World-Renowned Austin Golf Courses

Barton Creek Resort & Spa is the Golf Capitol of Texas. Fazio Foothills, Fazio Canyons, Crenshaw Cliffside and Palmer Lakeside are 18-hole Austin golf courses that combine the genius of some of golf's greatest legends with eye-catching scenery, ranging from the sublime to the spectacular. In addition, multiple sets of tees allow our Texas golf courses to cater to golfers of all abilities.
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Golf Course Category

Fazio Foothills

Barton Creek Resort & Spa’s signature golf course is an astonishingly beautiful design masterpiece by Tom Fazio.  The architectural layout features dramatic cliff-lined fairways, natural limestone caves, waterfalls, and superb TiffEagle Bermuda greens, which gives golfers 18 holes of pure pleasure with no lack of challenge.  This unforgettable golfing experience provides plenty of elevation change and visual impact.

Tom Fazio puts a premium on long, accurate drives down the Hybrid TIFSport Bermuda fairways.  The small, TiffEagle Bermuda greens with undulating aprons and grass bunkers make the Fazio Foothills course a shot-maker’s paradise.  The five different sets of tee boxes appeal to a wide variety of skill levels.

The Foothills golf course was upgraded in 2004 to continue challenging players and evolve with the changing game of golf.  Representatives of course designer, Tom Fazio, were consulted on where to best add yardage and tees to improve play and continue to challenge players.  Foothills received new fairway and tee grass and gained nearly 200 yards, making the total yardage on this par 72 course 7,125 yards.  The result is a better-looking, better-playing grass that “greens-up” earlier in the season and stays green later into the fall, creating a more consistent and dense playing surface.

The Fazio Foothills course, established in 1986, ranks at the top of all experts’ lists.  Golfweek Magazine rates the Foothills #4 among America’s 50 Best Resort Courses.  The course is also named the Best Resort Course in Texas and has the distinction of consistently having several holes listed among the State’s Best or Most Beautiful Holes (holes #12, 4, 9, 16, 10, 18) recognized by the Dallas Morning News.

Fazio Foothills Score Card

Slopes & Ratings have been updated: Black 74.0/138; Gold 72.1/133; Blue 70.5/130; White 68.9/127; W White 73.8/127; Red 69.4/115

Fazio Canyons
The 7,153-yard, par-72 layout boasts the signature of Tom Fazio, the legendary golf designer of Barton Creek’s 18-hold Fazio Foothill’s course.  Fazio’s second masterpiece is located just two miles from the resort and has its own pro shop and extensive practice areas.  This is also the location of the Chuck Cook Golf Academy.

The course offers numerous scenic holes lined with stately Red Oaks and Sycamore trees and features spectacular Hill Country views of Short Springs Branch, a beautiful limestone bed creek which meanders throughout the course.  The 561-yard, par-5 finishing hold is tremendous and by all accounts rivals Barton Creek’s existing #18 hole on the Foothills course.  

Additionally, the design and construction of the new course embody a Fazio trademark of protecting and preserving the environment. Fazio Canyons was the first resort course in Texas to be certified as an Audubon International Signature Sanctuary and was designated as a Certified Signature Sanctuary on October 22, 2003. Fazio Canyons course continues to receive recognition and high ratings among several publications

Fazio Canyons Score Card

Slopes & Ratings have been updated: Black 75.1/141; Gold 73.0/139; Blue 71.7/136; White 70.1/126; W White 76.5/137; Red 70.6/121

Audubon International

Crenshaw Cliffside

The natural beauty of the Texas Hill Country is the focus of course architects, Ben Crenshaw and partner Bill Coore.  Rolling Hills, natural plateaus, soft contours and native vegetation are harmoniously woven into a playable championship layout that provides a variety of interesting holes to delight members and visitors alike.

Austin’s well-known native son Ben Crenshaw admits his is an “old-style” philosophy.  “We believe the best architect is nature and the best players’ courses make good use of the natural terrain.  We let the land dictate the routing rather then imposing ourselves on the landscape.  “Indeed, Crenshaw’s course plays across the land quite naturally and most magically, and was rated 38th among the “50 Best Courses in Texas” by Dallas Morning News.

As an ardent student of golf’s history, Crenshaw offers a rare taste of a traditional layout in his design.  The course features broad, rolling fairways; widely-varied green sized and is a fitting tribute to the way the game was once played.  The large, undulating putting surfaces five golfers their biggest challenge.  While the average golfer will attempt to use the natural slopes to aid an approach shot, the low handicap player faces the challenge of positioning the ball at the most advantageous point for an approach putt.

As part of the environmentally-sensitive considerations, durable grasses were utilized.  Bermuda 419 is used on the fairways and Champions Bermuda for the greens.  These drought and heat tolerant native grasses lessen the need for man’s intervention.  The 18th hole is an exciting climax which plays slightly uphill.  Approach shots must cross a running creek to land on a low-lying green, which is seemingly etched into the hillside.  The Crenshaw Cliffside course is both forgiving for the novice and challenging for the seasoned golfer.

Crenshaw Cliffside Score Card

Slopes & Ratings have been updated: Gold 70.8/121; Blue 68.6/116; White 66.4/112; Red 67.6/110

Palmer Lakeside

Ideally perched on a secluded hilltop overlooking Lake Travis, just 25 miles west of Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Barton Creek’s Palmer Lakeside is a hidden retreat that rewards guests with striking, panoramic lake views and twilight glimpses of white-tail deer.

Lakeside’s extraordinary championship golf course, designed by King of Golf Arnold Palmer, opened for play in 1986.  Palmer’s course is fun for proficient players and quite manageable for novices- offering exceptional enjoyment for every class of golfer.

Prowess with the driver is a plus for a good round of golf, as Palmer’s course is a big-hitter’s delight.  Professional golfers rate Palmer’s design among the “Top Ten Texas Courses” and consider Lakeside to have the best Champions Bermuda greens in the State.  A cascading waterfall and native flora highlight Lakeside’s signature 11th hole, a magnificent par-three.  Indeed, the Dallas Morning News ranks it among the “18 Most Beautiful in Texas”.  The par-five 12th and par-four 13th holes are both doglegs left with sloping fairways that reward any player who can “turn the ball over and take it deep.”

Guests enjoy the quiet refuge of Lakeside’s clubhouse retreat which overlooks the golf course and affords a lake view that is nothing short of spectacular.

Palmer Lakeside Score Card
Slopes & Ratings have been updated: Gold 72.2/133; Blue 70.7/126; White 68.1/120; W White 73.6/140; Red 70/124

Escape to Barton Creek Resort & Spa for the ultimate relaxing getaway - nestled on 4,000 acres of rolling hills. Experience the grace of our award-winning Austin golf resort, where recreation is unparalleled and the service unmatched. Book your reservations online today for preferred rates.