playing now or conditions . Felt like a throwback course .

[Argonne69]

[quote name='schwollo' timestamp='1415669709' post='10426897']
You can get on twin creeks . Just give them a call they are fairly flexible.
Since you're at barton Id skip star ranch and go to wolfdancer . Star ranch is fun and is is good shape always but it isn't really challenging . (Well I guess it depends what you're looking for lol) I've never played lakeside or Crenshaw but greens are huge at Crenshaw .. Lakeside is just plain too far for me to drive . Might as well go to horseshoe bay resort . I played onion creek last year before floods messed up one of the nines and I loved that course . Very tight not long but still tough . Not sure how course is playing now or conditions . Felt like a throwback course .
[/quote]

I'm planning to play Wolf Dancer the morning of the last day before heading to the airport.

I'll give Twin Creeks a call. It looks like it's ~30 minutes (20 miles) from Barton Creek, which is probably doable.

[Argonne69]

I have my schedule set for next week, starting with Falconhead and Barton Creek Canyons the first day, Barton Creek Foothills the next day, and Wolf Dancer on the final day.

I may play another round the 2nd day on one of the other Barton Creek courses, but I'm more likely to head into town and do the tourist thing, as this will be my first visit to Austin. Is there a great brewpub in town, preferably one with great BBQ?

If time permits, I may play a 2nd round at Wolf Dancer before heading to the airport for a late afternoon flight. I'll post course reviews as I finish my rounds.

[Mikolar]

not sure if brewpub's and great BBQ belong in the same sentence.

For BBQ at night, Salt Lick (south in Driftwood) is always popular. Lockhart, if you have time. In Austin, there are a bunch starting with Franklin's (if you have time to wait in line) Micklethwate is really good -- also on the east side. Google BBQ in Austin once you get here. Traffic is a problem in the Barton Creek area this time of the year (nearby mall).

[Argonne69]

[quote name='Mikolar' timestamp='1418002954' post='10559733']
not sure if brewpub's and great BBQ belong in the same sentence.

For BBQ at night, Salt Lick (south in Driftwood) is always popular. Lockhart, if you have time. In Austin, there are a bunch starting with Franklin's (if you have time to wait in line) Micklethwate is really good -- also on the east side. Google BBQ in Austin once you get here. Traffic is a problem in the Barton Creek area this time of the year (nearby mall).
[/quote]

Thanks for the tips. Hopefully the drive from Falconhead to Barton Creek won't be too bad on a Thursday at 11:00 am. I'll be spending the night there, so traffic won't be an issue. The weather forecast looks like crap. My rain gear is going to get a workout.

[Mikolar]

as for weather, you just never know. 68degrees and absolutely no wind today, just great. Some chance of rain this weekend and they're saying a slightly wetter than normal month ahead.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='Mikolar' timestamp='1418091315' post='10565151']
as for weather, you just never know. 68degrees and absolutely no wind today, just great. Some chance of rain this weekend and they're saying a slightly wetter than normal month ahead.
[/quote]

Yup. I'm kind of used to having marginal weather on my trips. It looks like next week will be sunny and pleasant. Oh well.

[Argonne69]

OMG. Wow. I can see why Austin ranks as #4 in the worst traffic in the U.S. An hour and 20 minutes to travel roughly 20 miles from the capital building to Lakeway. Insanity at it's finest. I did manage to stumble across The Ginger Man. Great pub with plenty of taps.

I've got an early start in the rain tomorrow morning at Falconhead.

[Argonne69]

Started the day with a nice quick round at Falconhead. It was misty and cool, but the rain stayed away. Went out with another single as the first group, and made it around the course in two and a half hours. The other guy, Mitch, was walking no less. He had some serious game.

I thought the course was very nice. Lots of elevation changes, and the sand in the bunkers was superb. The greens rolled true, but they were very damp, and therefore slow. I left way too many putts short.

The fairways are relatively wide, with no real trouble off the tee. The small greens are the course's real defense.

There course has quite a few homes around it, but it never felt constricted by them.

Overall, this is a very nice facility, and I wouldn't mind making a return trip some day.

[Argonne69]

I played Barton Creek Fazio Canyons this afternoon. Great course with some very nice elevated tees hitting down into the canyons below. Go figure. The rolling terrain is also nice. There are a few scattered homes around, but for the most part it's canyon rock and trees. There are some pretty nice homes sitting up on the canyon edge looking down at the course.

The greens were fast and smooth, but not crazy fast. I can certainly see why the course is so highly ranked.

I played as a single, and other than playing through a threesome at the turn, had the course to myself.

I got lucky with the weather this afternoon. The temps rose to the upper 60's, and the rain held off until I was pulling out of the parking lot. Nice.

Time for a hot shower, and then it's down to the resort bar for a few drinks and a ribeye.

[Argonne69]

Started the day with another solo round on Fazio Foothills. Once again, a very nice course. The greens weren't quite as fast as they claimed, but still very playable. I would rank the course a notch below the Canyons course. The course is tighter than the canyons with more trees, but certainly not narrow by any means.

Followed that up with a round on the Crenshaw Cliffside course. While it doesn't rank up there with the Fazio courses, it's no slouch. There is little trouble off the tee, but the large sloping greens are tough. Very tough. If I were to play it again I'd definitely have to work on a cut shot for the severe right to left sloping greens.

Also, the sand in the bunkers was deep and heavy. I left a few balls in the sand taking weak swings at them.

Once again the weatherman was wrong. Ha! No rain makes for a great day. I was joined with a guy from New England, and we had a great time in our shorts and polos, while the locals were bundled in cold weather gear. :-)

Next stop, Wolfdancer.

[3eagles18]

When I was in law school in 1971, Austin had a population of 250,000 plus the University's 50,000 students. Forty years later there are approximately 1.5 million. Same roads north/south and east/west. Nothing new or wider. Come back for the legislative session in Feb - May; traffic is a nightmare. Eases up slightly during the summer.

Glad you enjoyed Canyons; my home course. I dislike Crenshaw. You have to know the greens to putt. Also, too many blind shots from resorters who think the group ahead decided to go home. I've been hit a couple of times. Usually I leave the cart at the top of the hill so groups behind know we are still there. Weather is a little strange right now but usually you can play 300-340 days per year.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='3eagles18' timestamp='1418433817' post='10586107']
When I was in law school in 1971, Austin had a population of 250,000 plus the University's 50,000 students. Forty years later there are approximately 1.5 million. Same roads north/south and east/west. Nothing new or wider. Come back for the legislative session in Feb - May; traffic is a nightmare. Eases up slightly during the summer.

Glad you enjoyed Canyons; my home course. I dislike Crenshaw. You have to know the greens to putt. Also, too many blind shots from resorters who think the group ahead decided to go home. I've been hit a couple of times. Usually I leave the cart at the top of the hill so groups behind know we are still there. Weather is a little strange right now but usually you can play 300-340 days per year.
[/quote]

I have to believe the lack of roads is mainly a political thing. The basically liberal Democratic town is split among several Republican congressional districts, and I'm quite sure the Congress critters are in no hurry to throw money at the Austin portion of their districts.

Yeah, definitely some blind shots on Crenshaw. Like you, I learned to place the cart to maximize survivability. I don't quite understand why such an expensive resort doesn't have GPS on the carts with cart tracking.

[Argonne69]

I finished the trip with two solo rounds on Wolfdancer. I have mixed feelings about the course. The back nine is pretty boring. I found the front much harder, and more visually appealing. The greens were unexpectedly slow. However, they did have the most severe undulations of the 5 courses.

I did like the short par 4's. For long hitters, they'd be more or less driveable.

Overall, I'd rank the course 4th, a notch below Falconhead.

I'm sitting in the airport looking out at the beautiful weather. I really have to think seriously about moving south. While Chicago has some great golf, the winters are getting to be too much for these aging bones.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='Mikolar' timestamp='1418002954' post='10559733']
not sure if brewpub's and great BBQ belong in the same sentence.

For BBQ at night, Salt Lick (south in Driftwood) is always popular. Lockhart, if you have time. In Austin, there are a bunch starting with Franklin's (if you have time to wait in line) Micklethwate is really good -- also on the east side. Google BBQ in Austin once you get here. Traffic is a problem in the Barton Creek area this time of the year (nearby mall).
[/quote]

Wound up eating at Micklethwate the first day. Great stuff, but unfortunately they were sold out of pulled pork in the mid afternoon.

On Friday evening I grabbed a couple of beef brisket tacos at Valentina's on west 6th street. OMG. I've never been a big fan of brisket, as it's usually too dry. This stuff was heavenly. It's quite amazing the quality of food that can come out of a trailer.

[Mikolar]

The trailers and their food have gone from the carnival midways to parking lots around CBD's. Glad the wx cooperated and allowed you to see the good side of Austin.

And you are right about the politics on the roads -- except that our issues are completely self inflicted. The city is very liberal and the elected councils have followed that path. In the '60's and 70's, the argument was that if you don't build the roads, the city won't grow. In the 80's and 90's, strong neighborhood opposition in some areas and environmental activism west of IH35 led to slow playing on road construction. This century, elected officials seem to believe bicycles and light rail are the only answers.

Tough to carry your clubs on any of those two vehicles but its still a great place to live. Until you start talking about cedar pollen....

[Argonne69]

[quote name='Mikolar' timestamp='1418744264' post='10600651']
The trailers and their food have gone from the carnival midways to parking lots around CBD's. Glad the wx cooperated and allowed you to see the good side of Austin.

And you are right about the politics on the roads -- except that our issues are completely self inflicted. The city is very liberal and the elected councils have followed that path. In the '60's and 70's, the argument was that if you don't build the roads, the city won't grow. In the 80's and 90's, strong neighborhood opposition in some areas and environmental activism west of IH35 led to slow playing on road construction. This century, elected officials seem to believe bicycles and light rail are the only answers.

Tough to carry your clubs on any of those two vehicles but its still a great place to live. Until you start talking about cedar pollen....
[/quote]

Ah, the proverbial shot to the foot. Light rail can help with traffic, but only when it reaches critical mass. It appears that Austin's system is fairly small. I got stuck on Rt 1, and 2244. There doesn't appear to be any good alternatives heading west.

Funny you should mention pollen. I have bad allergies, and they were acting up something fierce during my trip.

Overall, the town reminded my of Madison, WI. It's a small state capital with a major university. 'Lots of young people, and nightlife catering to them. I'm not sure if could retire in such a small city, although I do love the convenience of a small airport.

[schwollo]

Glad you had a good time in atx and that you got some good brisket . Bad brisket is the worst lol
Very good review of the courses you played . Some ppl love the foothills course but I think the canyons is way more fun. Falconhead is a poormans barton creek imo .
Traffic does suck here luckily i work from home