Ram Rock Course at Horseshoe Bay, Austin

Posted by John

November 30, 2009

horseshoe bay ramrock Ram Rock Course at Horseshoe Bay, Austin

Horseshoe Bay is actually about 1 hour northwest of Austin, Texas – up in Hill Country above Lake LBJ. This is a full service resort with 4 golf courses and a marina to boot. I played their highest rated course, Ram Rock, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. With 4 sets of tee boxes we selected ’regular’ which measures 6405 yards, is rated 73.2 with a slope of 135 – you’d better bring your A game! From the tips the course measures 6926 yards for those who can hit it 300+ off the tee.

The overall setting of the resort is breathtaking. Being an hour from Austin (Golf.com says it’s the “#1 Golf City in America!”), the bustle and population density of the city recede quickly in the rear view mirror. This is a place to come for a well deserved rest or maybe better – retirement. The Ram Rock course is high up in the hills quite a ways from lake LBJ below.

Most of the fairways are bordered by tasteful homes which add lots of ambiance. There were at least two homes on each hole where I could picture myself grilling on the patio enjoying the slow parade of golfers as I enjoyed a well deserved beer or martini.

It should be no surprise that the facilities as well as the service are top notch. We had such a good time on the course that we spent another hour in our own tournament on the putting green. With a late afternoon perfect blue sky what else were we supposed to do?

The course itself is made up of Bermuda tees and fairways with Bentgrass greens. The condition of the course was great overall. The greens could have been one notch faster for my taste, but don’t get the idea that they are slow. This is a first class layout throughout.

The rough wasn’t particularly high, but there are plenty of obstacles with 62 traps and a fair amount of water. Number 4 is a par 3 with a true island green. If you’re smart you aim for the center and give yourself a pat on the back if your tee shot is dry.

There are also plenty of elevation changes, which is no surprise if you’ve been to Texas Hill Country. This course is not as steep as the La Cantera Golf Club, but it would be a workout to walk. Ram Rock has some of the most interesting trap layouts I’ve seen. While some holes are almost devoid of traps, others appear to be nothing but! You definitely want a sand game if you’re going to play this track.

If there’s a negative to the course, then it’s all the dogleg lefts. If you’re hitting your drives at least 250, then you’re going to have to cut a lot of corners or have a great draw in the bag. For the most part the trees at the corners aren’t high, you just need some carry.

In all, I really enjoyed this place. You can’t help but be relaxed even if the course is giving you everything you can handle. This is the kind of place where you could build a retirement home and be perfectly happy to play Ram Rock every day!

For those lucky enough to really live here, they’ve got 3 other courses to choose from if they ever feel the need for change. Come to Austin for the football, the food, the music and, most certainly, for golf at Horseshoe Bay.