Just outside of Austin in the bedroom community of Hutto sits a golf course that has slowly but surely risen from virtual obscurity to being recognized as one of the premier all-around golf facilities in the area. The master-planned Star Ranch community surrounds the golf course and offers new homes, shopping, schools, and restaurants within an easy commute.
The Golf Club at Star Ranch is built on what was once the Timmerman cattle ranch and is unique in that several architects collaborated on the design: Jay and Carter Morrish and the Bechtol/Russell design firm. The course was designed to be enjoyable, not punishing.
Over the years, The Golf Club at Star Ranch has received its fair share of accolades, including a 4-star rating by Golf Digest as “Best Places To Play” in 2008 and 2009. In January, The Golf Club at Star Ranch was ranked as one of the Top 50 US Public Golf Courses by GolfPass.
The course has five sets of tees and can be played anywhere from 4,990-7,017 yards. With a slope rating of 128 from the back tees and 116 from the forwards, it’s easy to see that the course will challenge skilled golfers while providing an enjoyable round for novices and beginners.
This was my first Texas golf experience; if I have anything to say about it, it won’t be my last. My understanding is that Texas golf is characterized by several things: the prevailing winds, unforgiving native grasses that are usually found outside the first cut of rough, gorgeous, strategically placed bunkers, and the blue Texas sky. If so, Star Ranch epitomizes Texas golf.
Most holes are wide-open and subject to the winds often associated with the Hill Country. There are over 60 beautiful white sand bunkers in play along the peripheries of the fairways and, more significantly, around the greens. Many are intricately shaped, adding to the course’s challenge and aesthetic beauty. Additionally, water comes into play on about seven holes – more if you spray the ball off the tee.
The TifEagle greens are in a category all of their own. They tend to be on the large side, and the majority are sloped back to front. Combine that with the undulation of the land, and you’ll have some interesting putts. The speed is just right for a public course of this caliber. The mounding and swales around the greens can make for tricky up and downs.
The front nine is reminiscent of a links-style course, with gently rolling and wide-open fairways contoured to the lay of the land. There are no tricks or hidden hazards – what you see is what you get. The outward nine has only one par 5, but what it lacks in par fives and overall length, it more than makes up for in long, challenging par 4s that exceed 400 yards in length from the Champ Tees (6,341 yards). These three holes are three of the four toughest holes on the front side.
The back nine provides a little more of a challenge. With longer and tighter holes, it will challenge your shot-making ability along with your mental acuity. You’ll need to manage a few water hazards, cacti patches, and a creek that crosses the fairway.
If I were naming the holes, Number 6 would be Game Changer. It’s a short par 4 that plays 248 from the White Tees. Avoid the water that makes up the entire left side and wraps around the back of the green, and it’s easily drivable. Should you choose to lay up, you’ll find that the fairway slopes toward the water, which can leave a testy approach shot.
The par 5s on the back nine are short, yet challenging. They were reachable in two from the White Tees, just not by me. Houses line the left side of the fairway on No. 13, a slight dogleg right, but are nowhere close to being in play. Trees make up the right side and can wreak havoc for a slicer. Three bunkers about 100 yards short of the green on the left and a couple of greenside bunkers add to the challenge. Hitting your tee shot down the left side will leave the best angle into the long, narrow green.
It’s not often that the shortest hole on a golf course steals the show, but the 15th does just that. It’s the course’s signature hole and one you’ll talk about for a while. From the Preferred Tees, it plays 123 yards with a large bunker in the back left and a beautiful waterfall abutting the right side of the green. It may be short, but this hole is all about the green; it’s long, narrow, multi-tiered, and has a false front. Many players have hit what they thought was a perfect tee shot into a front pin only to watch their ball roll back down into the water. Par is considered above average on this hole.
Back to naming holes, the closer has been dubbed Ego Booster. Although the scorecard shows a distance of 434 yards, it’s entirely uphill and plays considerably longer. Avoid the fairway bunker sitting about 240 yards from the White Tees and leave a manageable distance to get home in two. There are a couple of bunkers in the middle of the fairway about 80 yards from the green, and a large, deep bunker on either side of the putting surface. There’s nothing wrong with a par to end your round.
For over 15 years, the practice facility has been the envy of golf courses around the state. When local rezoning and road reconstruction necessitated the move of the driving range, Star Ranch General Manager Ricky Heine contacted Austin golf course architect Roy Bechtol, one of the golf course’s original designers. Bechtol responded with a 12-acre practice facility design featuring a driving range with a 55,000-square-foot teeing area, six target greens, and a short game area with five bunkers and two chipping greens. There’s a large practice green behind the clubhouse, too. You can practice with every club in your bag; odds are you’ll use them all.
Star Ranch’s beautiful 15,000-square-foot clubhouse sits perched atop a hill overlooking the golf course. The Traditions Cafe is a great place to grab a quick bite before or after your round. Treat yourself to one of their delicious burgers, sandwiches, or appetizers along with your favorite beverage. You’ll also find a well-stocked pro shop with all the golf accessories you’ll need, and logoed apparel from the top brands.
The next time you’re in the Austin area looking for a golf course that will challenge you and has the friendliest and most knowledgeable staff, book a round at The Golf Club at Star Ranch.