Sonesta Bee Cave

A test if the wind is blowing over 15 mph. Greens were very slow considering the over seeded back in early November. The signature hole 17th green is in bad, bad shape. Not really worth the rake rate posted by any means. I feel sorry for the members there. Other public courses in Austin have better playing conditions for a third of the cost... Just saying... Would not recommend given the slowness of the greens right now.

Played from the tips, this is a tall drink o water! Not for the faint of game ...
greens are in need of some attention. good value with Golfnow discount

- classic layout
-well maintained
- playable for all handicaps
- tricky greens

I actually thought twice to myself: "This course may be worth staying in Austin." That may have been a little overboard, but I had that great of an experience.

I found the course forgiving while still quite challenging. After great shots, I walked to my ball with my chest out and chin high. But even with the errant shots, I often found my ball in a better situation or lie than I had thought. An errant shot here doesn't necessarily put you in instant double-bogey territory like Avery Ranch will.

The tough greens really counter the pristine fairways. Other than one lie on hardpan in an area under a tree, my lie were all well-manicured; fairway lies were all pristine. The greens, however, are evil; there were a lot of 3-putts in our foursome, which included two members. One quipped "I've played here over 300 times, and still can't figure these out". They are slow, but this course would be impossibly tough if they were much faster.

But the staff stole the show. Upon check-in, I was asked I had played there before to which I replied "nope". I got a quick tour, was introduced to some members, then led to the first tee by the starter. At the first box, the starter then introduced me to more members and the marshalls. Each staff member I encountered gave the service I've only seen at the $50k membership country clubs. Perfect example:
I first saw the cart girl on #6 (early morning start). I asked for a sandwich, she said she doesn't carry them but I can grab one at the turn. The turn comes around and we're in a rush to #10, so I don't get my sandwich. She stops at the 10th green and asks about my sandwich, to which I answer "didn't have time to stop". She catches up to us off the 11th tee box with a sandwich made up with all the fixins, which I didn't request (but so craved). How's that for service? I had decided to rate the course 4 stars (more on that next) until this.

The one con:
The scorecards are temporary and there are no hole maps/visualizations to be found. Very tough to play a course blind AND "blind". I understand this is being rectified after the front/back swap, but that makes it tough right now. Luckily, the course didn't have a single unseen hazard so I fared well.

Overall:
Beautiful course in top shape
The staff is the star of the show

...and I hear they have FANTASTIC membership rates. I'm painfully jealous of those who live in proximity

Falconhead is quickly tirning into a 6 hour round of golf course on the weekends. It is a great course, but I have started play the last to times around 2PM and was not able to finsh the 18 by dark. The staff seems to accept it which is the sad thing. They have told us on both occaisions that we should expect to wait 5-10 minutes on every tee because of something that has happened earlier. I will likely look elsewhere for weekend play!

The course wasn't in good condition the day I played. The greens were not smooth and were very slow. For a premium course, my expectation was that it include range balls and GPS.

Wonderful course, except this is the first time in all my years playing here that I can truly say the greens were horrible slow.

First time playing Falconhead. Good layout with a variety of doglegs and elevation. We played the whites so not long except into a strong wind.
Pace was slow due to a tournament so teed off @ 2:30 and finished in the dark at 7:30.
Very good practice range/putting facilities.
Staff in the pro shop and the restaurant was very friendly.
I will be playing this course again in the future.

This is one of my favorite courses in the area. Designed by the PGA it is a PGATour Signature Course and offers a tournament level quality of play. The conditions are always immaculate. The GolfNow prices are very reasonable, especially the Hotdeals. Falconhead is a challenging course with plenty of elevation change, making distance control paramount. The fairways are gorgeous and you will be rewarded for hitting them. Miss them and you will be tested. Find the native and be prepared to grab another ball. Greens are fairly large to give you a chance for GIRs, but your flat stick better be working. These greens can be very fast on a dry day but roll incredibly true. Hit the right line with the proper speed and birdies will be had.

A full service bar and proshop operated by capable and friendly personel will keep you lubricated and properly outfitted. The starter and marshall crew will get you out on time and keep a steady pace of play of roughly 4 hours.

Possibly the only knock and can say about this course is the inability to use a driver on the ironically named driving range. But if youre like me, you hate to waste good swings on the range anyway.

In short, do not miss an opportunity to get out on this beautiful course cut into the hill country terrain. You are sure to fall in love as I have.

Nice course. Lots of nice views. We were lucky to play with regulars, which was very helpful, as its hilly with blind shots and not always clear where to hit your ball. This considerably sped up our play. The arrival was a little wierd. There's a sign for a bag drop, but then no stand or anyone to direct you.

Falconhead is a great course that has not been taken care of and is known as the "tournament course"...they seem to have a tournament every day, which means the course is really beaten up...the day we were there they rushed us around the course for another tournament and made my guests feel we had made the wrong decision picking Falconhead...in general the staff at Falconhead is great...whatever the special in the clubhouse - you should order it - Falconhead has a great kitchen and kitchen staff...

With Texas Hill country vistas this rolling, open and challenging course has deep bunkers raised greens. The signature hole the #17 is worth the wait. This course is not a water course but you will not miss those types of holes with only the 17th a direct challenge. All other holes effectively use flag placement, raised greens and deep bunkers with several very unusual bunker layouts in the fairways.

Really enjoyed playing this course for my first time. Nice facility with a pleasant and helpful staff. The tee box variety allows a broad range of skill levels to play. Course was well-maintained and had a nice layout.

This was my first time playing this course and I will definetly be back. The staff is great and the course is kept in superb condition.

Course always seems to be in great shape when I play it. Cost on weekend mornings without GolfNow discount is high. Definitely good value with GolfNow.
Homesites are mostly set back and do not intrude on course.
Holes 16 and 17 are most appealing, with 16 being a great risk/reward hole.

this is one of the best courses in austin. the 17th is a great hole. there really isn't much else that needs to be said. it's definitely worth treating yourself to the higher price point for this great course.

I'll always remember this course as it was my first. I'd been running a local golf tournament for a half-dozen years before finally taking up the game myself. With just a few group lessons under my belt I was able to get onto one of the teams in my tourney and this happened to be the course we played that year. I subsequently hit my first house on #11 (I believe).

As for the course, it's been in fine shape every time I've played the course. It has it's fair share of challenges and a bit of elevation changes to work with being on the west side of Austin on the edge of the Hill Country.

If it's in your budget, then I'd certainly recommend you play it.