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Recently had a friend in from Dallas and decided to treat him to a nice daily fees course, one of the best of its kind in the Austin area. Or so I thought.

Didn’t mind the pricey round so much but the basket of range balls…was like $16 and these balls…half were unhittable. They appeared to be 3-4 years old. They’re crummy for a joint that fetches nearly $70 a round and $16 a bucket, to hit balls I literally wouldn’t hit with my driver for fear they’d damage the face. And the range is like 100 yards from the pro shop so buy your balls when you’re inside. Then the balls are embarrassing. Seriously????? Had to wait 10 minutes in the line in the shop to get balls after just being in there. And mats are fine but these are….worn out completely. And the course was well maintained but the traps were slightly wet from a rain the day before but mainly they’re just mud, there’s. no sand in them. IDK how you can reconcile that price for that kind of experience. I asked the guest services guy about the balls and he said “they get stolen a lot so the owners won’t get new ones”. What? That’s an administrative and staff issue not my problem. The balls are laughable. Then it was a 5 hour round with ample beverage cart services but no marshals in sight to keep play moving. It’s just not worth it. If you’re going to just provide muny services then charge $30 for it. TBH that’s about what it’s worth and you can hide from it. Get a range attendant and balls, start acting like you care. Let me know when you do, otherwise we won’t be back.

Course fantastic, a bit ragged around the edges, but greens perfect.

The guy in pro shop a real tool. Corey, I think was his name...

Needs a new line of work.

Played here 2 weeks ago and they’d just aerated the greens. I play all over and it’s a much needed maintenance but when I called to book the tee time nobody told me and I paid full rack rate $52.

Then we’re thinking the greens are okay by now, 2 weeks later, yesterday, we paid $62 and the greens are aerated but WORSE.

Fairways are good but traps suck. Some are just pure mud, some have sand, few are raked or worked.

We won’t be coming back. Sorry to be so hard on them but they need to k ow this isn’t acceptable. We drive 25 miles to get there and it’s just not $62 of golf. $22 maybe.

Full disclosure, I’m a member here and have been for over a year. The course design is brilliant. There are no bad holes, though there are several hard holes that’ll force you to hit every club in your bag. There are now 4 men’s tee boxes that offer you a chance to find your own sweet spot but it’s a really challenging course from every tee box. Lotsa forced carries, a lot of shaping is required and the prevailing wind needs to help because otherwise you’ll have some 3 shot approach par 4’s.

Kirk is the new General Manager and his assistants Ben, Eric & Ryan are just a lot of fun to be around. Great range with real grass, new carts, a spectacular golf facility that’s been improved 300% over what i thought was already quite nice. Enjoy. -Scott

Last time I played here the course was pretty ragged but it was for a special event almost 20 years ago.

Nothing has changed.

The lot was almost empty when I got there, and given a lot of courses are closed that should’ve been a heads up nothing has changed.

I walk into the shop and the lady in there is not who you want as the face of your brand.

Occasionally you see someone and it doesn’t go well and you think “oh it must be me”, but then my buddy came in and I wanted to take our business elsewhere.

The golf course....is being neglected by these new owners. And it’s really sad because years ago the greens were super grainy but the course was well kept.

It’s awful. Like, hey, if they’d just punched the greens, okay, that happens seasonally. It sucks but it’s the business.

But this place is so poorly maintained I wished I’d gone in for a refund and left except I drove 31 miles to get there.

The rough is just fescue & weeds and clover...good luck finding your ball. And the greens are small and grainier than before though there were a few ok.

If the greens were just grainy or the fairways were a bit long or the rough unkept I get that.

But when you add it all up and top it off with that canker sore working in the shop it’s the worst kind of golf experience. I’m so sorry to have to be so hard on the place but if you read my other reviews I’m always looking for the best in everyone.

Terrible.

I’m picky when it comes to golf. I’d rather play a better track less often than a muny every day. I’m not much on the accoutrements of high end golf, though, with gigantic clubhouses & a cart attendant on every hole. It feels like I’m paying for services I’m not interested in nor use, and ordinarily those golf experiences turn into the worst.

At Shadowglen I get a great rate for a championship track that has the services I want, which are great holes and a great driving range. No mats, plenty of room to hit and flags to choose from. (I’m astounded by these courses who have a range and 1 or 2 flags stuck out there. How hard is it to put a cup & a pin in? I don’t need a swanky practice green out on the range, but why have a range with so few targets?)

Love the course & the staff. Eric, Tommy, Jacqueline, Oscar and Julian are exceptional personnel and I’m always pleased to see them. You can tell when people like their jobs. And it shows up in the overall experience.

Great value, great course, great people, great prices, great practice area....just great!

Full disclosure: I’m a member, and I love the place. Zero complaints, ready for some new range balls, though.

When I’m looking for a golf experience part of what attracts me is the peace & quiet of the course. Hey, mowers & maintenance guys are an exception, as they work their butts off at Shadowglen. But when you’re moving thru the round without a cluster of interruptions is really important. And I feel at times that I can feel a pin drop. There’s no carts from other holes in your way, no intrusions from people who don’t belong out there.

If you want to see a golf course that’s immaculately maintained with a very small crew, you’ll not get anywhere better than SG. Grant & his team work tirelessly to make it a great experience.

Love the staff, too. Eric is the head golf professional & I tease him every time I see him: “Isn’t it about time for a vacation?” You’ll see him watering grass before sunrise, getting the carts out, answering the phone and truly so busy that I don’t see how he has time to eat. The guy is a tireless worker and excellent front man, exactly what this course needs. And Tommy Lyons, who works in the shop as well is the most positive and optimistic golf professional I know. But Seltzo, Julian, Oscar and young Mr. Ben are always around for Member & guest services, and they’re a pleasure to spend time with. Truly love and respect them, and they don’t get nearly enough credit.

The course ought to be 10 Stars. It’s a fun layout with great holes, but it’s not for beginners. And if you’ve never played it, play the white tees first. It’s very hard from there, and the back tees are truly championship golf level challenges.

Full disclosure: I’m a member & play it 3-4x a week, so I’m a bit biased but I play all over the area, and there isn’t a better track. I’d love to see a Marshall program to help usher play on weekends. Eric simply cannot manage pace of play and wear all the other hats, so there’s gotta be some retirees who love golf & with training, help players keep moving. Slow play IS NOT a Shadowglen problem but a people problem. They don’t understand how they’re supposed to play at a pace even without anyone in front of them to keep up the pace FOR the entire day. Slow play begins from the 1st tee. Just because there’s nobody behind you doesn’t mean you get lunch at the turn. . (Sorry for the rant, it’s just that I care about the club so much I want everyone to play it!) If the 1st group tees off at 6:10 and aren’t making the turn by 8:10 then the group that tees off an hour later waits on every shot. It’s that simple. Not easy, but simple.

All that said 90% of time pace is great. Love it.

I’m a tough judge having played 21 of the Top 100 in the U.S.

This course is really a blast. It has a bunch of FUN holes. There’s really not a single non-descript hole out there but 7 of them are among my favorites in this city.

If you’re a beginner it’s not for you. It’s very hard in places and it attracts better players. Bring extra balls & don’t get upset when you lose one, just drop and keep moving. The pace of play is awesome, as we played in 3:50. But it just takes one clownshow guy to slow play and ruin it for everyone. They do.a great job of monitoring the course but they care about everyone, not just a single player.

Love the joint, wish I could play it everyday.

The course is very nice. Not crazy about the range being so far from the shop. The staff is exceptionally nice. A couple of the greens are spotty in places and are also very grainy for such a new track. The 18th hole is out of place. I have never seen a finishing hole with a green that slopes from front to back while you are hitting your approach from way below the shelf. It needs a revamp...it is almost like somebody got tired and said oh whatever, we are done here. Wouldn't be hard to rebuild it.