The Hills of Lakeway Country Club - Flintrock Falls Course

Got the chance to get on Flintrock Falls as part of their partnership with the Sonesta Hotel in Bee Cave, which has some access to the course, as well as stay-and-plays with Falconhead.

Flintrock is the second fiddle to the Signature course at Lakeway but has some exciting holes. I like the opener a lot, even if there is a tree in the fairway, and the 2nd hole is a scenic par 3. The par-5 3rd hole and it's little green ate our group alive.

Trees certainly come into play here. I'm still stewing about a few drives I thought were in great shape only to end up in jail.

It's the best conditioned of the four Lakeway courses at the moment, I'm told. It is certainly solid and the clubhouse is nice too. No range, just hitting nets, so that's a bit of a bummer.

Ultimately this layout is pretty good but checks in a shade below the central Texas a-list privates. Still, definitely worth getting out there if you're invited or have a connection thru ClubCorp.

A Nicklaus-designed course in the hills near Lake Travis. Challenging layout. There are several holes that you need to see to figure out (when you're done, you say "I would have played that different if I knew"). They have a 'cheat sheet' available in the pro shop with hints for each course. Some of it was helpful, some not so much. We very much enjoyed the round and would definitely play again (and would probably play better,, having seen the holes). Note - NO DRIVING RANGE. They have some hitting bays with mats and nets, but that's it. They 'share' a driving range with the other course - of course, the driving range is at the other course :-( Also, this is one of two courses at the Hills CC. They are NOT located together. Don't follow instructions to Hills CC. You have to specifically search for Flintrock Falls.

Flintrock Falls has always been one of my favorite courses for some reason. Being private and part of the country club lifestyle, they have more funds and likely better staff for keeping it in such great shape. But I also really like the layout and challenges therein. There are a handful of obstacles -- fairway crossing creek beds, water hazards, well placed bunkers, etc. And they certainly have some nicely rolled, undulating greens. The one negative -- they do not have a driving range at this course. They have a couple of outdoor hitting bays to warm up your swing. But if you want a range, then you have to go over to The Hills course.