All month you’ve been reading about our trip to Austin, Texas. The final leg of our trip was by far the best; we spent our final two nights in Austin at the recently reopened Omni Barton Creek. Being the last stop on our whirlwind tour of Austin, we greatly appreciated the Omni’s luxurious accommodations and resort amenities.
We pulled into Omni Barton Creek just a little after 4 o’clock on a Friday. That morning we played at the University of Texas Golf Club, and following lunch, at Stiles Switch BBQ we headed over to Barton Creek for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.
After 72 holes of golf in three days, we were ready to unwind. After checking into our rooms, we decided to meet up at the pool and check out the scenery. While a few of the guys in our group were interested in the scenery in and around the pool, the first thing I noticed was our proximity to the 18th green of the Fazio Foothills Course. From the pool it felt like you were right on the course, and our commentary only got better after a few Texas-size margaritas.
After spending our 1st day at Omni Barton Creek recovering at the pool, we woke Saturday morning refreshed and ready to play 36. Our first round of the day would be on the newly renovated Crenshaw Course. For those of you that have read a lot of my stuff, you already know I’m an admitted Coore and Crenshaw fan. So, when writing assignments were assigned, I was first to volunteer to cover the Crenshaw Course.
Being a Coore & Crenshaw fan, and knowing they just oversaw a major renovation of the course, I couldn’t wait to get out and play, however, before I could even get to the first tee everyone seemed to throw water on my party. It started Friday after we parked the Suburban, we stopped into the pro shop to get the inside scoop on all the courses. The guy working the counter gave us the run down, and when we asked him to rank the courses in order, he put the Crenshaw Course at the bottom of his list.
This guy doesn’t know anything, at least that’s the mindset I had approaching our morning tee time. After checking into the pro shop, we headed over to the range that serves both the Crenshaw and Foothills Course. The great thing about Austin, even though it’s the middle of summer the mornings are relatively cool and compared to Orlando, I’d much rather play a morning round in Austin.
As we drive over to the 1st tee, the starter is waiting to welcome us and offer up some friendly advice. Beware of the greens, and don’t be surprised if you 4 or 5 putt. Just the news any amateur golfer wants to hear, again what the hell does this guy know.
Having played the three golf courses located onsite at Omni Barton Creek, I can honestly say Coore and Crenshaw weren’t gifted the best piece of land. Foothills and Canyons both have land that showcases the Texas Hill Country. While the Crenshaw Couse isn’t exactly flat compared to other courses we played in Austin, it was on the flat side of the equation.
With that in mind, you can tell Coore and Crenshaw decided to put the focus on the putting surfaces. You’ll have to earn every putt on the undulating Bermuda greens that come in all shapes, but only one size; massive. I find it only fitting that one of the game’s legendary putters would design a course with so much emphasis on the greens.
Not an incredibly long course, playing just over 6600 yards from the tips. Coore and Crenshaw adhered to their design philosophy of nature is the best architect. With almost a traditional parkland feel, the course features lush, wide sweeping fairways lined by densely packed trees that will devour errant tee shots.
Front 9 Highlights
The course layout starts with an easy Par-4, try to get your legs under you as it only gets tougher. From a slightly elevated tee box, you’ll want to be right center of the fairway for an ideal shot into the green, remember it’s not a long course so you could even take 3-wood off the tee and have a good shot into the green. The fun begins when you reach the green, for me I had no problem reaching the green in regulation just try your best not to 3-putt or 4-putt.
The second hole is a short par-5 playing at only 470-yards from the tips. The course routing is a little confusing, the 2nd and 18th tee box are parallel to each and your first time playing the course you might scratch your head before figuring out where to hit your tee shot. The fairway for the 2nd hole is on the left; if you can avoid the trees along the right separating the 2nd from the 18th you’ll be in good shape to try and reach the green in two shots, worse case you’ll have a short chip shot onto the green.
As you reach the 5th, the first of five par-3s you’ll start to realize that Coore and Crenshaw didn’t skimp on length when it comes to the Par 3s. Every par-3 on the course is a real challenge, and the 5th is the longest of them playing at 210 yards from the back tees. Even with a massive green awaiting you’ll need to hit a big boy shot to reach this green in regulation.
Back 9 Highlights
The par-4 fourteenth is a rollercoaster of a hole, only playing 317 yards from the back tees; it’s a real chance to try and drive the green. The hole moves slightly to the right, and a power fade off the tee might make its way onto a narrow green. However, too far right and you’ll find trouble, the safe play is to take it along the left side of the fairway and set up an easy approach shot. Who wants to take the safe play? I hammered a drive that came up just short of the green, but a Texas wedge put me in great shape for a tap-in birdie!
In my opinion, the best hole on the course is the last one! This 393-yard par 4 is a great example of Crenshaw’s philosophy of letting nature do the work. Don’t let an easy tee shot lull you to sleep, a wide-open fairway awaits, but be sure to hit it. Once you reach your tee shot, you’ll see the complexity of the approach shot over the ravine, which is tricky enough without having to hit from the rough. You’ll need to pick the right club and hit the shot with confidence. It’s OK to be a little long if you keep it left but short, or long right is a score killer.
Coore Crenshaw Cliffside Course Rating 4 out of 5
It turns out the guy at the pro shop, and the starter might have known what they were talking about. While I thoroughly enjoyed playing the course, it did rank as the 3rd best course at the resort, behind both Foothills and Canyons. Would I play it again? Heck yeah, but if I only had time to play one course at Omni Barton Creek it would have to be Fazio Foothills.
I loved the fact that the course was relatively short, but the greens are challenging, and if you aren’t the best putter or enjoy that aspect of the game, this probably isn’t the course for you. In terms of comparing it to other Coore and Crenshaw designs it would be towards the bottom of the list, but as I already said, I think they had a tough piece of land to work with and did a great job designing a course that stayed true to their nature is the best architect principle.
A 4 rating is still very strong, but the biggest thing holding us back from a higher rating is that you’ll walk away from the course remembering the putting surfaces more than any one hole on the course. Regardless, no trip to Omni Barton Creek would be complete without playing all the courses and making up your mind on where the courses rank!
Rob Spellman, is an avid golfer and publisher of Golf Aficionado Magazine, he is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America.