One of the newest private clubs in Texas will be this 36-hole development, located between Austin and San Antonio. So new is the development that it really doesn’t have a name at this point and so as a working title we have been using the name of the (very) small rural town where it is situated.
The two courses will be very different in look and feel. The first course has been routed through the barrancas and live oaks which are scattered through the centre of the site. It’s a big, sprawling design with very wide fairways, wildly contoured greens and a number of alternate routes, offering golfers a multitude of ways to play each hole.
Our design uses the Southern and Eastern parts of the property and offered us a chance to build a completely different style of course, giving members two very different experiences.
The routing of Course #2 resembles that of a traditional links – playing out and back – and some of the crumpled ground was also reminiscent of a course built closer to the ocean than one in the middle of Texas. This became a source of inspiration for the design aesthetic and so rather than compete with course #1 by building flashy bunkers and barrancas, we’ve opted to build a course more reminiscent of the links courses of Scotland. We opted to move a lot of dirt to help create more links-like contours and routed holes across the newly shaped landscape that mimics some of the unpredictability and quirk you generally on find on a traditional links. For the bunkers we have built small traditional pots but with large spheres of influence so that with firm and bouncy ground conditions, the golfer must flirt with trouble to gain some sort of advantage. A handful of other sprawling hazards cut into the high points of the property pay homage to the great old photos of the Cardinal bunker at Prestwick.
The combination of firm playing surfaces and contour will ensure the course plays differently from day to day and anytime the wind is blowing, golfers will need to predict how the ball will react when landing 30 or 40 yards short of the green.
Project
Luling
Location
Texas, USA
Details
New 18 hole golf course
