Crenshaw Cliffside, Par 71, 6,630 yards

Austin native Ben Crenshaw has always had a deep love for his hometown and especially the Barton Creek Resort. The former University of Texas golfing All-American who has never moved away, was able to give back plenty of his homespun affection when asked to design the Crenshaw Cliffside course in 1991. Working with his longtime architectural partner Bill Coore, Crenshaw crafted an easy-going, graceful tribute to the Hill County Region where he has lived and which he has loved for decades.
True to his nature as one of the greatest putters in golf history, the greens at the Crenshaw Cliffside are generous and inviting, but just because golfers can hit the greens with their approach shots, it doesn’t mean they are easy to putt. The Crenshaw shaped putting surfaces can slope in all directions and also make golfers wish they had Crenshaw’s skill to navigate them. But the surrounding scenery and overall challenge and beauty are enough to captivate golfers and keep them going toward another hole.
The par 4 first hole plays over a hill and golfers are then transported to Crenshaw’s kingdom of rolling hills, natural plateaus, soft contours and native vegetation. Crenshaw’s and Coore’s longtime design philosophy is to present an old-school or natural layout with as little earth movement as possible. “We believe that the best architect is nature and the best players’ courses make good use of natural terrain,” Crenshaw says. “We let the land dictate the routing rather than imposing ourselves on the landscape.” His minimalist style has been rewarded, as Crenshaw Cliffside is annually ranked as one of the Top 50 courses in Texas, joining the other Barton Creek golfing options as highly ranked and rewarding tests of golfing skill and pleasure.
The Crenshaw course plays on some of the highest land at the property, most notably the dangerous and challenging par 4 14th hole which offers sweeping Hill Country views, before golfers must decide to try to drive the temptingly short par 4 or lay back from several trouble areas. The closing Crenshaw duo are two of the best anywhere at Barton Creek. The par 3 17th seems close enough for anyone, but golfers must drive over a large creek drop-off and face a steep hill behind the green. It’s possible to bank your tee shot off the sloped ground and back onto the putting surface. The par 4 18th offers golfers a chance to drive near the edge of a huge creek drop-off, before facing a second shot with rushing water and bunkers all along the left side with more bunkers on the right.
Challenge, beauty and plenty of Crenshaw love make this one of the most popular courses at the resort.

No. 1, Par 4, 358 yards (back tees)
The opening hole of the Crenshaw course is blind off the tee box with the tee shot over the hill. Golfers must play their tee shot right of center to avoid a dense drop off on the left and have a clear shot to the green. A good drive can set up a fairly short approach and chance for par or better to open the round.

No. 2, Par 5, 470 yards
This is a short par five with a slight dogleg to the right but has a severely sloping fairway from right to left. On the approach, the golfer must decide to carry the large plateau with a bunker on the right or favor the left side bordered with a thicket of trees guarding the short left approach to the green. The approach must account for a front to back sloping putting surface.

No. 3, Par 4, 370 yards
This is a short but narrow par 4 with bunkers guarding the right side of the green. This is one of the first tests of Crenshaw’s philosophy in making it easy to hit the green in regulation, but not easy to covert the putts for birdie or par. This is the first of many large greens which are greatly undulated.

No. 4, Par 4, 424 yards
Golfers face a wide driving area off the tee, but the approach narrows greatly as you close in on the tree-encircled green. This is another fairly large green with traps guarding the entrance on both sides. The golfer is once again challenged with a severely right to left slope feeding the ball to the back left portion of the green.

No. 5, Par 3, 210 yards
The first par 3 on the course slopes slightly downhill off the tee with a long and straight tee shot required to reach the green. There is a trio of bunkers on the right side, forcing golfers to aim center or left, but trouble lurks behind the green which falls off greatly. A ball played to the left or center portion of the green will move to the right because of the slope.

No. 6, Par 4, 464 yards
A very long par 4 in the heart of the front nine has another typical Crenshaw large green with a severely sloping putting surface. The big driver off the tee has the advantage here with an excellent chance to hit the green in regulation and putt for golfing success.

No. 7, Par 4, 365 yards
This is a sweeping dogleg left, providing the golfer risk – reward alternatives off the tee. An aggressive tee shot to the left over the trees leaves the golfer with a very short approach to the green. Otherwise, a tee shot laying up in front of the bunker through the fairway provides a slightly longer approach to the green. The hole features a large green with plenty of humps and bumps.

No. 8, Par 3, 173 yards
Good downhill, short challenge. The front of the green is hidden providing even more of a challenge to get the tee shot close to the hole. This green slopes from front to back requiring most tees shots to land short of the green and run onto the putting surface. This is not your typical one shotter.

No. 9, Par 4, 444 yards
This is an excellent driving hole with bunkers on both sides of the landing area. The approach to the green is blind and it slopes slightly downhill, so golfers must aim for a large indicator pole which towers above the green. The lack of depth perception is more a visual hazard than an actual one.

No. 10, Par 4, 455 yards
This is a very scenic opening to the back nine which does not return to the clubhouse at the turn. Golfers swing around and head the opposite direction to begin the back nine journey. The fairway slopes downward from the tee to the bottom of the hill and then gradually rises back to the green. A good drive can leave golfers with only a mid-iron approach to a tight green which slopes back to the fairway and can be a challenge to putt.

No. 11, Par 3, 185 yards
This is an excellent one-shot hole in one of the heaviest wooded portions of the golf course. Golfers face a grove of trees to the left along with a pair of thick bunkers guarding the green entrance. The green is fairly narrow by Crenshaw standards, but not a pushover for putting.

No. 12, Par 5, 535 yards
Crenshaw did an excellent job of taking advantage of this great risk reward layout. Golfers tee off on this hole which swings to the left off the tee, and then back to the right closer to the green. There is a large bunker and tree to the left of the tee, forcing players to aim right, but go too fair right and you’re under a grove of trees and forced to punch out. More trees guard the right side entrance to the green making shot placement critical to success on this layout.

No. 13, Par 3, 160 yards
A beautiful par three where golfers tee off to a putting surface perched upon a canyon backdrop. Short of the green is a rocky, dry creek bed that catches a few shots from time to time. Any shot short faces a very difficult recovery with large bunkers lining the left side of the large green. Tee shot placement is vital to have a chance for par or better on this large sloping putting surface.

No. 14, Par 4, 317 yards
This short par 4 tempts the big hitters to think they can drive the green especially from a tee box perched high above. But before pulling out the big stick, consider a large tree which sits on the left side of the fairway, covering most of the left side near the green and overshadowing a bunker. The best play is to lay up short and chip on, but the gamblers like to whale away and take their chances on a very narrow green.

No. 15, Par 5, 590 yards
After testing your mind, Crenshaw tests your skill on the first of back-to-back par 5s. This brute plays straight uphill with a waste area extending from the tee box to the first cut of the airway. Anything right of the cart path is likely lost into a canyon. The best shot is the left center of the fairway, leaving you a long second shot with more trees to the right portion, guarding the green.

No. 16, Par 5, 575 yards
A partially blind tee shot provides an immediate challenge to this hole as players blast their balls up the long, sloping fairway. Two excellent shots are needed for a short approach to a very dangerous green which slopes sharply downhill if you overshoot the putting surface. The approach must favor the left side of the fairway to avoid being blocked out by the grove of trees short right of the green.

No. 17, Par 3, 142 yards
This is the signature hole at Barton Creek Crenshaw Cliffside. It’s a temptingly short par 3 where golfers must cross a deep canyon off the tee to a very shallow green with bunkers guarding the front portion. A steep hill rises behind the green and many golfers play their tee shot off the hill and allow it to roll back onto the green, but not too fast as it can roll off the green and back into the canyon.

No. 18, Par 4, 393 yards
Crenshaw closes his hometown course in style with a challenging and scenic par 4. Golfers face a fairly wide open tee shot, but the challenge is positioning your tee ball for the next shot. You must get enough distance to have a good chance to clear the watery hazards with your second shot. Many rounds are ruined here with a green which is located below the fairway, but surrounded all along the left side with water. Another canyon will catch any short shot making right the prime bailout position if you can’t get the green.

written by Art Stricklin

Please click here to see our current list of distinctions, course by course
and our overall golf awards.

Escape to Barton Creek Resort & Spa for the ultimate relaxing getaway - nestled within 4,000 acres of rolling hills in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Experience the grace of our AAA Four Diamond Austin resort, where luxury is unparalleled and the service unmatched. Book your reservations online for preferred rates.