They say, “Things are bigger in Texas,”…are they? Based on the University of Texas Golf Club, they sure are! This club is BIG in every way. This feeling starts off right from the entrance, with its beautiful and BIG clubhouse. Done in a quintessential Spanish/Southwest Texas-style made of stone, this larger than life clubhouse had it all. There was the mammoth covered entrance, to an impeccable pro shop with all the latest cool golf gear, G4 and Stitch to name a few. In Texas, they carry a swagger or pride for the state, and this clubhouse was the showpiece for their nationally ranked golf teams. The club pays homage to all the history and amazing past champions that played for the University of Texas golf team. For example, golf legends such as Crenshaw, Kite, and Penick that played at UT adorned all along the walls. They have photos of their most famous current star, Jordan Spieth and his NCAA championship win at Riviera in 2012. On the outside of the clubhouse is their fleet of burnt orange golf carts with bright white leather seats and the Longhorn logo stitched into the backrest. You feel as though this is University of Texas heaven….golf style.
The practice area and range are very nice. For starters, it’s BIG, and there is an abundance of targets to practice your distance. I should also mention that they provide brand new ProV1 practice balls (with Longhorn logos, of course). There is also a Spieth “lower 40” short course to sharpen your short-game skills, more details on this in a bit.
To sum up the golf course, think high-end resort conditions with the difficulty of a PGA tournament course. I can see why the University of Texas golf team has been successful, this is one challenging layout, the course pushed me to my highest score of the week, but I loved every minute of it!
My favorite and memorable holes were #5, #6, #7 (what a three-hole stretch!), #12, #14 and #18
Front 9 Highlights
Hole #5 “George Hannon” may be the toughest par five on the course. Don’t be fooled by the open tee shot, because the challenge lies ahead, with trouble and OB all along the right-hand side of this hole. The elevation change is significant on this hole. After your tee shot, the hole moves downhill to a creek running across the fairway. After, it’s all uphill to a narrow green that runs off to the right with a challenging green-side bunker holding a shot that misses the green, but if you miss the narrow bunker, the sidehill will move your shot OB. You are not safe on this hole until you are putting on the green!
Hole #6 “NCAA Champions” (how great is that name) is the most memorable hole on the course. Words don’t give justice to the intimidation factor for your tee shot. It’s an uphill tee shot, where you must carry at least 180 yards over OB trees to a dogleg right. If your tee shot is slightly off the mark (short or right), you are OB. If you are fortunate to make the fairway, a daunting approach lies ahead. Once again you must carry the OB tree patch in front of the greenside bunker to a wide and tricky green. This hole got the best of our foursome, but it’s one we all wanted to play again.
Hole #7 “U.S. Amateur Champions was one of my favorites due to its all world-class tee shot. This dogleg left tee shot, looks daunting, with OB in front of the tee box and a guarded creek running all down the left-hand side. It seems as though you need to carry the creek as the hole angles from right to left. The safe play is aim way out to the right, but that leaves you with a much longer approach into the green. Challenge the left side for a manageable approach, but you bring trouble into play as I found out. The creek borders the green along the left-hand side and behind the green, so no room for forgiveness.
Back 9 Highlights
Hole #12 “Sherri Steinhauer” is a beautiful par 3. It is tough but fair and left a memory for our group. It played 166 yards from our tee box, and the rock wall in front of the bunkers leading to the green was the signature look on the hole. Large bunkers surround this green, and the elevation change is something to consider, so play with caution!
Hole #13 “Mark Brooks” was our groups go big or go home hole of the week! Half of us with courage went for the green on this short par 4, while the other half bailed out to the right, avoiding the 230-yard carry over water before the green. Two of us made it over the water but had a challenging chip on to the green. The 13th is such a fun short hole, but note the trouble is around the green!
Hole #18 “Partners and Founding Members” is the finishing hole you dream of at a signature course such as University of Texas Golf Club. The feeling of this as a “BIG” hole is apparent. This long par-4 leading up to the “BIG” clubhouse shining in the distance gives the player a feeling of trying to finish like a champion. With a creek guarding the left side fairway through the green and a bunker on the right, the approach is tough to conquer. A par here gives you a feeling of accomplishment!
One very cool element to the University of Texas golf club is the “Spieth lower 40”. This short course designed by Jordan Spieth is a wonderful addition to the club. If you only have 30-40 minutes to work on your short game, or if you need a way to settle a bet with your friends, this fun test of wedges and putting is a treat! I shot a -1, for a total of 17, which will always warm my heart. So, bring two wedges and a putter, have a nice short walk and play some bonus golf!
UT Golf Club Rating 4.7 out of 5
In summary, this was such a cool course, with an homage paid to the University of Texas everywhere. Our hats are off for the greenkeeping staff, in the middle of the Texas summer and less than two weeks after aerification, the course still knocked our socks off. The entire staff at UT Golf Club couldn’t have been more welcoming, we got off on the wrong foot when a couple of bottles of beer feel out of the hatch of the Suburban, I know not the best first impression, but the staff quickly helped us clean up the mess. Special thanks to Steve Termeer, he runs a tight ship and is a walking encyclopedia of Texas Golf.
The layout at UT Golf Club puts some golf courses on the PGA Tour to shame. Guaranteed to challenge even the best of players and requiring every club and shot you have in the bag. The conditions were true, fair and hard, which was amazing considering it was over 100 degrees in the Texas summer heat! If you have a chance or opportunity to play this course, do it, memories will remain for a long time!