Austin CC is very chopped up

[Jeff Schley]

While I love Pete Dye, this piece or property must have took some imagination.  Wow.  Huge rock retaining walls everywhere and it seems like all the holes play downhill, but never uphill.  There must be some huge walks between green to tee.  Doesn't it seem holes are either downhill or flat?

[Edward Glidewell]

While I love Pete Dye, this piece or property must have took some imagination.  Wow.  Huge rock retaining walls everywhere and it seems like all the holes play downhill, but never uphill.  There must be some huge walks between green to tee.  Doesn't it seem holes are either downhill or flat?

I was just telling a friend earlier today that, at least on TV, it does not look like a very fun course to play. Seems to me like it would be a defensive slog. However, I'm aware it could look significantly different in person.

[Matt Kardash]

I feel like this is one of the best looking, and must fun courses to watch the pros tackle. It's unlike any other course we see every year on tour.

[BHoover]

I feel like this is one of the best looking, and must fun courses to watch the pros tackle. It's unlike any other course we see every year on tour.

I agree. It looks like it would be really fun to play.

[Greg Chambers]

Camera angles distort everything.  Golf courses never actually look like they look on teevee...so no sense in judging them that way.

[Matt_Cohn]

It's a very enjoyable course and I think there's pretty wide agreement on this from people who have played it. Much of the uphill occurs green-to-tee. There are two sigificantly uphill holes, #8 and #16 as they're played this week.

[Jeff Schley]

I really love the look of the course as well for all the downhill holes.  I remember Gary Player saying if you think about all the great holes in the world, there are very few that play uphill.  Many play downhill for the optics of the hole look so striking.  That is how I feel about ACC, although it has to be a tough walk, because at some point you have to go uphill.

BTW Dustin Johnson hit the longest drive ever in the shotlink era at 489 yards at the downhill #12!  WWWWOOOOWWWW.  Golf channel didn't catch it on camera  .  Apparently won't count officially as a record for as it isn't a stroke play event.  But wow this is I think 60-70 yards further than the next longest guy in the field so I would say he connected.

[Matt Kardash]

The hole plays wayyyy downhill, and I think he hit the road which crosses the fairway

[Pat Alpaugh]

Agree with you Mr. Schley.  If I had my way, the only time I'd every play uphill was when I reached the green 

[Carl Rogers]

What strikes me about the course is the huge number of retaining walls with very large boulders.  The boulders look to be a veneer.  A lot more structure would be required to hold up that much soil.  A lot of heavy crane work would required over difficult terrain.

[mike_beene]

Every poisonous creature known to man roams in those hazards. The hill country is pretty but harsh. To me it is the right kind of property for a Pete Dye design. The boat docks and walls on the river sure don't look natural.

[Kalen Braley]

Just my observation...


But have Pete Dye designs ever looked natural?  Outside of Harbour Town, which sorta fits in....his designs with volcano bunkers and loads of straight lines have always seemed to stick out instead of blending in...

[Wayne_Kozun]

Didn't Rod Whitman do some renovation work there?  How much did he change?

[Rich Goodale]

Best venue and tunamint I have seen in a a long time.  Give us more, please, Tour.

[Dan Kelly]

Best venue and tunamint I have seen in a a long time.  Give us more, please, Tour.

Just on principle, Rihc, I hate to agree with you 100%. But I do.

[Jeff Schley]

Watching the match play right now and the greens are really looking perfect. The wind is really a factor and with the tilt in the fairways quite a bit are collecting off the fairway.  I like they aren't growing the rough very long as there are enough hazards out there.

[Matthew Rose]

I really like the 18th hole, especially for match play.

It's a little bit too long to drive, but it's so far downhill that it's almost impossible to lay up, and it's forcing these guys to hit those awkward 50-60 yard shots that nobody likes.

[Matthew Petersen]

I really like the 18th hole, especially for match play.

It's a little bit too long to drive, but it's so far downhill that it's almost impossible to lay up, and it's forcing these guys to hit those awkward 50-60 yard shots that nobody likes.

The guys I've seen actually end up on the green over the years are not the longest hitters. Those guys fly it all the way to the bottom the hill. Guys who are just a bit shorter though will sometimes land on the downslope and get a hard kick that's enough to propel them up the slope an onto the green.

[Jeff Schley]

I really like the 18th hole, especially for match play.

It's a little bit too long to drive, but it's so far downhill that it's almost impossible to lay up, and it's forcing these guys to hit those awkward 50-60 yard shots that nobody likes.

The guys I've seen actually end up on the green over the years are not the longest hitters. Those guys fly it all the way to the bottom the hill. Guys who are just a bit shorter though will sometimes land on the downslope and get a hard kick that's enough to propel them up the slope an onto the green.

Yes as evidenced by Jim Furyk driving the green vs. Phil.  He hit a low bullet that picked up speed on the downslope and propelled all the way to the front of the green.  Not many matches getting to 18, but I agree it is exciting.  There are actually a couple other drivable par 4's which I think are very fun to watch.

[Tom_Doak]

What strikes me about the course is the huge number of retaining walls with very large boulders.  The boulders look to be a veneer.  A lot more structure would be required to hold up that much soil.  A lot of heavy crane work would required over difficult terrain.

I can assure you that the boulders are real, and were sourced on-site from some of the earthwork cuts.  Austin CC was built in 1982-83 while I was overseas in between stints with Mr Dye, but I saw it brand new and thought it was one of the hardest and wildest courses I’d ever seen.  Also, crazy to me that guys are driving the 18th (the 9th hole for members).  I can assure you that wasn’t part of the thought process in 1982!

[Terry Lavin]

It’s fun television watching,to be sure

[Peter Pallotta]

It’s fun television watching,to be sure

What could Pete Dye do that Colt, Mac, Tillie, CBM etc couldn't?
After dinner he could put his feet up and watch television.
There's a theory here....

[Anthony_Nysse]

What strikes me about the course is the huge number of retaining walls with very large boulders.  The boulders look to be a veneer.  A lot more structure would be required to hold up that much soil.  A lot of heavy crane work would required over difficult terrain.

I can assure you that the boulders are real, and were sourced on-site from some of the earthwork cuts.  Austin CC was built in 1982-83 while I was overseas in between stints with Mr Dye, but I saw it brand new and thought it was one of the hardest and wildest courses I’d ever seen.  Also, crazy to me that guys are driving the 18th (the 9th hole for members).  I can assure you that wasn’t part of the thought process in 1982!

In working with the Dye team a few years ago here, Id support Tom's thoughts of those boulders are real.


We dug some bury pits here and pulled up a lot of coral rock. Next thing you know, we are saving them to impress into several lake banks for stability and aesthetics. And a way of not having to have them removed. I know this was the case a Keswick with the red, concrete paths, too. Same could be said for Pete Dye Golf Club.

[Lou_Duran]

The danger of making inferences from pictures- nothing faux about the stone work.  The rock formations of the Hill Country add to the charm and, perhaps, ameliorate the harshness of the environment.  Maybe more could have been done to bench the peripheries of the site (Fazio probably would have done so).


I do like the reversal of the nines for the match play as 16-18 offer opportunities for bold play.  I can't get over the guys hitting driver from the tight fairway on their 2nd shots to the uphill par 5 #16, or off the tee in trying to drive the green on 18.


The first time I played ACC many years ago was in a practice round for a qualifier.  I shot a couple over from the back tees and that has been the best score I've managed in 5-6 plays over the years.  There was one par round shot during the qualifier, and I think that 78 made it.  My 82 was in or near the top half, and about a quarter of the field NC. 5-6 hour rounds.  Brutal.  Beautiful course, fantastic club, a great match play venue.   

[Carl Rogers]

What strikes me about the course is the huge number of retaining walls with very large boulders.  The boulders look to be a veneer.  A lot more structure would be required to hold up that much soil.  A lot of heavy crane work would required over difficult terrain.

I can assure you that the boulders are real, and were sourced on-site from some of the earthwork cuts.  Austin CC was built in 1982-83 while I was overseas in between stints with Mr Dye, but I saw it brand new and thought it was one of the hardest and wildest courses I’d ever seen.  Also, crazy to me that guys are driving the 18th (the 9th hole for members).  I can assure you that wasn’t part of the thought process in 1982!

What I am saying is that their has to be substantially sized heavily reinforced concrete retaining walls to hold up that much soil.  The veneer is real but only a veneer, even if it 24 inches thick..