David McLay Kidd of DMK Golf Design will soon break ground on his new course in Loraloma, a private community within Areté Collective’s Thomas Ranch development near Austin, Texas.
This story was originally reported by Golf Course Architecture magazine.
The course will be McLay Kidd’s first in southern USA. He is taking a low-impact and sustainable approach to its design, working with the natural terrain and taking advantage of views across Texas Hill Country from the clifftop site along the Pedernales River.
“The Loraloma landscape is vastly more visually inspiring than most of what exists in the Austin area today,” said McLay Kidd. “Our goal is to open up this compelling landscape to golfers for a world-class experience, and I will tread very lightly to preserve and protect this land so that it can be enjoyed and embraced for generations to come.”
The course covers 120 acres and will play as a par 72 with a length of 7,060 yards from the back tees, closing with a 570-yard par 5. It will be grassed with creeping bent on greens and Zoysia on fairways, with native area flora including Texas bluebonnets and wildflowers.
“Areté Collective is thrilled to partner with such an accomplished architect to bring this course to life, and we hope that every member and resident who plays golf at Loraloma feels McLay Kidd’s sense of exploration and adventure while exploring this vibrant landscape,” says Tom Hogan, co-founder and CFO of Areté Collective and former CFO of Augusta National.
“The rules of golf require the player to play the ball as it lies, and the beauty of the Loraloma course is the fact that he has designed a sustainable course around the existing lay of the land.”
Thomas Ranch is planned to be a 2,200-acre community with 3,500 residences over several neighborhoods and a downtown area.
The Lorolama course is scheduled to completed in late 2024, with some preview play before a full opening in Spring 2025.
