Morris Williams Golf Course
About
The “Mo Willie,” Austin’s third municipal course, has some character: it served as the home of Harvey Penick’s legendary golf teams, two of which won NCAA Championships back when Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw graced the fairways. And it’s named after Morris Williams, Jr., one of the best golfers to ever come out of the city. Now Austin’s airport has moved south, and this difficult Leon Howard design is a bit more peaceful.
Howard’s layout requires all types of shots, and is known for its small, slightly elevated greens. The best hole on the front is the dogleg left, 540-yard No. 2, even though some would argue that the 187-yard No. 3 is one of Austin’s all-time best. It drops 50 feet from tee to green over a pond. The back side is highlighted by water holes 11-14, with both 11 and 12 requiring approaches over the wet stuff.
Getting there : From the Austin Airport, turn left on Manor Road and the clubhouse is 100 yards down the street. The entrance is on the right.
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
Course Details
Rentals & Services
Practice & Instruction
Policies
Available Facilities
Golfer Photos
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Photo submitted by MxRuiz on 09/22/2024
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View from the fairway on #5. Photo submitted by batboygareth on 07/04/2023
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Photo submitted by 2022Flyosu on 12/28/2022
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Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 08/30/2019
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Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 08/30/2019
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Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 08/30/2019
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Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 08/30/2019
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Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 09/27/2018
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Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 09/27/2018
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The 13th hole. Not my favorite...but made par. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 10/30/2017
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the green on #5 Photo submitted by Notoriousbigb on 09/01/2015
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Photo submitted by GordonATX on 09/01/2014
Golfer Reviews
Disappointed in the "improvements"
I used to live in Austin and played a lot at Mo Willie. The routing is incredible and the course used to be a great strategic test. The course played firm and fast and the greens were very tough.
In my return visit this weekend I looked forward to seeing the recent changes to the course but was very disappointed. In the process of upgrading the facilities they ruined the course as a strategic gem. Almost all the greens were recontoured and the entire course has new thick lush grass. The problem with the grass is that in order to keep it thick and lush the course must be watered immensely. There was standing water everywhere, with my cart sloshing through fairways. All the sand was sopping wet. Balls were plugging. It was a slog.
No more firm and fast.
Second problem is that in recontouring the greens, they made a mid-century strategic masterpiece into a boring modern course. Hole 4 used to require a strong draw up the hill off the tee in order for the second to be short enough where you could carry the front bunker and still hold the front to back green. If you were short off the tee you had to play to the side and try to get up and down. Now the tee box is dead center and raised up to fairway level. The front bunker is gone and the green a flat top. No more strategy, just a boring straightaway par 4.
Same with hole 9. 9 used to beg you to drive it as far left as possible without going into the lateral hazard in order to get a good look at the well protected right to left green. They flattened the green and moved it left so now pretty much any tee shot other than in the trees can hold in regulation.
The one change that is a big improvement is on 13, where they cleared the brush area on the left hill and it is now an alternative fairway. That is the type of great risk/reward this course used to present on many holes but no longer. Unfortunately, all I have are memories of a great course. The routing is still fab, but the mud and the greens have made it just another course in central Texas.
Nice course
They charged me for my 8 yo to ride in cart that was a bummer but nice course.
I like the improvements, course was much better than I remember
I like the improvements since I played 10 years ago, course was much better than I remember. Great Conditions.
Mo Willie
Wow, this course has really changed. If you played this course in the past and have not since the remodel, i recommend you do. I was really impressed. I will definitely play it again soon.
Morris Williams
On other courses, i have recently heard several golfers speak fondly of Mo Williams - so I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the updated facilities and the very good condition of the course. The course was challenging enough. The greens were a very pleasant surprise - good shape, interesting design and pin placement. Every putt required a little extra time to read - nothing was straight.
And we played in under 3 1/2 hours. I'll be back again.
Last minute golf in Austin
Hadn't played here in years....wow..was pleasantly surprised at the changes....nice facility....Course was in great shape...staff was very friendly...will definitely go back when in Austin.
Challenging but FUN!!!
The pace was good, it took us 4 hours to play and the greens were well kept. Mo has a friendly and helpful staff. I look forward to eating the delicious grill cheese sandwich and ice cold beverages. Mo even has a friendly duck at #3! It doesn't get any better than that.
Great Course. Some smug employees but everything else rules
Great golf course after the re-design. It plays over 7k yds from the tips and is still fair enough for the juniors and women from the forward tees. Course condition is always in great shape, excellent fairways, rough, teeboxes and greens. Pro shop employees are a bit smug but a few of them have been there darn near two decades so they probably don't give a darn. new clubhouse is amazing, and clean, with ice cold AC. The back patio has a bunch of rocking chairs, so it's awesome to sit there with a drink and watch golfers come in or tee off. Best municipal course in Austin, and would give most munis everywhere a run for their money.
Impressed
I'm really impressed with Mo-Willy's. This was my first time back at the course since recent renovations and it's looking nice. The $25-$35 round is a great value at a course like this.
better since the renovation
I think this was the 5th time I've played Morris Williams since the renovation. Until now, the greens had been playing very firm taking a shot. But now they are taking a shot nicely which is great. But they're a bit slow and not super smooth...hopefully they can improve in that regard as well. Fairways and tee boxes were good. Overall, the renovations that were made (mostly larger greens and added yardage) are a positive for the course. I like the course. It's nice to have a decent course that's not too expensive.
Fun 18--on a Hot Sunday
Very good shape for no rain
Very slow
Waited on any holes
But had a great time
More Morris Williams!
1st time playing MW. Loved it! NO hardpan, greens in excellent condition (kinda slow, but rolled true), fairways playable everywhere and pace was fast 4hrs on July 4th weekend. Also, I played the same ball for 18 holes, a personal best for me, even tho I shot 89. Not a lot of water, but the sand traps are in good condition and has decent sand. (tip: take a LOT of sand when playing bunker shots. It's VERY heavy)
A few blind shots and big swinging doglegs keep your head in it. Also, I saw the beverage cart once in 4 hours, they could improve on that. GO play!
Top notch
Quality redo with huge greens. Greens are rock hard making for a nice test
Nice Course and one of best public Austin courses
This was my 10th time playing and enjoyed my round. I would recommend this course and its one of my top two public courses in Austin.
Pleasantly Surprised!
Mo Williams was a nice, pleasant surprise yesterday. I played 18 holes on a Wed. afternoon, and was a single. The fairways were green, and the course was in good shape. The greens were in reasonable shape, above average for a muni. Not as fast as other private courses, but the course has a nice layout, somewhat challenging from the blue tees. There are some tight fairways, and interesting shot selection on some of the holes. The bunkers are well maintained. My two gripes are first, the service is pretty bad. No one was overly nice, but the starter was just plain grumpy. But, for $32, and chance to go as single, I'll definitely come back.
The club house is new and recently rentovated.
I enjoyed the course and the new cub house facility is awesome. The fairways are in good shape but the greens were a little rough and recently sanded and aerated.
Good value for the conditions and features
Good course layout that was well maintained. Some of the holes can get repetitive, but for the price, the features you get are very good. Not too difficult with minimal OB, so high handicappers are welcome.