Golf in the Texas Hill Country
For each of the past few years, the Plugged In Golf team has taken a trip to find some of the country’s best golf destinations for you. This year’s voyage brought us to Horseshoe Bay Resort. Located in the Texas Hill Country, this is a spectacular destination for a golf trip, but it has much more to offer.
The Golf
When searching for a golf destination, the thing I crave above all else is variety. Horseshoe Bay Resort gives golfers just that with four unique courses (three public, one private – Summit Rock). I have full reviews of each course linked below, so I’ll use this space to offer comparisons among the four.
Summit Rock Golf Course Review
The staff at Horsehoe Bay Resort told us that Slick Rock was the easiest of their four courses, and that’s largely because of the tee shots. This is the flattest course – by a lot – and that removes one of the big elements that makes the drives at the other courses challenging. Summit Rock uses elevation and dramatically tilted fairways to force you to plan every tee shot carefully, in spite of the fairways being wide. Apple Rock and Ram Rock have average sized fairways but very few straight drives and ample hazards in key landing areas.
While each course shows it own character off the tee, there is one key commonality: every course favors the thinking golfer. If you grab driver on every hole, planning to bomb it down the middle of the fairway, you’ll frequently find yourself in trouble. All of these courses demand your strategic best.
There’s equally excellent variety in the approach shots that each course presents. Summit Rock (above) has the largest greens at HSB Resort, but also some of the toughest defenses. Ram Rock is the other contender for most strongly defended greens, but the putting surfaces aren’t as large. While Apple Rock is more tolerant of wayward approach shots, it uses ample elevation change into the greens to make golfers think. Slick Rock, despite not having the up and down of the other courses, protects par and birdie with the smallest greens and some devious pin positions.
The differences on the greens are more subtle, but they’re still noteworthy. Jack Nicklaus – the designer of Summit Rock – forces you to earn your birdies with precise reads. There aren’t dramatic undulations, but very few putts are straight. Two of the three Robert Trent Jones designs, Slick Rock and Apple Rock, will more readily yield made putts, as long as you putt with conviction. Ram Rock’s greens are tricky, featuring fairly strong tilts that can make it difficult to get a good handle on the speed.
If you’re able to get access to all four courses, my recommended itinerary would be as follows. Start at Slick Rock to get your game in shape. Play Apple Rock second to acclimate to the elevation changes. Your third round should be at Summit Rock to get a change of pace and enjoy some of the most dramatic holes on the property. Wrap things up at Ram Rock, the toughest track, when your game is firing on all cylinders.
Finally, in addition to four full length golf courses, Horseshoe Bay Resort has the Whitewater Putting Course. Located near the hotel, Whitewater is miles from your average putt-putt course. It features real Zoysia grass with 18 holes and a par of 72. Open most days from 10AM until well past dark, this is a great spot whether you want to have a drink and a laugh or really work on your stroke.
The Golf Academy at Horseshoe Bay
One of the newer additions to Horseshoe Bay Resort is The Golf Academy. Located at the opposite side of the driving range at Ram Rock and Apple Rock, this is the home of instructor Bobby Steiner. Bobby has been teaching golf for over 25 years, taking up the position of Director of Instruction at Horseshoe Bay Resort in 2018.
This new facility features everything you could want or need to improve your game. There are two indoor/outdoor hitting bays with Trackman and multiple video cameras. Also, as you can see above, there’s an eight-station Top Tracer range which is available to anyone who takes advantage of instruction at The Golf Academy.
There’s a lot to like about this fantastic setup, but my favorite thing is the variety of options they offer. You can take part in a clinic for as little as $50 or dive in for a 3-day golf school, complete with playing lesson. No matter where you are headed in your golf journey, a stop at The Golf Academy can speed you toward your destination.
Getting to and around Horseshoe Bay Resort
Horseshoe Bay Resort is located about an hour from Austin and ninety minutes from San Antonio, so you have plenty of flight options. This is a sprawling destination, but most of the amenities are located near The Tower, which is the main hotel. There are also condos, villas, and private homes to rent if you want more space.
All of the golf courses are located at properties that are a few minutes drive from The Tower. The drives are straightforward, and there’s ample signage, but golfers will want to have a rental car for ease of movement.
If you’re staying on the main property – going from The Tower to the marina or the condos to a restaurant – Horseshoe Bay Resort offers complimentary shuttle service. The drivers are not only friendly, they take immense pride in getting you to your destination quickly. We would call for a ride from our 4th floor condo, and the car would be waiting by the time we got to the ground floor.
The Food
The first night at Horseshoe Bay Resort, our group ate to excess at J’s Restaurant, loading up on Bad Donkey BBQ and pecan monkey bread (above). We came back the next morning for breakfast still stuffed, but we were unable to resist the delicious breakfast burritos and bourbon banana french toast. This routine continued for the entirety of our trip. Our tastebuds were happy even if our waistbands were not.
From bar snacks to high quality seafood, HSB Resort has every situation and culinary taste covered. J’s Restaurant and the Waterfront Bar & Grill are where you want to go for a top shelf dinner. If you want to watch all the games at once, Whitewater 360 Sports Club has a full 360 degrees of TVs to pair with their pizzas and sandwiches. Horseshoe Bay Resort also makes it convenient to get good food when you’re in the middle of activities with Cafe Del Sol near the pool and Slick Rock Grill and Cap Rock Cabana at the golf courses.
The Lake & More
While our trip was golf-centric, I’m sure some guests at Horseshoe Bay Resort don’t even realize there are golf courses. For many, the focus is Lake LBJ. HSB Resort has a full marina with jet skis and boats of all types to rent. Whether you want to wake surf or take a pleasure cruise, they have you covered. If you prefer to swim, there are numerous pools, a beach, and the Splash Safari Aqua Park.
HSB Resort also features the Mouratoglou Tennis Center where guests can get lessons, take part in camps, or just enjoy a game on the first class courts. The Tennis Center also has 14 pickleball courts for those who have given up on being athletes.
Finally, if your ideal vacation plans involve getting rid of your kids and finding some zen, Horseshoe Bay Resort can help you with that. The Jungle Kids Club features a two-story indoor play structure and a rock wall. While the kids burn off their energy, you can enjoy the services at the Bayside Spa and Salon.
Conclusion
Whether you’re planning a pure golf trip, a family vacation, or a getaway that involves a little bit of everything, Horseshoe Bay Resort is a great choice. Each of the four courses here is engaging and replayable, making this a destination that golfers can enjoy coming back to year after year.
Visit Horseshoe Bay Resort HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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