One day in Austin

weisse12 · February 26, 2018

Hey Fellas,

I am coming to Austin for a work conference in late April and will arrive a day early to play a round in Austin.

So...one round in Austin (with 2-3 coworkers)- what public course do we hit? I am a ClubCorp travel member if that helps.

Also, my coworkers are terrible at golf so they probably appreciate fees around $60-80 and don’t want anything that’s going to beat them up. Well conditioned and scenic is best for them.

Thanks!

TravelingGolfSticks · February 27, 2018

Hills of Lakeway, Flintrock course is my favorite clubcorp course in Austin. Just hope your coworkers are members too. It also might be a pain to get to if you don't have a car.

jsanatx · February 27, 2018

Falconhead or Avery Ranch, depending on what part of town you'll be staying. Munis - Clay/Kizer complex, greens are in great shape.

larryw · February 27, 2018

You didn't provide a lot of information to help. Weekday or Weekend? Transportation available to you?

However, if you can swing the 40 to 50 miles - Vaaler Creek in Blanco is the most scenic with a good challenge but not penal. Also will probably be the least crowded.

Wolfdancer would be another great choice - but will be a little higher cost that you described.

Weekend you can expect a long day on any of the muni courses or the popular semi-private courses (Falconhead, Avery, Teravista, etc.)

Hope you find a place and it works out for you. Golf in Austin is fantastic - but a one day trip and not knowing the area is difficult to pull off.

weisse12 · February 28, 2018

Sorry about that. It would be a Thursday early afternoon. Ideally it would be cab distance from downtown, where we are staying.

jsanatx · February 28, 2018

hmm, cab distance from downtown? That probably nixes Avery, TerraVista, Flaconhead, Wolf Dancer. They are all on the outskirts or out of Austin.

Best bet would probably be Clay/Kizer or maybe even Lions.

Austincountyag · February 28, 2018

Kizer would be my pick. :drinks:

larryw · February 28, 2018

Might check out a Uber ride.

ShadowGlen is not a terrible cab ride from downtown - just straight up I-35 to 290. It is coming into good shape - the fairways are getting very green and they plan on starting to fertilize the greens this week - so they should thicken up in a week or so. It is a nice course but is not an easy course if you can't hit the ball where you aim. The part time golfers might lose a few balls but would probably still enjoy the round.

Star Ranch is another course that is very close to major freeways (sits right on I-130 in Round Rock) - might check out the cab fare for that and it is a wide open course that is always in pretty good shape. Guys shouldn't lose any golf balls and it is a lot of fun to play.

All the ideas I have. If you have to hit a muni then look at Lions. The course that Ben Crenshaw grew up playing - a lot of history at that course and it is close to downtown.

weisse12 · March 1, 2018

Thanks guys. Wolfdancer looks good so far. We can probably swing a 30 min cab ride. Not too bad from the airport either and we can probably head right to the course once we land.

weisse12 · March 7, 2018

Any opinions on River Place Country Club or Lost Creek?

Luke.Sutton · March 9, 2018

River Place is typical Hill Country course like Barton Creek. There are a ton of places to lose golf balls as there is a canyon on both sides of pretty much all holes. It’s the more revered of the two. I like it but don’t love the penal aspect.

Lost Creek is my home club. It’s a cool old school 70s parkland course on a smallish piece of land. It’s super close to DT. Should be $16 for you and $70 for your guests. It gets mixed reviews... the second tee box (blue tees) kinda crosses over the first green and makes people nervous and there are a couple par4s on the back you have to hit an iron off the tee due to all the trouble. That said... I love the place. It’s always in immaculate condition, super fun yet a true test of your skills and is very scenic. Less places to lose balls than River Place but still plenty of trouble to find.

Of all the other courses mentioned (including privates) Wolfdancer is the best by far. Beautiful, fun, challenging, secluded. Problem with it is distance to downtown and price. It could be $100-150PP. Cab from downtown will be $100, Uber $50. Take Uber.... cabs suck here and are gross

retep · April 18, 2018

Howdy Hi:

I'm coming in to austin about noon on a sunday in early may... . Where should i try to walk on to driving from the airport? i realize i might only get 9 in, which is fine anyway... ideas? I might be playing avery ranch i think the next morning.

It looks like Kizer and clay are closest to the airport. Riverside? They all seem to be about the same price, i'm open to suggestions!

i'm staying at the renaissance hotel if that matters which i don't think it does! thanks as always, peter

toothysaw2 · April 19, 2018

Howdy Hi:
I'm coming in to austin about noon on a sunday in early may... . Where should i try to walk on to driving from the airport? i realize i might only get 9 in, which is fine anyway... ideas? I might be playing avery ranch i think the next morning.
It looks like Kizer and clay are closest to the airport. Riverside? They all seem to be about the same price, i'm open to suggestions!

i'm staying at the renaissance hotel if that matters which i don't think it does! thanks as always, peter

Kizer/clay are both fine. Riverside is usually pretty dead. It is a fun and quirky little course though. Personally I’d try Morris Williams. 15-20 min from airport (in moderate traffic). Gets crowded, but a single should be ok.