Play the elements

As the winds whirl with
a chill in the air, tees,
greens and fairways are
seeing a lot less action. Which
is quite a shame considering
the wealth of opportunities
to play—and improve—all
around the Texas Hill Country,
despite the time of year.
Public course or private, on
the lake or nestled away in
the hills, there are plentiful
ways to get out and about
to enjoy some challenging
golf amid what is commonly
called winter here in Texas.
In this inaugural issue of
Opulence, we will briefly touch
on why Texas produces some
of the world’s top golfers.
As the ground and air heat
up once again in the coming
months, Opulence will deliver
an array of insights from golf
legends around the Hill Country
and more. From covering the
gorgeous courses surrounding
Lake Travis, to the numerous
sculpted pro-playing courses,
and the plethora of professional
golfers in the area, we
hope you will check back with
us every month for the best in
advice, gear, and interviews.
Mapping and measuring a
course are vital. Still, there is
no telling how the weather will
influence and alter strategies.
Golfing in the Hill Country is a
unique and peculiar endeavor,
as even in the middle of winter,
one day the temperature
might climb to 70 degrees
with not a cloud to obstruct
the sun’s rays and then drop
to the 40s with the wind slapping
around your one-ounce
ball the next day. Both are ideal
conditions to get out and play
golf, according to John Fields,
head coach of the University
of Texas Men’s Golf team.
“Austin has always been a
great place to play,” said Fields,
who has coached at UT and
lived in Austin for 12 years. “For
preparation purposes, Austin is
wonderful. That’s what I like; it
gives you a good basis to play
in all types of weather. Texas
as a whole is that way. We are
able to play on a year-round
basis, sometimes we have tough
conditions… . A lot of Texas
weather has to do with developing
so many great players.”
Leisure players might pick
up a new technique or two
by golfing in less-than-ideal
conditions, making them
ready for whatever a new day
on the links might bring.
Golf Digest rated Austin as
one of the best golfing cities in
the country, and the Hill Country
has exploded in the number
of golf courses available. Whereas
once not enough tee times
were available for everyone, now
the courses are outpacing the
golfers—not for long, though.
“When I first got here in the
‘90s, we were kind of under
built, and now we have a lot
of courses and not as many
golfers. You have all these different
levels,” Fields said. “It
continues to grow, no question,
(but) it’s slowed down a
little bit with the economy.”
Texas has seen many players
hone their skills on its rugged
terrain: Tom Kite (hometown:
McKinney), Ben Crenshaw (Austin),
Justin Leonard (Dallas),
Mark Brooks (Fort Worth), Ben
Hogan (Stephenville), John Byron
Nelson (Waxahachie) and Bill
Rogers (Waco), to name a few.
Fields credits the wealth of
talent in Texas to teeing off
through trying conditions.
“If you want to be a
good golfer, you got to
be prepared for all conditions,
and we welcome the
wind for sure,” Fields said.
So why not hop out for a quick
nine holes this month just to
enjoy the brisk, bustling air? Or
take up a weekend at one of
the many resorts around the
area to experience playing in,
and against, the elements.
New courses have sprouted
up surrounding Barton
Creek, Lake Travis, and really
all over the Hill Country.
“I don’t know that there’s a
bad course around. We are just so
lucky to have so many great ones
in this area,” an elated Fields said.
Wherever you decide to
tee off this winter, it’ll be
worth the drive.