COURSE PROFILE INTERVIEW: Omni Barton Creek: Fazio Canyons - Fazio Foothills - Coore Crenshaw - Arnold Palmer Lakeside
By Brian Weis
What You Need To Know: Omni Barton Creek: Fazio Canyons - Fazio Foothills - Coore Crenshaw - Arnold Palmer Lakeside
An Insightful Interview With Brian Mahoney, Director of Golf brian.mahoney@omnihotels.com
Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Brian Mahoney who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.
Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
We invite you to experience the best golf in Texas on four golf courses in the heart of Austin's Hill Country. Recognized as one of the best golf resorts in the Southwest by GOLF Magazine, among the top 5 resorts in Texas by Travel + Leisure readers and featuring top-ranked courses by Golf Digest and Golfweek, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa is one of the most sought-after golf destinations in the U.S. Just 10 miles southwest of downtown Austin, our resort blends the best of the capital city with the beauty of Texas Hill Country. Combine that with some of the best golf courses in Austin and you won't be disappointed.
If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
From the ultimate golf trip to a weekend getaway, find golf packages for your next Austin, Texas vacation. Contact our Experience Planner team at 512-329-4018 or by email at bc.guestexperience@omnihotels.com to reserve your tee times or guest room prior to arrival.
Luxurious Accommodations: Enjoy upscale accommodations and amenities at the resort, providing a comfortable and stylish retreat after a day on the golf course.
Spa and Wellness: Unwind and rejuvenate at the on-site spa, offering a range of wellness services and treatments to enhance your relaxation experience.
Dining Excellence: Indulge in exquisite dining options featuring a variety of culinary delights, ensuring a satisfying gastronomic experience during your stay.
Scenic Beauty: Immerse yourself in the stunning natural surroundings of Texas Hill Country, with picturesque landscapes and breathtaking views adding to the overall charm of the resort.
Activities for Everyone: Whether you're a golf enthusiast or not, Omni Barton Creek Resort offers a range of activities for all guests, including swimming pools, fitness facilities, and outdoor adventures.
Event Spaces: The resort provides excellent venues for special events, weddings, and conferences, making it a versatile destination for both leisure and business travelers.
Golf Instruction: Perfect your golf game with professional instruction and practice facilities, ensuring an enjoyable experience for players of all skill levels.
Pro Shop: Explore the resort's pro shop for top-quality golf gear and merchandise, offering everything you need for a memorable golfing experience.
Close Proximity to Austin: Just 10 miles from downtown Austin, guests can easily explore the vibrant culture, live music, and attractions of the state capital while enjoying the tranquility of the Hill Country.
Award-Winning Recognition: Omni Barton Creek Resort has received accolades from reputable publications like GOLF Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Golf Digest, and Golfweek, solidifying its reputation as one of the best golf resorts in the Southwest.
What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
All of the golf courses at OMNI Barton Creek have gone through recent renovations to enhance the overall golfing experience.
FAZIO FOOTHILLS -Recently named among Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play in Texas, Fazio Foothills continues to impress golf experts and rack up prestigious awards.
The recently renovated Fazio Foothills offers a challenging but fair layout that places a premium on shot-making. Best described as a "roller-coaster ride through the Texas Hill Country (without the screaming)," by the Golf Channel's Matt Ginella, the resort's signature track and most dramatic course offers elevated tee boxes and a thrilling ride down to the fairways and greens, protected by cliffs, creeks, waterfalls and wildlife.
The course offers five different sets of tee boxes, rendering the course both rewarding to beginners and high handicappers, yet challenging to avid golfers. It even played host to the Champions Tour Legends of Golf tournament from 1990-1994 and has hosted numerous PGA of America Championships including the PGA Cup, Inaugural Women's PGA Cup and is slated to host the 2022 PGA Professional National Championship.
At 7,125 yards, long and accurate drives down the Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda fairways are a hallmark of Tom Fazio's design. And with small, TifEagle Bermuda greens, undulating aprons and grass bunkers, the Foothills course is a shot-maker's paradise.
The property, built in 1986 and renovated in 2018, features fairways with 419 Bermuda and greens with TiffEagle Bermuda.
Accolades: Golfweek's Best Courses by State (2021), GolfDigest Best Golf Courses in Texas (2021), Dallas Morning News Texas' Most Beautiful, Fazio Foothills (Hole #16, Par 4) (2019), Dallas Morning News Top 100 Texas Golf Courses (2019)
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FAZIO CANYONS - The top-rated Fazio Canyons golf course is now open following an extensive renovation of the course and driving range. Experience enhanced playability surrounded by the stunning Texas Hill Country, and test out the latest technology from Top Tracer on the Fazio Canyons practice facilities.
The Fazio Canyons Golf Course is a part of what makes Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa one of the top golf resorts in Texas. Scenic views line this 7,433-yard, par-72 course in Austin, TX that boasts the signature touch of Tom Fazio, the legendary golf course architect.
This award-winning course offers numerous scenic holes lined with stately Red Oaks and Sycamore trees and features spectacular views of Austin's Hill Country and Short Springs Branch, a bubbling limestone bed creek that meanders throughout the course. The 561-yard, par-5 finishing hole is tremendous and by all accounts rivaling Barton Creek's #18 hole on the Foothills course.
The design and construction of the course embodies 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. This fun yet challenging course is rewarding for golfers of all skill levels.
The course was ranked #1 Top Texas Tour Venues That You Can Play by Golf.com and among the top in the state by GolfDigest. With these accolades, it's easy to see why the Fazio Canyons course is not only considered one of the best golf courses in Austin, but also one of the best in Texas.
The new Canyons Clubhouse sits at the edge of the driving range offering generous views from a wraparound porch, beer on tap and a seasonal menu of clubhouse fare.
The property, built in 1999 and renovated in 2022, features fairways with 419 Bermuda and greens with MiniVerda Bermuda.
Accolades: Golfweek's Top Golf Courses in the U.S. (2021), GOLF Top 25 Resorts for Golf Buddies (2020), GOLF Top 100 Resort (2020), Golfweek's Best Courses by State, Fazio Canyons #2 (2020), GolfDigest Editors' Choice Best Golf Resorts in the Southwest (2020)
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COORE CRENSHAW - When two-time Masters Champion and Austin native Ben Crenshaw partnered with architect Bill Coore to design this course, he adhered to his design philosophy that "the best architect is nature."
This recently renovated course features lush, wide sweeping fairways lined by densely packed trees that will devour errant tee shots, the Coore Crenshaw Cliffside course challenges golfers with its approach to large, well-contoured greens.
Not an incredibly long course, the layout is forgiving for the novice, yet still challenging for the seasoned golfer. Golfers will earn every putt on undulating Champion Hybrid Bermuda greens of all shapes, as challenging as they are massive. It is fitting that one of the game's legendary putters would plot a course with greens that keep golfers on their cleated toes.
The course highlight is the 18th hole, an exciting climax that plays slightly uphill. Golfers must achieve approach shots across a running creek to land on a low-lying green, which is seemingly etched into the hillside.
The property, built in 1991 and renovated in 2018, features fairways with TiffSport Bermuda and greens with Champion Bermuda.
Accolades: Golfweek's Best Courses by State (2020), Dallas Morning News Best Courses You Can Play (2019)
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ARNOLD PALMER LAKESIDE - A hidden retreat perched on a secluded hilltop overlooking Lake Travis, Palmer Lakeside is a buddies' trip favorite and a big hitter's ballpark that features panoramic lake views and twilight glimpses of whitetail deer. Just 45 minutes away from the resort, it is the perfect place to hit the links on a beautiful day.
Designed by golf great Arnold Palmer, the satellite course features dramatic elevation changes, rewarding those long off the tee. Designed to appeal to every class of golfer, the course is fun for proficient players and still manageable for novices.
Lakeside's signature 11th hole, a magnificent par 3, is highlighted by a cascading waterfall and native flora. Any player who can "turn the ball over and take it deep" will be rewarded by the par-five 12th and par-four 13th holes, both doglegs left with sloping fairways.
Lakeside's clubhouse retreat affords guests a quiet refuge that overlooks the golf course with a lake view that is nothing short of spectacular.
The property, built in 1986, features fairways with 419 Bermuda and greens with Champions Bermuda.
Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
2023 - Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World - GOLF Magazine
2023 - Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S. - Golfweek
2023 - Best Courses You Can Play in Texas - Golfweek
2022 - Best Golf Resorts - Golf Digest
2022 - Top 200 Resort Golf Courses in the U.S. - Golfweek
2019 - Best Courses You Can Play in Texas - Golfweek
2019 - Best Golf Resorts - Golf Digest
What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Back Tee Stats
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More Information
Omni Barton Creek: Fazio Canyons - Fazio Foothills - Coore Crenshaw - Arnold Palmer Lakeside 8212 Barton Club Dr. Barton Creek, TX, 78735 5123294000
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Revised: 01/23/2024 - Article Viewed 3,168 Times
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About: Brian Weis
Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.
All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.
On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.
Contact Brian Weis:
GolfTrips.com - Publisher and Golf Traveler
262-255-7600