Swing Big in the Texas Hill Country: Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Epic Golf Escape

Located about an hour from Austin, Horseshoe Bay Resort offers golfers breathtaking views of Texas’s Hill Country.

Dramatic granite and limestone rock outcroppings. Rugged terrain. Sweeping elevation changes.

The scenery of Horseshoe Bay Resort alone is enough to entice golfers to return again and again. But factor in its three championship courses, too? Well, simply put, there are few golfing experiences quite like it in the Lone Star State.

When golfers step onto the tee box of Apple Rock’s first hole, they’ll be enamored by the sights, from the picturesque Hill Country, to the pristine Lake LBJ. There is only way for golfers to truly understand just how eye-dropping the views are though: they must experience them firsthand.

And yet, while doing so, they’ll need to focus on their golf shots somehow as well. After all, despite its surrounding beauty, this course is a beast. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Apple Rock is 6,999 yards long from the back tees. A par-72 layout, it also has a 75.4 rating, a 136 slope and more than 50 bunkers.

“It’s one of—along with Horseshoe Bay Resort’s two other championship courses—the very few courses in Central Texas with bentgrass greens too,” stresses Anthony Holder, PGA Director of Golf Operations.

For years, Ram Rock, Horseshoe Bay Resort’s second championship course, has been referred to as “The Challenger.” Ask any golfer who’s played it before, and a variety of reasons will be provided.

Consistent changes in elevation. Natural rock outcroppings that “swallow” balls. Ten water hazards that will certainly do the same. Tight fairways.

Another Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design, Ram Rock isn’t quite as long as Apple Rock (6,926 yards from the back tees), but its rating and slope are higher: 75.6 and 137, respectively. Not to mention, the par-72 course also has more than 60 bunkers.

“Ram Rock is one of Texas’s most difficult courses,” Holder notes. “It has a subtly challenging barrage of winding holes with seemingly endless tough shot values.”

If some golfers are intimated by Apple Rock’s and Ram Rock’s daunting layouts, they’re welcomed to relish Horseshoe Bay Resort’s third championship course instead—Slick Rock. However, this layout is far from easy, as it has a 73.2 rating, a 134 slope and over 70 bunkers.

A par-72 course as well, Slick Rock was also designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Yet, it offers golfers a unique experience, an unforgettable hole unlike any other at Horseshoe Bay Resort: the “Million Dollar Hole.”

“This hole, the 14th, has a massive, 35-foot waterfall,” Holder says. “Aside from this striking hole, the course provides many great risk-reward opportunities, too.”

He adds, “A fun parkland-style course, Slick Rock is definitely the resort’s most playable.”

While reflecting on each of these three championship courses, Holder believes they’ll truly offer something for everyone. 

Perhaps golfers enjoy desert-style courses? Maybe mountain or parkland golf courses are more preferable to them? Or perhaps they’ve played tur links courses before, and they’d like to experience another one? Regardless, they’ll find each of these options at Horseshoe Bay Resort.

“If golfers are ‘completists,’ when it comes to golf course options, they owe it to themselves to experience quintessential Texas Hill Country golf,” Holder emphasizes. “The quality of the three Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designs— and the never-ending, tremendous shot values and views — sets this uncommon golf destination apart for any serious or fun-seeking golfer.”

Blue Lake Golf Club: Golfers shouldn’t let Blue Lake’s 9-hole layout fool them. It will challenge everyone in various ways, from its difficult greens to its tight fairways.

Hidden Falls Golf Club: More than 6,700 yards long from the back tees, this 18-hole, par-72 course features four sets of tee boxes to choose from.