Plum Creek Golf Club

About
Even though its just two miles west of I-35, Plum Creek is sort of an off-the-beaten path place to play. Located in the wildflower pastures just south of Austin, Roy Bechtol designed this links-style track for Glenn and Mary Evans, who were developing their vision of the Plum Creek residential community.
Bechtol’s layout is especially pleasing because of its natural appearance– the track rolls through the flowers that blanket the ranchland, with aesthetic water features and grass mounds. The course has an open feel to it, and you’ll never see an adjoining fairway. And while sand isn’t a concern, the lack of trees and the course’s hilltop location make it susceptible to the winds.
The most difficult hole at Plum Creek is the 659-yard No. 2, which should probably play like a par 7 when the wind is blowing. Natural brush lines this somewhat narrow fairway, and a creek cuts across the lane on your second shot. Later on the front comes the uphill 605-yard No. 9, where you won’t be able to afford any duffs to make par.
Water comes in play more on the back side, including the pesky 382-yard No. 14. The hole doglegs right around a small lake and requires a solid drive to turn that corner. If it’s too long, you’re through the bend and will be forced to chip out before the approach over the creek fronting the green.
All told, there’s a good mixture of holes at Plum Creek, and the outstanding service provided by the staff makes for a great day of golfin’ Kyle.
Getting there : Head south from Austin on I-35 and take Exit 217. Turn right at the stop sign onto County Road 210. Follow the Plum Creek signs, turning right onto Kohler's Crossing.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black | 72 | 7132 yards | 74.0 | 125 |
Blue | 72 | 6443 yards | 71.3 | 120 |
White | 72 | 5754 yards | 67.5 | 113 |
Red (W) | 72 | 4876 yards | 69.8 | 118 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gold M: 73.0/136 W: 79.3/139 | 369 | 659 | 423 | 203 | 421 | 430 | 352 | 150 | 603 | 3610 | 170 | 512 | 412 | 184 | 382 | 522 | 462 | 217 | 442 | 3303 | 6913 |
Forest M: 70.3/126 W: 76.4/131 | 361 | 592 | 366 | 190 | 376 | 415 | 348 | 131 | 542 | 3321 | 164 | 480 | 376 | 150 | 370 | 489 | 428 | 202 | 407 | 3066 | 6387 |
Blue M: 69.3/123 W: 74.8/128 | 340 | 548 | 360 | 177 | 371 | 407 | 337 | 122 | 497 | 3159 | 150 | 449 | 370 | 145 | 354 | 458 | 422 | 195 | 399 | 2942 | 6101 |
Stone M: 66.7/113 W: 71.1/121 | 302 | 498 | 336 | 169 | 302 | 378 | 282 | 102 | 457 | 2826 | 130 | 404 | 338 | 118 | 314 | 443 | 380 | 130 | 369 | 2626 | 5452 |
Copper M: 62.3/99 W: 65.2/101 | 274 | 357 | 268 | 115 | 215 | 263 | 191 | 87 | 403 | 2173 | 110 | 389 | 252 | 77 | 247 | 305 | 346 | 120 | 290 | 2136 | 4309 |
Handicap | 13 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 5 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 14 | |||
Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
Handicap (W) | 10 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 7 |
Course Details
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ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
Not Worth Price of Admission
A decent track but in no world is it worth $90+, this is a $40-$50 golf course so save your money. Conditions are subpar year round and Pace of Play is never enforced by a marshall so it will have you sitting on each tee box for 10 minutes. Travel a little south to Landa Park GC in New Braunfels or Bandit near Lake McQueeney to get your money’s worth. Unless you have a student or military discount, DO NOT waste your money at Plum Creek.
Not Worth the Price of Admission
A decent track, but in no world is it worth $90+, this is a $40-$50 golf course so save your money. Conditions are subpar year round and Pace of Play is never enforced by a marshall so it will have you sitting on each tee box for 10 minutes. Travel a little south to Landa Park GC in New Braunfels or Bandit near Lake McQueeney to get your money’s worth. Unless you have a student or military discount, DO NOT waste your money at Plum Creek.
Plum Regular
We usually play this course several times a year... but had not played The Plum since January... so we really did not know what to expect. Somewhat disappointing. The course is in the worst shape I've ever seen. Okay, there is a lot of maintenance happening and one of the staffers told me they are investing millions of dollars to bring it back up to speed...... which is cool!. However, if you're charging $85 ($90+ w/tax) per round.... the course should reflect the cost.... and right now....IT DOES NOT!
There are blemishes everywhere. Temporary tee boxes on a lot of holes. The course greens have patch work on them.... and all the practice greens are under repair..... overall, it's just not up to Plum Creek's usual standards. Note to Course Management: Stop being greedy and reduce the price until you get that course back in shape!!!!
That being said, the course staff is always wonderful there!!
Holding up to the summer heat/drought.
It's August, we're in a drought, and haven't seen rain in about 6+ weeks. So I was surprised that the course was in good shape overall. You may not take too many divots with the (often) dry/hard ground underneath. But that's to be expected -- with or without a drought at many courses in the area.
A number of the tee boxes could really use some work. This is a problem with a lot of courses simply because we ALL hit from this one localized area. But for that reason, more attention needs to be given to them accordingly. I get it ... it's hard for course maintenance to keep these nice. And it doesn't help when so many of you are digging into them like you're a pro; you're not. We noticed more than a few were mounded/tilted. And along with some boxes being severely chewed up and divoted, a number of the them were mixed grasses ... stuff no one should have to hit off of.
The fairways and greens were in good condition considering the high heat and lack of (extra) water this entire summer. The weather has also made sure that only the ponds have water .. so you don't have to worry quite as much about some of the otherwise potentially hazardous areas along a few of the fairways. The bunkers were all in nice shape with good fine and dry sand; only saw a couple of small rocks.
And finally, we encountered a few too many locals on the course. Honestly, you shouldn't encounter anyone other than golfers and course employees, right!? Well, we had three (3) different instances with kids and teenagers during our round on this Thursday afternoon. First, we came up on two (2) younger boys throwing the baseball around the #4 tee boxes. They live in one of the residences just yards away so they're using the course as their backyard. Were they in our way? No, they stopped and walked over to the edge of the property when we came around to hit. They've obviously been taught that (by their parents?). But that means their parents have told them it's okay to play on the course property -- which it's not. I'm not trying to be a "get off my lawn" guy. But we do pay to be here. More importantly, it's for their safety that they not be on the property. Do they know how quickly I can slice one into them? And then what .. I get sued by their parents for medical bills!? That's a problem that the course management needs to handle *before* anything happens. No one likes to be the bad guy but the residents alongside the course need to be reminded, reprimanded, etc. in order to minimize such situations. This is not their playground; it's private property. Our second encounter consisted of three (3) teenagers walking down the fence line of #16 by the apartments. They were generally quiet and just heading from A to B. But they came into view just as we were teeing off and were in the danger zone +/-. And finally, I was about to hit my approach shot when a young teen came up from behind me riding his bike down the cart path.
Good to play but dealing with a few issues presently
I'm going to put this first since it may be the only thing you read: WATCH FOR POISON IVY! We saw **LOTS** of poison ivy in the rough/rough under the bushes and trees. Let that ball go; it's not worth it. Don't even beat around in there with your club or you can transfer the oil from it to your hand etc.
Another special note is that kids play free (at this time). That makes it a great time to get your kids into the game without breaking the bank. Kudos to the course for offering this!!!
The course was in fine shape with a few exceptions. Not looking to write a negative review. So re-read that first sentence and think positively ... and then note the issues below. :)
The rough was certainly deep and it's often the grass that just pulls the ball down and then almost covers it up. Sometimes we had to be within a few feet of the ball before we could see any part of it. Note to self -- play from the fairway.
A few of the tee boxes could use a little work -- too uneven, too beat up, maybe too small for the amount of play they get, etc.
They've had some issues with keeping the greens in shape. On this outing, three (3) of the greens were under complete renovation. So they'd cut small 'greens' at the end of the fairway and put in oversized holes. It's obviously necessary but not anything we golfers like to encounter. On several other greens, there were decent sized areas of pure sand. They've obviously had some issues and it therefore limits hole placement and can affect putting. It happens. But with all the rain our area received over the last couple of months, it can't be from burning up in the heat. So what is it? Fungus? I understand things happen, but that's what maintenance is for ... so I always feel like a course isn't doing their job with these things happen. I'm sure I'm wrong for that at times since I have no personal greens experience. But I'm pretty sure some staff just don't get the job done too.
Course conditions
I played 18 holes on 8/29/20. The staff was very friendly. I have played this course approximately 60 times in the past 3 years. On this trip I found the conditions to be the worst in recent memory. The pace of play was horrendous. We teed off at 12:44 and did not finish until 5:14. Fairways and tees were in decent shape considering the hot weather. The greens were in sad shape. Lots and lots of poorly repaired old holes. Lots of mowed weeds in the greens. There was lot of goose grass in the collars around the greens. Cost to play seemed high based on conditions.
In good shape and busy
It had been at least 5-6 years since I've been to Plum Creek but with Austin's munis closed due to COVID we're expanding the radius to Kyle.
There's no "creek" at Plum Creek right now. The creek is bone dry because we've had no rain. Actually, that probably saved me 1-2 shots. Fairways are good and the greens are rolling really nicely. It's a good facility with an excellent range, but the course design itself is pretty mediocre and there is a lot of jackhammering with all the development going on. Seems like some of the greens have shrunk over time as well.
I ended up walking because there are only two carts allowed per group and sharing wasn't an option in our foursome. The routing isn't too bad for it besides getting from 9 to 10.
It's a good overall public experience and I'll be back. If I lived south of Austin I'd definitely use the practice facility. The course itself is just a little suburban cookie-cutter.
Don't Go Here in the Middle of a Pandemic
Checked in for an afternoon round with a friend. We asked for separate carts as my girlfriend is immune compromised due to chemo therapy and my playing partner has diabetes. I was informed by the young man at the front desk, Kale, that I would have to pay $30 in addition to my green fees to have my own cart. Other courses in the area are still doing solo carts, and the muni courses only charge $10-15 for a solo cart normally.
At the time of writing this, Hays County, where Plum Creek is located, is experiencing a huge increase in their COVID-19 cases. To charge $30 during the middle of a pandemic for someone to feel safer while playing their round in completely unfair and taking advantage of the situation at hand.
Please note, I called a manager the following day, and he confirmed the cart price was $30 (recently raised up from $15)
Foresight Golf should be ashamed of taking advantage of people trying to watch out for their personal safety.
Great Round
Weather was perfect. In spite of the Covid precautions, there were carts available. The three of us had our own carts, so social distancing was easy. The course was not super crowded as we have found it to be in the past few weeks. We were able to play at a good speed without having to wait and without being pushed from behind.
Aside from my score, which was my fault, it was the most enjoyable round I have had in a while.
Love this place!
Plum Creek golfcourse has the best prctice fcilities in Austin and surrounding areas for public golfcourse, by far!
Very well taken care of course, greens and practice area. If you havent played this course, come check it out, it's well worth your time and money.
Fun course
Staff was really friendly and helpful!! Recommended a bbq spot after the round. Golf course has some memorable holes. Golf course plays very windy. Definitely need to pay attention to our club selection. This is a course I really enjoyed... can score here if you club correctly. Ranger on the course was super friendly!! Overall a great morning
Everything you want and more!
So first off the staff was extremely friendly bringing a cart and loading my bag for me when I arrived. Then I got out to what I call an over the top practice area, I mean WOW! The course was in great condition compared to others in the area during this summer heat, and the new bar... Awesome! Play this course and you won’t play anywhere else.
Very Enjoyable
Player here for the first time in a few years. It was in very good shape on June 3rd. Fairly walkable course.
Easy to get on
Course is challenging and well kept. I have never had a problem getting on or played a game with poor pace of play. The course is a little pricey for my budget but worth it every once in a while to play a nice course.
Playing Plum Creek
This was my first time to Kyle and my first time to play Plum Creek. The atmosphere was upbeat and the club house is really cool. I played with my usual foursome and we had an absolute blast. Coming up the back 9 was my favorite with a challenging par 5 surrounded by tuscan townhomes. The course was in fantastic condition, the staff was friendly and the value for what was delivered is superb! I would highly recommend this course if you are visiting Kyle!!
Great course / Small Greens
Overall Plum Creek is a great course. Upon arriving you the practice area. Great set up with a range, putting greens, and around 5 different pins to chip around. You are able to chip as far as 80 yards. Great area to prep your short game.
First time player at Plum so the course was a bit tricky. The greens are tight and firm. You have to be spot on to keep it on the putting surface. Most greens held true but a few had some rough patches. The course is not long except for one par 3 over 200 yds. Some tee boxes needed work as well.
Overall, I had a great time and would recommend the course. $55 is a little steep but it was Sunday morning.
Great Twilight Round
Twilight rate started at three and got to enjoy some great Texas golf weather in October.
Staff in the clubhouse were neither friendly or unfriendly.
The course was in fantastic condition on all 18. Definitely on the nicer side for the amount I paid for a round. The course didn't play too long (6900 yards from the tips), but the greens were pretty challenging. The pace of play was decent enough.
My only gripe is the amount of construction going on next to the course. I realize that this isn't the course's problem, but it certainly isn't desirable to play 4-5 holes next to an army of construction workers using jackhammers and bulldozers. This won't stop me from coming back.
Not worth the money
Looking to hold a tourney there and after a very unfriendly interaction ~2weeks ago with the pro, asking to get us on for a site visit and tourney talk, we just made a 630 am tee time on our own. Got there at the 6.
Totally dark in parking lot,not lit up area. Almost tripped over a curb sticking out. Pro shop was open.no welcome was told " hold I m not ready yet" he had to get his system up . Paid 54.00 green fee and 10 bucks for a small bucket. $64.00!! No cart yet, asked if we could get a taco n coffee,"not open yet" range was a dog track,hardly any grass. Tee d off and every hole I d say was 2/3 s ok rest had bare spots in the fairways.
We get to the back and most fairways are standing water from the sprinklers going off. Horrible. Lost interest by about 14 and limped in. It s about a $40-45 dollar course at best. Needless to say we won t be returning nor won t consider plum creek for any tourney.
Texas course!
Overall I really enjoyed the course and all of the challenges it had to offer. Just like every course you will play in Texas there is going to be a lot of wind but the course is wide enough that the ball shouldn't get away from you. Texas State University has their practice facilities here and the they are very nice, as are the facilities for the everyday golfer.