Golf Buzz

Jack Nicklaus has opened only one of his world-famous Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses in the United States this year, but it looks like a keeper.

The Summit Rock Golf Course opened earlier this fall at Horseshoe Bay, Texas, about 45 miles west of Austin. It joins the The Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed trio of courses known as Slick Rock, Ram Rock and Apple Rock courses in the community of Horseshoe Bay.

"The Hill Country, as a whole, is beautiful and creates opportunities for unique and interesting golf course designs," Nicklaus said. "You have a lot of natural features in the Hill Country that allow you to just place quality golf in there and I think we did that with Summit Rock.

"If you look at all the courses we have done in the Hill Country, the properties are fairly rolling, with an abundance of rock features and outcroppings, little ravines, and a lot of gorgeous, mature trees," he added. "You have all of these features at Summit Rock, along with nearby Lake LBJ and beautiful vistas."
 
The Summit Rock residential community sits on 1,600 acres of oak-studded hills with scenic views of Lake LBJ and the Hill Country terrain. The course itself plays between 6,500 and 6,600 yards for the average player or 7,200 yards from the back tees, and has a course rating of 76.0 and a Slope rating of 145.

The Bermuda fairways highlight the property's many elevation changes and several are framed by mature trees, while the bent grass greens include a mix of tiers, long slopes, and bowls. The early part of the front nine and the final stretch of the back nine are lower in elevation and more wooded, while the middle part is higher and offers multiple views of the spectacular Lake LBJ and the expansive Texas Hill Country.

The course, which features 50 bunkers, is high on shot values, and is accented by a comprehensive practice facility with a driving range and putting and chipping greens.

Home sites at Summit Rock range from 1/5-acre to family compounds of more than 11 acres, and start at $135,000. Cabins start at $500,000 and cottages start at $800,000.

When it's finished, Summit Rock also will include the Summit House clubhouse, a recreational lake, comfort stations, walking and jogging trails and the Summit Rock Organic Farm and Apiary, which provides fruit, vegetables and wildflower honey to the community. Also on the property will be the Smokehouse – a restaurant with a large screened-in porch, an open-air pergola, indoor dining areas, outdoor gathering places and fireplaces and fire pits.

For more information, visit www.SummitRockHSB.com.

From the earliest days of competition, the thought has been that negative feelings toward an opponent would only help motivate a person to defeat them. Storied athletic rivalries are often accompanied by stories of bitter feelings and outright hostility (i.e. Ali-Frazier, Belicheck-Mangini, Brett Favre-Aaron Rogers) or even mutual respect can have some tense moments (Nicklaus-Palmer, Connors-McEnroe, etc.).  

But what happens when two rivals are friends -- even buddies? What if one is arguably the greatest golfer ever and the other is the most potent threat to threaten the top records in the sport?

CNN's Gary Morley has an interesting take.