On vacation in Austin and found an early morning tee time online, $39.00 riding at 7:03 a.m. As I drove up the last block to the course, the “ice” warning came on the dash of my rental vehicle. I cou... Continue »

On vacation in Austin and found an early morning tee time online, $39.00 riding at 7:03 a.m. As I drove up the last block to the course, the “ice” warning came on the dash of my rental vehicle. I could see the range to my right and it was frosted over. Course employee tells me 9:00. I stick around for breakfast in the grill and wait. At 8:30 I see golfers scrambling so I jump in line. Going off the back nine, the starter at hole 10 lets me jump a foursome right away as I’m a single. Everything is dormant here. All Bermuda grass course, including the greens. Greens: They say they are double cut daily and the greens did roll nicely. Mostly good surfaces with only a handful of ball marks and some old cups healing in and some scalped cups. Hard to heal Bermuda grass when overnight temps drop into the 30’s. Fairways: Nice to hit from, except the few areas that had excess water due to leaking sprinklers or just thin turf. Rough: It was a mixture of 2” deep fluff, nicely mowed 1.5” (+/-) primary cut, and no-no areas like dirt, rocks, or mulch. I found it all. Tee boxes: I played the whites. Those were more beat up than the others. The tips were pristine. Blues were nice, too. All were level and easy to find a good spot. Bunkers: I visited a few bunkers. The sand was nice, light-colored, and soft. Many were wet and the front nine had deer tracks aplenty. Deep tracks. It was deer city on the front nine this morning. A recurring theme was a lot of small rocks. Maybe some new liners are needed. Overall, I liked the layout and the beautiful oak tree lined fairways. The grounds and clubhouse facilities look very upscale. The snack bar seemed reasonably priced and the food was okay. The employees were very nice and courteous. Kudos to the starter who got me out ahead of some slower foursomes. Three hour pace of play? Yes, please! I’m sure that’s only for the early birds. I’d like to play this course again when it’s green.