Hyatt Regency Lost Pines

A golfnow special at Wolfdancer simply can't be beat. $45, and you're basically treated like a resort guest for a day. Unlimited range balls, the best gps I've ever used on a course, easy pace of play, no city noise anywhere. Awesome day away from the city!

This course is probably the best non private course in the Austin metro area. A beautifully secluded setting with some very nice panoramic vistas. It is a very challenging layout that will test players of all levels, but plays fair and equitable. My only complaint would be the lack of sand in the greenside bunkers which makes hitting the high lofted explosion required to exit some of the deeper ones extremely difficult, even for a low handicap player. The greens were fantastic! Fast, true and very receptive.
If the cost of a yearly membership would come down about a grand, I'd join tomorrow!

The course is beautiful and in a very serene location. You can rarely see other holes while you're playing, giving the feel of a very exclusive round. The greens were very fast (expected during the winter), but they actually held shots which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately I forgot how to putt and shot well over my norm, but had a great time. Only drawback is the price... a once in a while type place for someone in my position.

Liked the course from tee to green. Conditions were good for the winter in Texas. However, the greens were unputtable about 1/2 the time. The speed of the greens with the undulations and pin placements meant that if you were above the hole, the best you could hope for if you missed the putt was 15-20 feet for your next putt, assuming the ball stayed on the green. Most holes had a very small area below the hole where you could reasonably 1 or 2 putt. A couple of holes had completely inaccessible pin placements. If you landed near the hole, it went off the green.

I don't recommend playing this course unless you like loooong rounds (5 hrs plus) and enjoy 3 putting.

We did the whole deal where you stay in the hotel and everything. It was an awsome experience. This was the nicest course i have ever personally played. It was decently long and challenging. Also very beautiful. I would recomend it to any seasoned golfer.

This course has great features excpet green fee. I was very pleasured to play in here. Highly recommanded.

Hello Golf Now patron. Purely out of boredom and my own love for golf in central Texas, I've decided to rank the Austin-area golf courses listed on Golf Now. Emphasis was placed on course condition and playability, with scenery, value, service and pace of play also being considered. Proximity to Austin is a factor, however I put the least weight on this category. I will briefly note the pros and cons of each course, so as not to drag this review out. In short, you will not be disappointed with the top 10. Conversely, the bottom 5 have much to be desired. Here we go:

1) Wolfdancer GC
Pros: Condition, variety & scenery / Cons: none, but be prepared to tip 3-4 attendees before the round is complete
2) River Place CC
Pros: Condition and Variety / Cons: Member-only attitude.
3) Teravista GC
Pros: Condition and Playability / Cons: Pace of play and Scenery (this is a neighborhood course so not much to look at)
4) Crystal Falls GC
Pros: Service, Variety and scenery / Cons: A bit far out and pace of play
5) Star Ranch GC
Pros: Variety & Condition / Cons: Pace of play
6) Vaaler Creek GC
Pros: Variety and Condition / Cons: Far away and no food/bev
7) Avery Ranch GC
Pros: Scenery & Condition / Cons: Pace of play & service
8) Grey Rock GC
Pros: Conditions & Playability / Cons: Scenery, Variety,
9) Onion Creek GC
Pros: Pace of play & Variety / Cons: Member-only attitude
10) Falconhead
Pros: Condition & variety / Cons: Value and pace of play
11) Legacy Hills GC
Pros: Condition / Cons: Service Service (not very welcoming) and no food or beverage.
Pros: Condition and variety / Cons: Service (not very welcoming) and no food or beverage.
13) Cowan Creek GC
Pros: Condition / Con: Service (not very welcoming) and no food or beverage.
14) Roy Kizer GC (Austin Public Course)
Pros: Value & Links course to score well / Cons: pace of play (very crowded public course) and tough to play in wind
15) Forest Creek GC
Pros: Variety / Cons: Pace of play and value
16) Lago Vista GC:
Pros: Best service in Austin area / Cons: condition on-par with Austin public courses (not bad, just not great)
17) Morris Williams GC (Austin Public Course)
Pro: Value, Variety and proximity / Cons: Pace of play and condition in summer
18) Jimmy Clay GC (Austin Public Course)
Pro: Value / Cons: Pace of play & condition
19) Harvey Pennick Golf Campus
Pros: Condition (in summer) and value / Cons: essentially a 9 hole par-3 course. Not a true 18 hole golf course
20) Lions Municipal (Ole' Muny - Austin Public Course)
Pros: Oldest course in Austin (history) / Cons: Condition and pace of play
21) Bluebonnet GC
Pros: Value and free beer / Cons: Condition and pace of play
21) Pine Forest GC:
Pros: Value / Cons: Condition and distance from Austin
22) Riverside:
Pros: Central location / Cons: Condition, Value and variety
23) Blackhawk.
Pros: None / Cons: Just a bad course in all regards.

Obviously there are a few courses missing from this list. I did not include those courses that I've yet to play. The best "bang for the buck" courses are numbers 2, 3 and 4; Golf Now occasionally has tee-times for these three for under $38

We had a great experience playing here. The round was a little slow due to a morning frost that pushed back several early tee times. Otherwise, couldn't have asked for more. Great course, wonderful atmosphere and staff. You feel like a PGA star the way they assist you and take care of you here. Plenty of water, sand, etc. and the greens are pretty tough, so don't feel bad about 3 putts here. This course will humble players of all skill levels. It's on the expensive side for the average golfer, ($160 on weekend) but if you catch a hot deal and save 50% like we did, it's definitely worth it.

Course is in great condition and offers 5 sets of tees. Staff was super friendly and helpful. $3.50 for coke and $2 for small bag of crackers. Small bag of range balls provided.

The course was fantastic. It was the first time I've been fortunate enough to play it after they rolled the greens. They were fast but fair...they really made the trip worth while. I will be back

This was my second time playing this golf course, and I was not disappointed. The course is much more manageable the 2nd time around. The greens are fast, very undulated and difficult to read. Towards the middle of my round I started accepting 3 putts as a standard. The fairways are lush like you are hitting off of carpet, there was no hard-pan anywhere on the fairways. The tee boxes were not in the best shape but not anything to complain about. The course plays longer than the scorecard indicates so its adviseable to play 1 tee box forward from your usual set of tees. The staff is friendly and they all ask about your experience of they can help you with anything or give you a ride to your car or whatever. As soon as you park your car there is an attendant with a golf cart to pick you and your golf clubs up. After your check-in they have your bag ready for you and give you range balls to hit on the way to the first tee box. The starter greets you like you've known him forever and welcomes you to your round. Once on the course, I never felt rushed and never had to wait. Its a very relaxing round of golf. I will play there again and I would def recommend this golf course to any of my friends.

Wolfdancer is a great layout from the perspective of a good mix of elevation changes, long & short holes, open & tight shots and nice views and framing. Playability off the tee is great. Approach shots are challenging to players with accomplished iron games, but several greens are setup similar to USGA championships (Holes 3,4,6,9 & 14). The staff is too afraid to hold guests in line, which dilutes the total golf experience. Marshalls don't control the pace of play, divots are everywhere (out of town golfers don't feel the obligation to leave the course better than they found it). Bunkers are not designed or maintained well. Disappointed to see the range does not have balls set out anymore. Many awesome & solid holes though like #2, 10, 12, & 18. To make the experience better: 1) Pace of play under 4 1/2 hours (no exceptions!), 2) Fix #6 green (most balls funnel to the same spot), 3) Put balls back on range, 4) Tell guests to fill their divots. I almost forgot the 2nd worse thing about playing golf @ Wolfdancer (besides the guaranteed 5 hour round). It sounds trivial, but the GPS warning system is out of control (too sensitive and too many of the same warnings - blinds shots & don't drive the cart 3 inches off the cart path on #5) Great warning on checking for carts on the GPS screen, but 50 warnings a round is a bit annoying.

This is a beautiful, scenic, challenging, well-maintained course. Even playing behind a tournament, my round was only 4 hours.

Sure your score will likely be a bit higher than normal -- especially the first time you play the course. But that's what this type of course is for -- to humble you a bit after you've overplayed your regular tracks and gotten a little too comfortable. But this course is pretty top notch when it comes to the layout, the scenery, the staff, etc. All in all, it's truly one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had ... excluding that higher number on my scorecard.

This course (especially the front 9# is a bit more challenging than your average course. The main reasons pertain to the terrain and elevation. You're not given many opportunities to hit short and have the ball roll up to the green. You can't just bump and run one up. More often than not, you are separated from the green by a creek #wet/dry doesn't matter# or a well placed bunker. And a few greens are simply built up on mounds to give you that extra degree of difficulty.

I'm pretty sure that every single hole has at least one bunker on it. Most of the par 4s and 5s will have well placed fairway bunkers as well. You really need to pick your target and hit it. And there are a few water hazards on the course but not too many; and only a few are really in play.

The carts were outfitted with an interactive touchscreen GPS system. This was a HUGE help when determining where trouble might be and how far you are from it. Along with distances, you're also given an animated flyover of each hole so that you can see elevation changes, terrain, obstacles, hazards, etc. Again, it's a very handy feature!

And finally, this is part of the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa. So they really put the effort into providing you with a top notch course and facility with excellent customer service. You know they're trying to make sure you're taken care of when the beverage cart hits you three #3# times on a Sunday afternoon. Most courses you might see them only once ... or not at all. We also had two #2) marshals come by only to ask if there was anything they could do to make our stay/play any better. Very friendly folks here! Don't forget to tip the guys who bring you the cart, clean your clubs, etc. Yes, that's part of coming to a course like this; do your part.

I played this course two weekends in a row and really enjoyed the course. The layout of the holes vary making each hole an unique experience. This resort course is far enough from the city that you feel like you're getting away from the usual grind. I enjoy seeing the wildlife around the course; both weeks I saw several deer and other animals.
The course itself is well maintained. The fairways are pretty open, but the rough makes you pay if you miss. I think they were "winterizing" the course because some of the tee boxes were a little shaggy. The greens were challenging but in great shape. The ball rolled true and the speed seemed consistent from one hole to the next. There were a few blind tee shots that got me the first round and a few holes could have blind approaches depending on your tee shot.
The pace of play on my first trip was a little slow. It took over four hours to get through the course. The second week, I was able to get an early enough tee time to get ahead of the groups and the pace of play was much more enjoyable.
All in all, a great experience and I'll enjoy playing this course again.

Have recently relocated to Austin and was told I MUST play Wolfdancer as soon as possible. That advice was 100% accurate, and will be the first place I bring all visiting friends and family. Incredibly friendly staff, obviously very proud caretakers of their outstanding course and property. Can't wait to stay at the resort and spend some quality time at the water park and pool area as well. As good a course as anywhere in the country

This is one of the best golf layouts in Central Texas, public or private. Arthur Hill has got to feel that this place is one of his signature courses.
They created this golf course in the middle of a dense forest full of unique wild creatures. I saw a huge redheaded woodpecker right in front of me on the first tee. The woods are so thick and the terrain so rolling that you are very private most of the time. It's a lot better than the Hyatt Hill Country courses. He did have a lot more dirt to work with. This is a well manicured course, with pristine greens and fairways. The tees are being renovated, but that's not a real issue.
The front nine has characteristics of a dense rainforest with 20 varieties of local trees represented.
The back nine is a classic Parkland course as it flows smoothly along the bottom lands of the Colorado River. There are open vistas and large oak and cypress trees with some small and narrow mouth greens.
There are varied holes represented here and they all require good tee shots. Thankfully, there aren't any blind/ hidden fairways or tricked up holes here.
This is a fun course to play. There are five different tees so all levels can play and enjoy this course.
Hill has used nasty little bunkers all over this course.
Many are designed as pot bunkers and a quite a few are in the middle of the fairway.
A good example is hole #3, the toughest rated hole on the course. Your tee shot and second shot on this part five will have to be very precise to avoid his traps.
The strategy on Wolfdancer has got to be to stay away from all Hill's bunkers.
This is a delightful place to play. Everyone here is friendly and helpful. We were a twosome and they allowed us to tee off early to avoid several large groups.
As it was, it took us under four hours to play here,
and that's with waiting on every shot behind a very slow group until the Marshall let us play through on hole #7.
Wolfdancer will get you to pay a return call, it's that good.

There course is challenging cause of pin placement, but not a very good value for the money.

Good course although over priced. Pace of play is a little slow otherwise good experience.

Wolfdancer is a challenging and scenic resort course. The layout is demanding, with a premium on position placement of both tee shots and approaches. It makes great use of both Colorado river bottomlands and scenic bluffs. The greens run fast and true, requiring the golfer to stay on top of his putting stroke to avoid three putts. A well stroked and properly aligned putt will stay true. The fairways are in immaculate condition. The tees could use some work. The only serious maintenance issue is the condition of the traps--this may have been related to recent rains. I would highly recommend this venue for a family weekend--great golf, great entertainment for the kids, and an opportunity for long, scenic hikes and horseback rides