Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club

This course is a Jack Nicklaus signature course and is very challenging. As long as you stay in the fairway you will probably shoot your handicap.

Lots of sand and some water features.

This Troon managed Nicklaus designed course is the center piece of Cimarron Hills CC which is an upscale neighborhood in Georgetown Tx. The clubhouse is rustic and inviting and the golf shop is small but well stocked. The staff is attentive and will make your golf enjoyable. The first thing to do is review the slope and rating and choose the correct tees. There are 5 tees so the course can play 5600 to 7300 yards. There is a large practice putting green behind the golf shop overlooking the 18th green. The practice area is across the street for the clubhouse and in addition to a driving range there is a shot game practice area and a putting green.

The course winds through the hills and along the Middle fork of the San Gabriel River. It does not return to the clubhouse at the turn so be sure to get drinks and snacks before you tee off. There is a cart girl on weekends and on Friday. There are nice bathrooms and water coolers around the course.

The course has many challenges and has greens that are well protected by bunkers. Being a Nicklaus design the fairways have strategically placed bunkers and there are large oak trees in the middle of a few of the fairways. One of the most challenging features of the course is the native areas outside the rough. Finding your ball is the first challenge and your best option may be hitting a club to get you back in the fairway. The carts will have a booklet that is an aerial view of each hole with yardages. It will come in handy.

Everything about the course is typically in excellent shape given the weather in the hill country that can get hot and dry in the summer. The fairways are firm. The Greens were rebuilt in 2017 with Champions Bermuda and can be fast with tricky breaks. Most of the greens are narrow front to back and and will test your distance control. Most greens are well protected by creek beds and bunkers. Once on the green the subtle , and not so subtle, breaks will test your putting skills.

One final unique feature is there is a short 70 yard 19th hole that is a favorite for setting bets. There is a nice dinning area and bar waiting in the club house after your round.

It is a beautiful course you will want to play again as you most likely will not shoot your handicap your first time around.

Beautiful views and perfect conditions throughout the course!

Choose wisely from the five tee boxes or you'll have some lengthy par-3's etc. Same goes for some of the dogleg holes. You don't want to hit your normal drive and be short of the turn or you'll likely have no shot at a normal par. Yardage ranges from 5614 to 7302 yards. And don't forget to take the slope rating into consideration as well.

Plan ahead -- the course layout is different in that you do not come back to the clubhouse at the turn. So make sure you have any snacks, etc. as applicable. There are nice restrooms on the course and an ample number of water coolers. I strongly suggest you get one of the styrofoam cups with lid and straw from the water station near where the carts are staged and fill it with ice/water before you start your round. This comes in very handy for plentiful, refreshing refills.

Everything about the course was in excellent shape -- fairways, hazards, greens, etc. Do try to keep it in the short grass though as the natural areas of rough apparently feed on golf balls.

The bunkers had really good sand. Note that some of them are not actually greenside. There are times when it just looks like it because of the rolling elevation, etc. They're tricking your eyes; Nicklaus is just messing with you.

There are some great water features -- very natural feeling for sure.

They have large, bentgrass greens. This grass is not nearly as common around these parts so that was something a little different, but not by much. They were in immaculate shape, nothing too crazy on undulation, ran a little quicker than most, and rolled extremely true.

One other little thing I noticed is that they use the green colored sand for filling in divots. It may or may not be mixed with some fertilizer, soil, and/or seed. I think I've only seen this on maybe one or two other courses in the last 10 years. I don't know why courses don't use it. Regardless of any other benefits, I find that it takes away from the ugly normal sanded scars out in the fairway. The green stuff is just more pleasing to the eye -- may even help remove a bad thought or two from your pre-shot routine if you're not thinking about hitting it fat, etc.