Early Look at Austin Country Club (Match Play course)

[Jackrabbit Hog]

Austin Country Club was designed in the late 1970s by Ty Webb, who was a golf prodigy as a child but ultimately turned to golf course design after being kicked out of college for night putting.  Webb called in two of his assistants to create the green complexes at ACC, Perry Mason and Maxwell Smart.  The green complexes are known worldwide as the best test of putting anywhere.

ACC is a par 72 nestled in the area just southeast of the Texas hill country.  Features of the course that give it a unique feel include water on every hole, rock traps as opposed to sand traps, three windmills, two clowns mouths and a partridge in a pear tree. 

ACC will provide a true test for the top PGA pros this week, who are used to being babied on courses like Oakmont and Southern Hills.  To win at ACC, one must be able to shape his ball left to right, right to left, up to down, and down to up...sometimes all at the same time.  Fairways are bermuda, rough is crabgrass, and the greens are a hybrid that is a cross of Kentucky bluegrass, featherbed bent, and California sinsemilla.  The outward 9 is comprised of five par 4s, two par 3s, and a par 10.  The inward 9 is just one long par 36.

The winners list from major tournaments played at ACC reads like a veritable Hall of Fame.  Robert Garrigus has won them all.

Of ACC, the following tour pros have made the following comments:

Fred Couples:  "I'm not sure about the course, but I did have drinks afterward with Willie Nelson.  We got drunk and smoked week all night.  So yes, I'll be back."

Jordan Spieth:  "It's the truest test of golf we will see this year.  I will have to have at least five pair of pants in my bag because I know I'll crap my pants at least a few times during the round."

Rory McIlroy:  "I like the fact that the coolers on every tee are filled with Guinness.  Helps me with my frame of mind during the round."

Jason Day:  "Aye mate!  Throw another shrimp on the barby!"

Bubba Watson:  "......(sobbing noises)......"

Robert Garrigus:   "Thank God it's not a Perry Maxwell design.  That inbred hick never knew what he was doing."


Tee time's tomorrow morning.  Should be a treat.