Public Golf Courses

right, but i can play kizer for less. God i love that course.

by the way, i shot a 95 at bergstrom this weekend. best round ever. got a new driver with a stiffer shaft and a 56 degree for more accurate 60-80 yard approach shots. now if i can cut out the three putts, i'll be under 90. i'm stoked.
 
Nacho, you da man! Some unsolicited advice (ignore if needed). Once you feel like you can hit the ball on the clubface somewhat consistently, put the clubs away. Take a nine iron, putter and a golf ball to a course (Kizer has an excellent practice facility). Spend a hour a day chipping and putting for a month ... you'll never shoot in the 90's again. Strokes are found on the greens, without a doubt.

I'll play out at Kizer anytime, any day, in any weather. Fantastic golf course.
 
I agree with capamerica. But i say take a 7 or 8 instead of a 9. the difference between shooting 90's and shooting in the 80's is your short game. Its the most boring part of the game to practice, but it will go a long ways as far as reducing your scores.
 
actually, i do pretty well with the 6 and ups. it's when i need to hit a 3 iron or fairway wood that the **** hits the fan and i duff or hit the ground. what i DO need to work on regarding the short irons is being able to popl them up a little more. i can hit my 8 iron 160 yards, but my old driver would only put me at 200 because i'd pop it up. how is it that i get more loft on my driver than i can on my short irons?? alas, a different thread entirely.
 
Nacho -
It sounds like you have a real fundamentally sound swing, if you can hit an 8-iron 160 and not have it slice or hook off the planet. Do you fight a hook, or do you predominately slice (fade, sorry
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)?

Quick tip - 220 yards out can be played many ways. Duffed 3-iron then 6 iron, or two pitching wedges. I'd wager that the latter would lower your scores ... just a thought.
 
can we turn this into a golf advice thread?

i've actually developed a nice, controlled hook with my short irons, though sometimes they stay to the right. for some reason, my swing goes to **** with longer irons. i could ask questions all day about this game. does back or forward in your stance give the ball more loft? i typically play it back in my stance, unless it's a longer club.

also, the 'flop' shot is my nemesis. the ONLY way i've found i can pop the ball up at all when i'm near the green is to open my stance and the club face significantly. i can't seem to hit 'under' the ball any other way.

do you find thin bladed irons easier?

couple other things... i've got massive aiming problems. i have to have my playing partners stand behind me to tell me where i'm aiming....my new driver actually SPARKS on those artificial grass mats. WTF is that?...

finally, i'm unemployed...anyone care to play a round?
 
Nacho,

There are literally a dozen answers for each of your questions. It is sometimes difficult to give advice w/o seeing what a persons swing looks like.

Your lack of loft with your mid to long irons could be due to any of the following:
1. your swing plane
2. your club face loft (closed vs open faced)
3. ball position in your stance
4. grip

to name only a few

If I need to knock down a shot, I put the ball back in my stance. I hood the club slightly. When bringing the club back, I keep the clubface close to the ground. This will give you a swing plane that will keep your ball down.

At times, if I am trying to get loft on a short iron I will also put the ball back in my stance, but my swing plane is completely different.

Flop shots are all wrists. This is a part of the game most people can't get down. It really comes down to practicing the shot. You never think to take the time when you're at the range to attempt this shot. Most people will hit 3-4 different irons and then move on to the driver. Getting better at golf is simply about practicing (but practicing with the fundamentals down)

If you're looking for answers for YOUR swing, I would recommend a series of lessons. This will definitely cure your aiming problem, but may hurt a bit in the wallet.
 
Sparks!!!!!...damn boy you must hit it a ton. JK. Your new driver prob has a titanium face. Every Ti Driver I have sparks.
 
by the way, here's a good website with great (2 for 1) discounts to courses like Blackhawk, Colovista and Delaware Springs (circle C is coming soon). you have to register alot of stupid information to get access to it, though.
The Link
 
Captnamerica when was the last time you played riverside? Their greens suck hard, especially #14 it looks pretty from far but the green is usually chewed up. I played it one time in the summer and the green was a sand trap. I mean there was more sand than green. Dont get me wrong I like playing that course its nice but the greens are far better at Bluebonnet. That Course kicks ***, except for that damn#@$# #17 hole. I have yet to make it accross with one ball. That is my nemesis hole!
 
Played Riverside out eight months ago. I can't comment on the current condition of the greens. It's really the transformation that amazes me. Ten years ago, it was just as crappy as any other muni course - there was grass on them, but that's about all you could ever be certain of. The first time I went back after they were bought out, I felt obliged to go into the proshop AFTER my round and compliment the course and the greenkeepers on the condition of the greens. I've yet to be disappointed in those greens since. Perhaps you cought the greens after a recent punching? A common occurance in a climate as hot as Austin's is to punch and sand the greens - it allows the grass room to breathe, and they grow in greener and softer. But for a few weeks, the greens are more sand and holes than grass.

I'd really reccommend trying the course again. They do a really great job. If the greens were bad before, chances are they knew it, and are/were taking steps to correct the problem.

17 at bluebonnet eats many, many golf balls. You are NOT alone
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I was gonna say the greens might be getting aerated. I hate that. Its like playing Plinko when you putt.
 
No the greens were not aerated it was l just patches of grass amid a sandtrap. The sand was tamped down smooth but the ball still picked it up while you putted and it made the ball change direction. The greens were really trashed out that day. But it could have been worse...I could have been at work!
 
I played there yesterday, too, unpainted. You're right, greens rolled decent, but in a month they should be in great condition. A little windy, wasn't it
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good point. I went and played 9 at Lions today late afternoon, and I was surprised that the greens are in as good as condition as I've seen them.
 
I played Forrest Creek yesterday. All in all it was in good shape. Greens rolled nice and fairways were solid. Only problem was the fact that the course does not drain well. Other than early on Sat I don't remember there being a lot of rain. Out on the course it looked like it had been raining for weeks. It was also windy for some reason. How the **** does it get so windy with all those damn trees everywhere?
 
Chitwood - Lions and MoWilly really do a good job on their greens these days. When I was in college (last 5 years), aside from just having been punched, those two courses really rolled well.

In fact, that's kinda how I guage how well I'm playing on any given day. If I can score well at MoWilly, I can score well anywhere. 7-8-9 is Austin's version of Amen Corner. If you can play those holes in even par, then you're well on on your way to a good round.

Maybe we can add some life to this thread. I'd like to hear other opinions on the best holes in Austin, and why you feel that way. A few of mine.

CLEAR #1 is #9 at Blackhawk. A perfect drive leaves you a 6-iron to the green, and anything less than that just adds a club. There's a proper entrance to the green, with water and sand in play on your second shot. Just a fantastic hole.

#16 at Lions. Duh.

#2 at Star Ranch. Plays long when it's into the wind, and that long trap down the right side eats a lot of golf balls, as well as makes the tee shot visually difficult. Large green that's open in front and fairly easy to hold, but with many, many undulations, it takes a great second and a better putt to make birdie.

#14 at Kizer. Bailout area left of the green makes the forced carry over water ok. Thin green with bunkers front and back force you to club correctly, and the wind is almost always blowing. Flat two-tiered green will reward a good shot, while thick rough on the edge of the pond will punish a bad one.
 
I'm not very good at remembering hole numbers when I'm not on the course, but at Star Ranch, the short Par 3 on the backside (it's 15 or 16 I think). There is water in the front right and it extends along the right side of the green. Every time I've played this hole the pin is either right in the front, meaning if you are short or if you block the ball, you're in the water. I've also seen it short right, guarded by the water.

I've never taken more than a sand wedge on this hole, but 9 times out of ten, only one person in the foursome gets it on the green. It's one of those holes that seems so easy but eats everyones lunch.

I also love 18 at Riverplace. My favorite part of the hole is the approach into the green. With the elevated clubhouse in the background, it kind of gives you the feeling that you are finishing up a PGA tournament. More than once I've bounced my second shot off the rocks surrounding the green and had the ball nestle up next to the hole (not intended of course). It's a challenging second shot that has both capped off my best round ever, and ruined others.

those are the first ones that come to mind.
 
capn,
Isn't 14 at Kizer the reachable par 5? Are you talking about #5?
I like 6 and 7 at Star Ranch. 6 is the very short par 4, but with the lake all down the left side. Gives you some options.
 
just shot a 93 at Blackhawk but it sure felt alot lower than that. 'only' 36 putts and i parred #9 after a nice 5 iron draw from about 170. also landed a couple wedges withint 5 feet from about 110 yards. alas, the driver failed me miserably today. i can see a mid 80 in my very near future and that would, quite frankly, rock my ******* world.

does anyone else think #2 at Hancock is one of the harder holes in austin? I also like #5.
 
Nacho - I don't want to bust your bubble, but #2 at Hancock plays 4-iron 4-iron. That said, I love the layout - having the green 40' above you in the fairway makes the second shot so difficult, especially visually. Sounds like you're well on your way to a fantastic round. Keep workin, man. It only get's better from here.

Chitwood - right you are. I was thinking of #13. Just miscounted -
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. Of course, I left off what I think is my favorite fall tournament hole. #11 at Kizer. From the tips, this beast plays about 445, and in the fall, it's directly into the wind. A bunker protects the front left of the green, so any back pin is basically off limits. You'd better be a good chipper, and when you make 4, run far, far away and don't look back.
 
capnamerica,

my ****** clubs are 5 years old and the wrapper is still on the 4-iron. i'm seriously considering forgetting about the 3 and 4 iron and buying one of those 'rescue' woods. the only time i've parred it i hit 5 wood, 7 iron.
 
As far as I am concerned, #11 on Kaiser is a par 5. I don't think I have ever played it when the wind wasn't blowing in my face.

#17 Bluebonnet - ruined more rounds than I care to think about. Had a career round last summer (+3 through 16). Got to #17. struck what I thought was a solid 5-iron, watched it hit about 6 feet over the water and suck back into the pond. Quadruple bogey after I stopped the bleeding. That hole is a *****.

#8 at Riverside. Par 4 dogleg right, practically at 90 degrees. From the back it is a long, straight drive, but you can roll through the fairway and end up blocked. Perfect tee shot would be a long left-to-right shot that would still leave you with an approach to an elevated green.

BTW played Riverside last Friday and the greens were in above average shape. I am attached to that course since it is where I learned how to play as a kid. There are enough of the holes unchanged from the past that us oldtimers can bring back memories of shots gone by.

Watching the Canadian Tour tournament from Circle C on the Golf Channel I felt embarrased for the course. It just looked like crap. Way over priced for what it is right now.
 
hmm..

Kizer is a great course. My favorite in the area, but I only play the cheap stuff. #11 should be par 5. If I hit the ball hard enough not to be hitting 3 iron into the green, then I usually hit it into or over those mounds on the right side of the fairway.


I haven't played a Lions in years, but aside from the crowds I really like it.

I loved Bluebonnet the one time I played there.

Bergstom is a great deal -- $10 on the weekdays, and 13 14 and 15 are a great 3 holes.

Crystal falls in leander is some pretty and interesting golf, but some of the fairways are just too slanty.

Using the Texas Golf pass from the cancer society, I've also played at Plum Creek in Kyle (for $10 it wasn't bad, but miss a fairway and you have to fight snakes and 4' grass for your ball), and Quail Creek in San Marcos (liked it, but hard to get a good read -- 1st time I went they had just aerated the fairways, and last time, 2 holes had gotten washed out in the flood).

I played in a scramble at Lost Creek in westlake. Damn purty course, that one.

As far as good holes go, I'd like to nominate #9 at Hancock. If it's playing like 250-275, you have a great risk-reward with whether to go for the green or layup to avoid the pond. It's been a long time since I played out there, but many a year ago (prob. the last time I was there) I was trying to lay up on this hole and got a funny bounce, putting a 5-wood about 6 feet from the pin. missed both the eagle and birdie puts for a 3-putt par. I drove #16 at Kizer last time I was there, and missed a 5-6 foot fringe putt for eagle, but did get the birdie tap in.
 
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