Austin Country Club

[Jay Flemma]

Tell us about the Harvey Pennick!

[Adam Clayman]

Speaking for nearly everyone... We all look forward to Chip's pictorial evaluation of Austin Golf Club.

[Chip Gaskins]

Adam, Adam

[Ed Oden]

Tell us about the Harvey Pennick!

Jay, I played ACC many times when I was in Austin during the late 80's early 90's.  Mr. Pennick was a fixture at the club.  His health had already started to decline.  But he could be found almost daily as the starter at first tee or by the range, dispensing advice freely.  All my encounters with him were under such passing circumstances, so I don't mean to suggest that I really knew him.  But that mattered little to Mr. Pennick.  If you shared his interest in golf, then he shared an interest in you.  Mr. Pennick possessed the unique ability to instantly size up a golfer and his/her swing.  He'd then pass along his thoughts in a grandfatherly manner whose wisdom was only matched by its genuineness.  I doubt there have been many that have loved the game more than Mr. Pennick and even fewer who have been more beloved.

Ed

[Jay Flemma]

Tell us about the Harvey Pennick!

Jay, I played ACC many times when I was in Austin during the late 80's early 90's.  Mr. Pennick was a fixture at the club.  His health had already started to decline.  But he could be found almost daily as the starter at first tee or by the range, dispensing advice freely.  All my encounters with him were under such passing circumstances, so I don't mean to suggest that I really knew him.  But that mattered little to Mr. Pennick.  If you shared his interest in golf, then he shared an interest in you.  Mr. Pennick possessed the unique ability to instantly size up a golfer and his/her swing.  He'd then pass along his thoughts in a grandfatherly manner whose wisdom was only matched by its genuineness.  I doubt there have been many that have loved the game more than Mr. Pennick and even fewer who have been more beloved.

Ed

Sounds like a guy who fit right in with everyone in Austin   I like that sentiment - if you shared an interest in golf, he shared an interest in you.

Tell us about the Pennick tournament...what's the format?

[Kyle Harris]

It's Harvey Penick.

One "N"

[Nicholas Coppolo]

AGC:
Played it, enjoyed it.  Classic C&C, understated, simple, a private more intimate version of their work at Barton Creek, though without the elevations.

ACC:
I've worked there seasonally for 4 years, I know this course like the back of my hand, caddied and/or played countless rounds

Its undergoing a pretty significant face-lift right now... new irrigation, a few new tees some tree removal and recovered/new mowing lines.

I am indifferent to the course, I think the experience really depends on the wind, I love 3-7 with a stiff breeze off the lake but Dye forces your hand a bit too much with the wrong wind on 2,8,11-13... the canyon/water carries become a bit much.  If they held tour events there on certain days they would certainly move the tees around a bit but most members don't take such liberties.

That being said there are some fantastic and thought provoking green complexes on the course (albeit EXTREMELY SHAPED): 6/9/10/13/15/16/18 come to mind.

I can give you any details you want to know.....happy to.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Does anyone know who they hired as they new superintendent? If so, where did they come from?

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt
Colonial CC
Ft. Worth, TX

[JMEvensky]

Does anyone know who they hired as they new superintendent? If so, where did they come from?

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt
Colonial CC
Ft. Worth, TX

I'm not certain of his name,but I believe it's the guy from Germantown CC in Memphis.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Jay...
54 hole mid amateur event played in September.
36 hole cut if I remember correctly.
Great event very well run, great food set up. he club make everybody very welcome.

Anthony....Did you enjoy the photo shott out on nmbers 15/16 a couple of weeks ago?

[Richard Boult]

Thanks T Kemp for the photos... added to [url]http://delicious.com/golfclubatlas/Texas[url]

[Trey Kemp]

Anytime Art, I have taken quite a few pictures of courses in Texas so I can post more if anyone is interested.

[Wyatt Halliday]

Trey,

My christmas wish would be any pics of Brackenridge you feel comfortable sharing.

thanks,
Wyatt

[Trey Kemp]

Wyatt,

I will try to post a few this afternoon, have you been out to see it?

[K. Krahenbuhl]

Anytime Art, I have taken quite a few pictures of courses in Texas so I can post more if anyone is interested.

Trey...post away!  I know there are lots of participants around here that would love to see more TX photos. 

A couple of links to older threads with TX course photos...

Blaketree National - http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,21437.0.html
Pine Dunes - http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,33839.0.html

[Wyatt Halliday]

Trey,

I'm going to try and get out there the 20th or 21st. Are you still in these parts or back in NTX for the holidays?

[Matt Kardash]

That's a cool looking bold golf course. Looks tough as nails and real pretty to look at.

[Jay Flemma]

Wyatt Halliday and I played it today and had a great time.  The front plays back and forth along the lake over some excellent terrain.  Then, the back tumbles up, over, and around quarries, canyons, and seriously rolling topography.  Wider than Pound ridge, sawgrass, pga west std, and many other dyes/pete and perrys I've played.  Really interesting greens, hole designs, and plenty of alternate shot requirements.  Tough on approaches and on the short game.  Great conditioning.

Fave holes = 3, (the green site reminds me of 16 sawgrass, just reversed), 4, ( small version of 18 at sawgrass), 6-7, 11-12 along the "edge of the world" (their name), and the rest of the par-5s.

If you get the chance, play it, it's fun and they are nice people there.

[Tom_Doak]

Jay:  Fun?

It's amazing what a difference 25 years makes.

I was working for Mr. Dye when Austin C.C. opened.  It was kind of controversial from the start, because the club was moving from the old Perry Maxwell course on the other side of town, where Kite and Crenshaw learned to play.  But none of the members lived on that side of town anymore, and a member who was also a developer decided to build them a new course if they'd move the club to his development.

When it opened, it was considered brutally hard.  A couple of guys who were 2-handicaps at the old Maxwell course failed to break 90 on Opening Day.  But, nobody was hitting Big Bertha then, I guess.

[Jay Flemma]

Hey Tom:

We had a great time.  We got our heads handed to us, but it was because we were spraying the ball.  You stood on a tee box - several of them blind - yet you knew exactloy where you were going.  The diagonal curve to the fairway as it disappeared over the hill and the shaping of the sides of the hole looked like football uprights, we just couldn't kick it through.  The greens were curvy, but reasonable.  They had them fast but not unfair.  There were some bailouts.  The diagonal angles were great.  Maybe a couple holes on the back seemed repetitive. But we walked it and I had the energy to walk at least another nine if we had the daylight.

It is a tough test no question, but if you're used to Pete Dye golf it looks familiar.  Tom, back when you built it, people probly never saw anything like it.

With all that trouble, it made a great match play course!  Our matches see-sawed back and forth all day and no lead was safe.  The next shot was another opportunity to give it right back.  We played the 6,400 box, which was the right one, but if you miss from the tee, you're fighting for bogey.

It's also great terrain for golf

[Nicholas Coppolo]

I find the course is only really "fun" when the wind is down....about once a month or so.  Most of the time it can get pretty brutal.  The majority of the hazards are full stroke penalties, for the most part, your much more apt to loose it in the water, a canyon or OB than in a bunker.

[Bill_McBride]

#8 looks a bit weird, too much going on!