Horseshoe Bay Resort Is a Texas-Sized Oasis of Luxury

Located in scenic Texas Hill Country along the shores of Lake LBJ, Horseshoe Bay celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021 and has been upgraded for the next 50.

Texas Hill Country Delight

Horseshoe Bay Resort, located in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, near Austin, is situated on the gleaming shores of the constant-level Lake LBJ and meanders through a rugged 7,000-acre expanse of rolling, panoramic Texas Hill Country. Tropically adorned with palm trees, bold water features and rich and colorful vegetation, this resort stands apart, both visually and in the dynamic guest experience. As a golfing designation, Horseshoe Bay offers four unique playing options, along with an 18-hole Bermudagrass putting course.

Steeped in History

Horseshoe Bay Resort celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. The resort solidified itself as a go-to destination in the early 1970s with the opening of the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed Slick Rock course, the airstrip that would later become the Horseshoe Bay Jet Center, the Yacht Club and Marina and the original 60-unit Hide-a-Way Lodge. In 1975, Horseshoe Bay helped revive the Texas State Open, which featured former University of Texas teammates Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw battling for the title. Crenshaw ultimately pulled away, shooting a final-round 64 for the win.

Keeping Up With the Times

A four-year, $100-million renovation project has brought glamorous touches to Horseshoe Bay Resort, including four re-energized golf courses, completely upgraded guest rooms, expanded conference space, a reimagined luxury spa and brand-new restaurant concepts in the resort’s hotel tower, yacht club and Whitewater Sports Club. All three Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf courses now showcase redone greens, bunkering and tee boxes.

At the Jack Nicklaus Signature members’ only Summit Rock Course, bunkers were enhanced with better drainage and brighter, finer sand. In 2020, the award-winning Cap Rock clubhouse was opened, creating a greater sense of arrival for members. 

Slick Rock

Slick Rock is Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s original creation at Horseshoe Bay Resort and is considered the members' favorite course due to the older, traditional design that features larger, flatter greens. The layout stretches to 6,867 yards and is a par 72, featuring a course rating of 73.2 and a slope of 134. 

Freshly renovated, Slick Rock is best known for its 361-yard par 4 called the "Million Dollar Hole," so named for the spectacular 35-yard-wide waterfall feature that greets golfers from the tee. A drive must carry the waterfall and then golfers practically drive through it with their golf carts.

Ram Rock

This is Horseshoe Bay's beautiful brute of a course, thanks to its small greens, tree-lined fairways, creeks, ponds and significant undulation in the fairways and greens. The 6,884-yard, par-71 design has a course rating of 75.2 and a slope of 139.

Although recent renovations have softened some of the more severe features by expanding the greens and reducing the sand area by about 40 percent, Ram Rock still calls for accurate shotmaking and the ability to maneuver the ball in both directions. A great example of that is at the uphill/downhill 411-yard, par-4 16th. This hole calls for a precise uphill tee shot to the corner of the dogleg right, followed by a downhill approach to a small, slender green guarded front-right by a rock-lined pond. 

Apple Rock

Apple Rock is a course that will bite you if you stray afar, but its overall sweetness stems from the stunning scenery. At 6,999 yards and par 72, the layout has a championship tee rating of 74.6 and slope of 140, 

Most memorable is the vista from the tee box at the 567-yard, par-5 10th. From the tees, miles of Texas Hill Country can be seen and serene Lake LBJ serves as the focal point. Director of golf Anthony Holder calls the 379-yard, par-4 16th Apple Rock's most difficult hike. It requires a golfer to navigate both a layup tee shot and an approach over a large beautiful water feature to a heavily bunkered green. The scenic 18th hole plays uphill and features the newly constructed Cap Rock clubhouse sitting on a rocky, elevated perch just beyond the green.

Summit Rock

Summit Rock, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, is one of Golf Digest’s Best in State selections (No. 14) in 2019-2020 and a top-100 course in Texas (No. 13), according to the Dallas Morning News. The exclusive, members-only course challenges players with a par-72 layout enhanced by difficult greens, menacing bunkers, dramatic elevation changes and panoramic Texas Hill Country views. 

The course boasts some of the most stunning scenery in Texas. Nicklaus blended the course layout through the picturesque topography and mature stands of Texas Live Oaks. Hole Nos. 1 and 2 play through a wide-open, level-playing area and afterward players are rewarded with a 30-mile Hill Country view from the elevated tee box at the famed 3rd hole.

Cap Rock Clubhouse

Perched atop an impressive outcropping of ancient granite boulders that affords 50-mile views from countless vantage points, Horseshoe Bay Resort’s new Cap Rock Clubhouse is a luxurious dining and entertainment space that showcases a decidedly modern and inspired take on classic Hill Country architecture. 

The resort and club’s newest member amenity was named Private Clubhouse of the Year in Golf Inc. Magazine’s 25th Clubhouse of the Year competition. Members enjoy a large, open indoor dining space, posh cocktail lounge, private dining areas, spacious patio dining, the energized pool cabana space and lush great lawn that overlook the 18th greens of the Apple Rock and Rock courses.

More Than Just Golf

In addition to world-class golf, perhaps the greatest attraction to Horseshoe Bay Resort for couples, groups and families is the fun and relaxing lifestyle along the spectacular shores of constant-level Lake LBJ. 

Whether its having dinner and drinks at the Yacht Club, reclining in the sun either poolside or on the beach (Stargazer and Turtle) or taking a watercraft out on a stretch of the 6,500-acre lake, the ways to make memories at Horseshoe Bay Resort are endless. And, if you prefer to fly privately to this tucked-away destination — about one hour outside of Austin — the Horseshoe Bay Jet Center and its 6,000-foot lighted runway, which can accommodate anything aircraft from a Piper Cub to a Boeing 737, is the ticket.