Lions Municipal Golf Course
About
Lions upstaged the prestigious sand-greened Austin Country Club when it opened with Bermuda greens in 1923, and has been Austin’s most beloved municipal ever since. Although no one knows for sure who officially designed this short, 6,000-yard classic, it appears that many members of Austin’s golf scene were involved, including Harvey and Tom Penick, and perhaps even the legendary John Bredemus. Either way, the design is famously unique, jammed into an unusually small piece of oak and cedar-covered terrain north of Town Lake. The track features loads of trees, even more doglegs, and some subtleties that have stood the test of time.
Lions’ colorful history is part of what attracts the 100,000-some-odd folks that cram the course every year. Ben Hogan teamed with Harvey Penick here in the 1950s for an exhibition match. He put on a show by stumbling around the first hole as if he’d spent the previous night partaking of drink, only to straighten it out and light up the course, much to the delight of the patrons. The story involves Lion’s No. 16 signature hole, which was No. 7 back then. Hogan was apparently a bit intimidated by the view from the tee. His question “Where’s the fairway?” has been asked many times over the years as hacks prepare to negotiate the blind tee shot on this 381-yard par 4. And while the hole isn’t as difficult today as it was back then, the approach is still testy over the water into a sloping, elevated green.
Getting there : From Mopac south, take the Enfield exit and turn right. Drive up the hill and make a left when you see the entrance to the course.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 71 | 6001 yards | 69.2 | 114 |
| White | 71 | 5642 yards | 67.3 | 110 |
| White (W) | 71 | 5642 yards | 72.4 | 122 |
| Red | 71 | 4931 yards | 63.1 | 100 |
| Red (W) | 71 | 4931 yards | 67.7 | 113 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue M: 69.8/123 | 359 | 495 | 393 | 155 | 375 | 367 | 157 | 467 | 312 | 3080 | 287 | 320 | 493 | 146 | 509 | 128 | 395 | 166 | 301 | 2745 | 5825 |
| White M: 68.0/118 W: 73.5/125 | 338 | 477 | 366 | 140 | 308 | 339 | 144 | 449 | 297 | 2858 | 272 | 305 | 434 | 115 | 489 | 105 | 380 | 151 | 280 | 2531 | 5389 |
| Red M: 64.9/113 W: 69.3/118 | 330 | 383 | 310 | 125 | 294 | 260 | 131 | 349 | 268 | 2450 | 257 | 238 | 413 | 94 | 387 | 70 | 365 | 126 | 260 | 2210 | 4660 |
| Handicap | 5 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 18 | |||
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
No Hot Deals for this date.
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Food & BeverageAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by u3752825 on 10/13/2022
-
Just had to share this crazy exposed root system of an oak tree on the #9 fairway. Photo submitted by GordonATX on 04/20/2021
-
Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 04/17/2020
-
Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 04/17/2020
-
Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 04/17/2020
-
Coyotes are still around the course but rarely seen. Photo submitted by GordonATX on 06/29/2019
-
The par-4 11th. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/22/2017
-
The par-4 5th. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/22/2017
-
The par-5 12th hole, which would be reversed under Crenshaw's plan. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/22/2017
-
My favorite hole on the back, the par-4 11th. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/22/2017
-
The first hole, which would be totally different under Crenshaw's plan. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/22/2017
-
My favorite hole on the front, the par-4 6th. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/22/2017
-
The par-3 17th hole over water. Photo submitted by BrandonTuckerGA on 02/09/2016
-
Looking back towards the tee box on #17. Photo submitted by GordonATX on 08/11/2013
40 odd years later!
The last time I played Lions/Munny I was in my early 30's, today I'm76 and the course is so much better. while the layout is basically the same it is in excellent condition.
it brought back a lot of great memories of Austin.
Fun Muni
I booked this round off a Hot Deal. I'd never played here, so I didn't know what to expect. It's a city municipal course that seems pretty relaxed.
The course is in good shape. The staff seemed pretty friendly. And the club house was better stocked that some other private courses in the area.
I saw the marshall several times in the round. The pace was a little slow at time, but was able to finish a round in just under 4 hours.
I'll definitely play here again.
Solid, classic
Enjoyed this course..it is a classic with history and quite an asset to this area. Gem of a muni that could be one of the best with a little more TLC and grooming. Fun layout, funky in spots but no bad holes. Staff were very helpful.
It's getting busy ... lots of players here.
Just a shorter review (even though I'll still write more than most -- to note a few things from my recent round.
This course is popular because of its location, lack of other courses nearby, its history, difficulty level, and price. It sees a lot of golfers ... and maybe a few extras that aren't that good at the game. So, the tees are currently beat to heck. It's the beginning of spring and everyone is getting out to play. I wish the course could increase (lengthen) the size of some of the greens. But they're also limited on space as this course will built a long time ago and they pretty much used all of the land they had available to them. I'm just trying to figure out how they can move the tee markers up/back more often to allow for divots to be repaired by whatever means.
The fairways were fine but on the tail end of winter grass conditions. Hopefully spring will bring them back to life. The bunkers were in great shape but was that sand or dirt? Looks like a soft dirt to me; maybe I need to research or ask about it to be sure. At least it was fresh, clean, and lacking little rocks etc. The greens were in really good shape ... even rolling a little slow today actually.
We saw a course marshal several times. That's not always the case. And this was on a Monday late afternoon. He was mainly checking to see that pace of play was going okay. The groups in front of us included a single, a 2-some, a 5-some of high school boys not putting out, and another single. I think they all simply played the front nine and left. So the back nine was much smoother. Odd that the only tee time I could get for my 2-some was at 3:00pm though. SMH. No worries; all good.
Finally Played Muny
It was a fun 9 holes! I'll be back ASAP for a full 18 when I have time! Not the best weather to play in but a good time regardless. The course was in good shape considering...at least the front 9.
Overseeded, but hey
Always love Muny. Greens were very shaggy, it was like putting uphill into the wind on a surface of molasses. But either way it is always a great track.
I Really wanted this to be good.
I haven’t played here in about a year, Staff was friendly and i love the breakfast taco place that’s on site. Fairways were average and tee boxes below average, what really was awful were the greens. Compared to the other local muni’s like kizer/clay, they are so bad. I didn’t even try to read putts, as it’s basically different sizes of grass on the greens. Only reason it’s a 2 star is because of the taco place/pace of play was good.
It's getting busy ... lots of players here.
Just a shorter review (even though I'll still write more than most -- to note a few things from my recent round.
This course is popular because of its location, lack of other courses nearby, its history, difficulty level, and price. It sees a lot of golfers ... and maybe a few extras that aren't that good at the game. So, the tees are currently beat to heck. It's the beginning of spring and everyone is getting out to play. I wish the course could increase (lengthen) the size of some of the greens. But they're also limited on space as this course will built a long time ago and they pretty much used all of the land they had available to them. I'm just trying to figure out how they can move the tee markers up/back more often to allow for divots to be repaired by whatever means.
The fairways were fine but on the tail end of winter grass conditions. Hopefully spring will bring them back to life. The bunkers were in great shape but was that sand or dirt? Looks like a soft dirt to me; maybe I need to research or ask about it to be sure. At least it was fresh, clean, and lacking little rocks etc. The greens were in really good shape ... even rolling a little slow today actually.
We saw a course marshal several times. That's not always the case. And this was on a Monday late afternoon. He was mainly checking to see that pace of play was going okay. The groups in front of us included a single, a 2-some, a 5-some of high school boys not putting out, and another single. I think they all simply played the front nine and left. So the back nine was much smoother. Odd that the only tee time I could get for my 2-some was at 3:00pm though. SMH. No worries; all good.
Everybody plays it .. some just more than others
This will be one of my shorter reviews and not so overly detailed. The tee boxes were in rough shape. They're getting so much play -- have been for the last (COVID-19) year. But how exactly does a par-5 box get so beat up? Are y'all not hitting drivers off of a tee? Of course, the boxes are almost always like this. Much more and the course might have to consider putting in mats to hit off of. Or maybe they could have them part grass and part mat so that it'd be a hybrid (pun intended). The fairways were in nice shape. They're still on the harder side, but they'll always be that way. Some bunkers were just fine while at least one had way too many rocks in it. The greens were quite good. On this outing (and most) they were slow and receptive. But they weren't too hard as I actually had to repair several ball marks for a change. All water hazards had lots of pond scum as always ... makes it impossible to retrieve one with a get-r-outer (for those that carry and call it that like my playing partner this day). That's really about it. It's spring in Austin so it's a good time to play Lions. The heat will be here soon enough.
Reopened with COVID-19 restrictions
The City of Austin announced the opening of its municipal golf courses on April 15th. I played Lions on the 16th and found an operation trying very hard to do all the right things and keep a safe environment for golfers looking to get outside and away from the computer.
First of all, the greens are in great shape and they've been working on the course when it was closed. It's a great experience! Just note the following rules:
You must book online in advance and then you pay with credit card at the window.
There are no golf carts or push carts to rent.
They took out the water coolers so bring plenty, especially as it gets hotter.
Flags must be left in and there are pool noodles at the bottom.
YOU MUST WEAR A FACEMASK around the clubhouse and common areas. The staff will call you out on the intercom if you take it off.
The range is closed and there are no holes in the practice greens.
Lastly, don't be an idiot and stand close to your partners. Even if you're related, people who drive by and see golfers too close to one another end up complaining to local news outlets and government officials. It's happened in other cities and states and caused courses to close.
Do all this and you'll have a great time. I expect conditions will be as good as ever if they don't allow golf carts on the grass for an extended period of time.
Thanks to the staff at Muny for doing all the right things.
WEEKDAY QUICKIE
Got in and out in 3.5 hours which is rare at this place. Always a classic - take it for what it is. A lot of tight lies, hard ground and some rocks around, but overall good shape for a muny. greens were in good shape but pretty slow
Where’s the grass?
Totally dried out. No grass in fsirway or rough. Greens were better. Course needs help.
Greens are in good condition, but this is the worst of all the Austin muni courses
Lion’s Municipal GC
For a last minute Sunday tee time booking I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the course. The greens were a touch slow for my liking but they were in great shape. There were some rough patches in the fairways but nothing too bad. Overall a nice round of golf.
Forgot to mention the new carts that Lions just received -- FINALLY! Oh happy days! So the new Club carts have the various sized cup holders, USB ports, club rain covers, sand jugs on both sides, soft "no lock required" brakes, and nicely contoured seats. Good job Muny!