BrandonTuckerGA

This was my second time at Onion Creek and the first time I got to see the original front nine. The routing on this day was a little weird because there was work being done on the original back, so after the front, I had to drive out to North 5 (Crenshaw 1) and when I was done at 13 (a par 3) drive back. Definitely not walkable in this setup.

The 7th hole is nuts: 601 yards with hazard right and you can't draw the ball because of overhanging limbs. If it were my club i'd lobby for some Husqvarna on some of those limbs.

A few of the other holes on the front are pretty nondescript and run along the creek.

In all honesty, I think nearby Jimmy Clay GC has a better layout, but it seems like all the atx munis' greens are either struggling or are a season away from struggling. Onion's were pure. Arcis golf recently bought the club off Dominion. I'll be curious what comes as a result. The clubhouse looks very 70s, but I was jealous of the practice amenities. This is one of the three clubs in town I'd consider joining once my kids get a little older. I saw some pull carts out there as well as a dog, which tells me I might get along with membership just fine.

Had the chance to get out here last week at 4pm and got in all 18 holes with storms swirling around but never getting close to us. Felt like stealing! We played fast golf, thinking that our round could end any minute, so I wasn't exactly savoring architecture or details. We played through one foursome but frankly they were playing at a nice pace too. It was a nice layout with some unexpected roll to the land. I think Panther Lake, which I also played once a few years ago, is probably a little better overall if you can only play one course at OCN. But both are solid and the deal we got for challenging mother nature was unreal.

Just how rare do golfers play in the summer afternoons in Florida? When we finished at 7pm the clubhouse was closed and locked up. Couldn't even use the rest room. Coming from someone who grew up in Michigan, that's wild.

Hope you like waterfalls and fountains, Whitewater is an oasis in the middle of the Horseshoe Bay resort complex. It's a very cool and relaxing place to be in the early evening or even at night when the course is lit for night play. The course is natural grass and features a mix of straightforward, short holes and longer doglegs that require a little more thought. Holes wind thru natural sand bunkers and rocks.

The resort, as part of its recent enhancement, built a new sports bar in the middle of it that has good food and a nice vibe. You can sit either inside and watch sports or sit outside and relax.

This is a great amenity that helps make HSB one of the better family golf resorts in the region.

What a hoot to play. I had a first off tee time on my birthday here and it exceeded expectations. I had a great walking caddie and we got around in 3 hours easy. It's a links-inspired course full of pot bunkers (many have been rebuilt) and you can see odes to Turnberry, Carnoustie and many others throughout the round. The front nine is more open and even has a flexible routing for the members. there was a par 3 not in play the day I was there and wish it was because it looked gorgeous.

The back nine is a little more lowcountry in feel with more trees and finishes beautifully along the river. I can't recommend this course enough. I've only toured Ocean and not played it but my guess is Cassique is not only more player-friendly with scoring chances but you can also play the ground a little more.

It might be tough to get on but if you're a member at another club I'd recommend trying to get a reciprocal tee time here. I was a guest of the new Timbers Kiawah development, where property owners are eligible to join the Kiawah Club.

The two Fazio courses at Barton Creek have more bells and whistles, but the Coore-Crenshaw Cliffside, recently renovated, is a lot of fun and has a great, walkable routing (that said, resort guests are discouraged from doing so). Fairways are forgiving and greens are large. The recent renovation rebuilt the bunkers and the turf quality is excellent.

I'd probably play this course the most if I was a member. If you're a resort guest, play this first before the Foothills, which is definitely tougher.

Better players may balk at the back-tee yardage of just 6,600 yards, and I don't love the little par-3 17th hole, which felt wedged in. But besides that it's just a very comfortable course to play in a gorgeous part of the Hill Country.

Since the resort was renovated and expanded, there is a new pro shop separate from the members. It's tough to figure out where you can have a drink afterwards to be honest. More of a climactic and natural finish on Foothills.

Got in an impromptu 18 during the work week and managed to walk 18 holes in a three-ball in about 3 hours flat. Felt like stealing.

Clay is my favorite layout among the Austin munis and that includes Grey Rock. I just don't play here enough because Mo and Muny are closer. I think it has nearly the perfect amount of trees on it (okay, maybe 3 and 18 have a few too many) and the roll to the land is gentle but interesting. Holes require you to shape it both ways. Some you must be cautious. On others you can let it rip. One thing I noticed on this round was all these little pockets of native grasses that are well off playing corridors that add a nice aesthetic. The course really is looking good, even if I caught it about a week after aerification. (That said, I had just 30 putts). The fairways were about as carpet-like as munis get in Texas.

I'm especially cheesing because I parred 3 and 18. I never par those holes. Cheers y'all.

Rare do you show up to a course for the first time already knowing so much about it. Even still, I left with a whole new level of appreciation of Pebble Beach. We played the course a few weeks before the upcoming 2019 US Open and the course couldn't have been in better shape. The rough was grown out but you could still catch some decent lies in it. Greens were fabulous.

Pebble's routing is unbelievable. The 6th hole is probably the most remarkable hole I've ever seen. 8 is all drama too. What's crazy is that when we turned the corner and got to 11, I almost felt this sense of relief after 7 incredibly intense oceanfront holes. You get a few holes inland to catch your breath and then get right back out on 17 and then finish with a bang on 18.

A few notes:

Taking a cart is pointless. We did because we were in a shotgun, but it's cart-path only every day and on pretty much every hole the cart path is on the opposite side of the ocean or well off the fairway. Just walk or take a caddie (ours was very good).

Be sure to take enough club off the 8th tee! Staff say too many golfers lay back too much and end up with 200 yards into the green.

Pace was bad but we were in a media shotgun with many of the holes having A & B groups (and we were all getting tons of video, photography etc.).. Staff say that thanks to Tagmarhall, normal tee sheets are averaging under 5 hours now.

The staff plans on keeping the course in US Open shape all summer but will scale back the rough to "resort" conditions before the Champions Tour event this fall. All in all I felt the round was challenging but the fairways weren't too narrow (I hit 8 of them!). The greens are small and quick. If you hit a green you've got a good chance at a birdie.

There is a reason why the US Open held its 100th event here and Pebble's 100th anniversary will host the US Open. I can't think of a more fitting venue to hold our nation's tournament.

Brought a group of 12 buddies to San Diego and we finished up at Torrey Pines North. Playing the South never really crossed our minds given it's getting a lot of work done this summer and it's also way more difficult. There were some high handicappers in my group and I know they loved the more forgiving layout compared to Steele Canyon and Maderas.

The course is a lot of fun to play, especially the back nine, which kicks off with a great par 5 straight towards the ocean. I love the 16th hole too that plays up the hill along the coast. The course had been aerated about 10 days earlier so greens were running slower than previous rounds, and it's too bad they don't give any kind of price break for that, but hey it's a busy place that doesn't have a problem booking up. I booked our three times about 75 days in advance and it was already filling up.

We stuck around for drinks on the lodge patio. All in all a great cap to the weekend.

Came here in the early evening after playing 18 at Torrey Pines North earlier in the day. This muni isn't as well known as Torrey Pines but it's definitely a neat place. The course is lit until 9:30pm and it was pretty busy on this Saturday evening. I was generally impressed with the turf quality for how short it is. There are a couple short par 4s on each nine so you can hit some woods if you'd like. As non-residents we paid nearly $40 to walk it, so it's not the greatest value to play mostly par 3s, but it was a good hang. .

When I settled on San Diego for my buddies trip, I knew I'd be calling up Maderas for one of the rounds. In my travels, it is among the best standalone daily-fee destination facilities I've experienced. Great clubhouse, food, drinks, practice area and service.

Oh, the layout is a lot of fun too, culminating with a great closing stretch full of elevated tee shots and high drama. Conditions are fast and great and you can employ the ground game a little bit around the greens.

I was curious if my group of 12 would prefer Torrey Pines North or Maderas. Virtually all of them seem to have preferred Maderas even if Torrey was a little more forgiving to wayward shots (and is more walker-friendly, which I personally prefer).

After 18 holes in the morning at Maderas we wanted to go somewhere a little more mellow for a twilight round and found Oaks North. It's a fun little place in a retirement community with a nice vibe to it. Greens rolled really nicely. one of the nines was being aerified and I'm glad the starter tipped us off to that. There are a handful of par 4s but it is mostly mid-length par 3s. Super twilight for just $15 can't be beat.

This was the arrival-day round for our buddies trip and I picked it because it had a good clubhouse restaurant and practice facility. It's also relatively short (6,000 yards from the middle-back tees) so I thought it'd be a good warm up.

We started on the Vineyard nine which was very residential and had a few filler holes. Aside from an elevated first tee and a couple other spots it wasn't all that memorable. The Canyon nine took it up a notch with some really cool elevated shots and holes cut along mountainsides. It is certainly not easy though as you still need to hit a straight ball.

Course conditions were great and the crew seemed to enjoy the pick.

I played my golf at Ann Arbor's munis, especially 5,000-yard Huron Hills. Once in awhile, just to mix it up, we'd go to Georgetown. It was usually in pretty good shape and it was a little different playing mostly par 3s. It's flat and quite close to downtown Ann Arbor and despite being a country club, does offer affordable public access. You should be able to walk on.

It's Ann Arbor's best golf option to bring kids along.

I played the adjacent 18-hole Grande Pines a few years ago (which is now closed) and was glad to finally see Grand Vista, the 9-holer the property decided to keep. First off, the facilities, despite being a short course, are as good as many of the resorts in town. There is a full driving range, clubhouse bar & restaurant and short game greens.

The nine-hole course is pleasant and long enough where you can hit all the clubs in your bag, culminating with a 400-yard par 4. The routing is a bit odd as it's a short course yet not geared towards walking: several long drives between holes. A whiff from the developer there.

But all things considered this is a place I would feel great bringing a wide range of skill levels and ages to. If you're near the Sea World area and have a little time to spare this is a fine option.

Kizer is my 4th favorite layout amongst the munis in Austin but since most of the others have been aerated recently I figured I may as well give it a go (I actually showed up hoping to play Clay but it was too busy). The greens couldn't have putted better. Very nice! One weird thing though was the fringes were overseeded too, so they are pretty long and thick, while the surrounds are a more bare, early-season bermuda. That isn't the case at Lions where they also overseeded. It makes bump and runs tough right now and I had a few of them.

I'm guessing it'll be really warm in a few weeks and greens will transition back to bermuda, and there are no trees out there so shade will be at a minimum. So walk Kizer while you can.

Hancock seems to have had a successful overseed this fall and right now the course is about as green and full of grass as I've ever seen it. The greens are still slow, and they need to be because they've really added a lot of slope over the years. But they are at least consistent.

It does appear the city courses are rotating through aerating and I saw a sign saying Hancock's was coming up in a week or so (15th, I think). So play before then if you can.

I've reviewed Wolfdancer 3-4 times already and have given it 5 stars every time. As a few of the previous reviews mention, there is a bit of a poa outbreak at the moment, most notably around some green surrounds. I wouldn't say it affects golf shots, but it does just give the course a bit less of a polished aesthetic, so those paying the peak resort rack rate (which is the area's highest besides Barton Creek) might leave having expected more. But the gorgeous scenery is still the same and it's a rare course 'round here where you don't hear housing construction going on. That's why I come. I thought the greens rolled nicely and there were putts dropping all day in our group (humblebrag!). I saw a lot of crew members out there that day so I would expect that they'll have the course dialed in for summer. .

The staff couldn't have been better and the bev cart came early and often (which was needed!).

I'm a muni pass holder but hadn't been out to Mo Willy all year. It was good to get out and play 18 last week before the torrential weekend rains came. Played from the tips (been awhile) with some good sticks and had a good time. The conditions of tees and fairways were good and the grass has greened up nicely. The greens are a little behind. They didn't overseed the greens (like Lions did) and I think they could use some warmth for the bermuda to get some growth on them. I'm optimistic by next month they are more consistent. That said, I did make a lot of putts out there, so I can't complain.

We had the chance to spend the day at Wolf Point Ranch with the golf course architect Mike Nuzzo, and it was a very special treat. This private estate course is the centerpiece of a 1,600-acre ranch near Port Lavaca and it's a wonderfully Scottish inspired layout, full of rumbling, dry fairways and big greens. Nuzzo built the course for Al Stanger to have a lot of flexibility and playability to it. There was a nice breeze the day we played and I really enjoyed using the ground and feeling shots into and with the wind.

I was expecting a marvelous and mythical Texas golf experience and I got it. What I didn't expect was that there is a small but comfortable clubhouse, a private runway large enough to land commercial aircraft, and camels. Camels? Yes. This place is something else. I hope when the property is sold, the owners make it more available to those avid golfers willing to make the visit.

Finally had a chance to play this private club just west of Austin in Bee Cave and was really impressed with the layout. There is a lot of movement to the ground out here but the flow feels very natural and the ball moves around on the ground neatly.

The par 5s are excellent - though three played into the wind - and the par 3s are cool too. There are also a couple short par 4s and a few blind tee shots. There is certainly some local knowledge to be had out here which makes it a layout geared towards members who can learn the nuances.

I think the design by Bobby Weed actually compares favorably to Fazio's Escondido out west. The difference between these two high-end clubs is Escondido's clubhouse is much bigger and there are lake and pool amenities, while Spanish Oaks' is smaller and golf-focused.

The amenities go above and beyond here and we had a tremendous forecaddie with a serious nose for finding balls and was great at giving advice. They have walking caddies here as well.