Apple Rock’s renovations included the installation of 007 Bentgrass greens, expanding green sizes by as much as 50 percent on many holes, renovating bunkers, re-shaping and leveling tee-boxes, improved irrigation, as well as adding stone retaining walls along water hazards to improve aesthetics. Cap Rock clubhouse village will open at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas’ Hill Country later this year, as will a swim park and pool pavilion.
The 18-hole Apple Rock course at Horseshoe Bay Resort re-opened this past week, signaling the completion of the resort’s three-year restoration of all three of its Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designs.
Apple Rock’s renovations included the installation of 007 Bentgrass greens, expanding green sizes by as much as 50 percent on many holes, renovating (and scaling down many) bunkers, re-shaping and leveling tee-boxes, improved irrigation, as well as adding stone retaining walls along water hazards to improve aesthetics.
“Our members and resort guests are now enjoying improved playability and conditions on an already-exceptional design and routing,” says Director of Golf Anthony Holder. “Apple Rock has so many scenic Hill Country views and fits so perfectly into that hilly landscape. With these refinements and these luxurious Bentgrass greens, the course has never been more beautiful.”
In 2016, Slick Rock, the oldest of Horseshoe Bay Resort’s three Robert Trent Jones, Sr. layouts (built in 1971) underwent similar renovations and in 2017, the acclaimed and challenging Ram Rock course (which opened in 1981) was restored to match Jones’ original vision. On Ram Rock, to improve playability, the greens were enlarged and re-contoured and dozens of bunkers were reduced in size. The result is a more enjoyable course from the forward tees and still an impressively-strategic set-up for skilled golfers.
Similarly, the greens on Apple Rock’s 6,999-yard, par-72 layout have been made larger and more playable and, according to Director of Agronomy Ken Gorzycki, each surface now has more options for quality pin placements.
“We’re excited to have this incredible, heat-tolerant and high-performing 007 Bentgrass on all four golf courses now [the Jack Nicklaus Signature course, Summit Rock was the first of Horseshoe Bay Resort’s courses to add 007 Bentgrass when it was built in 2010 and has functioned extremely well there and on the Slick Rock and Ram Rock courses], Gorzycki said. “The feedback has been tremendous and with Apple Rock’s larger, more receptive greens and greatly-improved irrigation in place, it’s going to be one of the most pleasing courses in the Texas Hill Country.”
Gorzycki’s team worked in concert with Robert Trent Jones II’s design team, led by senior project architect Mark Voss, to maintain the integrity of the original design while making the most of the layout’s naturally hilly features.
“I think golfers are going to get to use their creativity more coming into and around the greens,” Voss said. “The enjoyability factor on Apple Rock is higher than ever.”
Apple Rock’s bunkers now feature a firmer, lighter-in-color sand that Holder says will be more playable while creating an attractive visual contrast against the emerald fairways.
“With these improved aesthetics and the amazing natural elevation changes and the views of the Hill Country and Lake LBJ, it’s hard to imagine a better setting for golf in Texas,” he added.
The brand-new, boldly-designed Cap Rock clubhouse village will open at Horseshoe Bay Resort later this year with a state-of-the-art, 3,360-sq.-ft. structure housing dining, locker rooms, meeting spaces and terraces overlooking views of the Texas Hill Country and Lake LBJ. The resort is also home to the 18-hole Whitewater Putting Course and the exclusive, private Summit Rock course.
An indoor meeting pavilion and golf shop servicing the Ram Rock and Apple Rock courses are now open with a swim park and Pool Pavilion scheduled to debut in August. Each building in this complex is designed in a rich stone aesthetic that is being called “Hill Country Modern” and makes use of both the indoor and outdoor spaces to maximize enjoyment and the expansive vistas.
“We’re thrilled for our members and guests, and for our ownership who had the vision to make Horseshoe Bay Resort one of the most unforgettable golf destinations in the country,” said General Manager Bryan Woodward. “To be on the ‘fun’ side of this $90-million-dollar resort renovation means that we’re ready for the world to see what a uniquely-rewarding and ‘complete’ experience can be found here. Everything golf travelers are looking for is presented here in an inimitable tropically-inspired Texas Hill Country setting. There’s really nothing like it in the country.”
The initial rounds on the renovated Apple Rock course were open exclusively to members and now resort guests can reserve tee times.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.