Four championship rounds across two Hill Country resorts, anchored by three nights at Omni Barton Creek and one at Horseshoe Bay.
6 Days
Bucket List Trip
$3000–$5500/person
4
Moderate to Challenging
This itinerary treats the Omni Barton Creek Resort as what it is: the most concentrated collection of high-quality golf architecture in central Texas. Three courses on one property, designed by Tom Fazio (twice) and the Coore and Crenshaw partnership, offer three distinct expressions of Hill Country terrain. The trip then extends northwest to Horseshoe Bay for Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Fly into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and drive approximately 30 to 40 minutes northwest to the Omni Barton Creek Resort. The resort sits on 4,000 acres of Hill Country terrain west of downtown, and the property's scale becomes apparent on the approach.
Morning round on the Fazio Canyons, the second Fazio design on property, opened in 1999 with contributions from Beau Welling, Roy Bechtol, and Dennis Wise. The routing follows Short Springs Branch Creek through corridors of oak and sycamore, and the canyon terrain creates the kind of elevation changes that make each hole feel isolated from the others.
The third round at Barton Creek is the Coore Crenshaw Cliffside, and it may be the most interesting of the three for students of golf design. Opened in 1991, this was only the second course completed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the partnership that would later produce Sand Hills, Streamsong Red, and Bandon Trails.
Check out of Omni Barton Creek and drive approximately 90 minutes northwest to Horseshoe Bay Resort on the shores of Lake LBJ. The landscape transitions from Austin's western suburbs through increasingly open Hill Country terrain, and the drive itself is worth the windshield time.
Morning at the resort. The marina offers lake activities for those with early energy, and the Bayside Spa is available for those without.
A rental car is essential. The geography of this trip spans roughly 90 miles from Austin to Horseshoe Bay, and no public transit connects the destinations. Average rental car rates run $35 to $55 per day for a standard vehicle. Omni Barton Creek rates range from $300 to $550 per night. Horseshoe Bay rates range from $250 to $450 per night. The best months for this trip are March through May and October through November, when temperatures are comfortable and the courses are at peak condition. July and August offer lower rates but sustained heat above 95 degrees, demanding early morning tee times.
$3000–$5500
per person
6 Days
5 nights
4
courses included