TRAVEL: Escape Now to Texas’ Horseshoe Bay Resort

While I wouldn’t suggest traveling to certain parts of the country, like New York City, people are starting to get stir crazy and, presuming the curve continues to flatten, ready to plan for taking a vacation to just escape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Horseshoe Bay Resort (@hsbresort) on Jan 17, 2020 at 9:42am PST

Horseshoe Bay Resort, a lakefront destination located merely 45 minutes from Austin (TX), is gearing up to reopen its freshly-renovated open-air retreat available to travelers. Indeed, after officially re-opening Friday, May 29th in accordance with Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order, Horseshoe Bay has already developed and introduced new and modified procedures to observe cleanliness, safety and social distancing requirements, such as 50% occupancy in common spaces (e.g., restaurants and hotel), preventative measures to prevent overcrowding in any particular area and daily staff health checks to ensure that Horseshoe Bay continues to remain COVID infection-free for both its guests and staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Horseshoe Bay Resort (@hsbresort) on Jan 29, 2020 at 6:41pm PST

As of the date hereof, Horseshoe Bay has completed several aspects of its full-scale $100 million renovation, starting with a major lobby upgrade and continuing to its 4 re-energized golf courses, completely upgraded guest rooms, expanded conference space, a reimagined luxury spa, and brand-new restaurant concepts in the hotel tower, yacht club and Whitewater entertainment complex and culminating in the coming months with the opening of the spectacularly redesigned Cap Rock clubhouse.

“We’re proud to have done our part to help ‘flatten the curve’ during Shelter-in-Place protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and we’ve spent valuable time putting new procedures and health measures in place to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our present and future guests,” says managing director Bryan Woodward. “We look forward to guests experiencing the wonderful upgrades we’ve made all across this expansive resort property on the beautiful shores of Lake LBJ. From the volume of calls and e-mails we’ve been getting, it sounds like travelers are ready to be here, too. Our golf courses are in tremendous condition and our staff has gone to great lengths to ensure a fun, safe and enjoyable golfing experience for every member and guest.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Horseshoe Bay Resort (@hsbresort) on Nov 5, 2019 at 2:54pm PST

Since golf is a priority for everyone here, allow me to highlight each of Horseshoe Bay’s golf courses, 3 of which are Robert Trent Jones Sr. designs that have become known as the “Texas Triangle”.

Starting with the scenic Apple Rock course, which provides a classic Central Texas Hill Country golf experience, the artful changes include new Bentgrass greens, larger greens, plenty of renovated and scaled-down bunkers, re-shaped and leveled tee boxes, improved irrigation, and additional stone retaining walls along water hazards to improve aesthetics. Named Golf Digest’s “Best New Resort Course” in 1986, the Apple Rock course retains some of the most picturesque views in Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Horseshoe Bay Resort (@hsbresort) on Jun 4, 2019 at 3:16pm PDT

Continuing with the Slick Rock—the first of the resort’s Jones layouts to open—underwent similar renovations, and the acclaimed Ram Rock was restored to match Jones’ original vision with enlarged greens, re-contoured and smaller bunkers, and significantly more playability.

The fourth and final course, Summit Rock, is Horseshoe Bay’s members-only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, which now features improved bunkers that drain more efficiently and look more aesthetically pleasing. And to help make sure the bunkers play even better than they look, a unique 50/50 blend of sand—½ that arrives by train from California and ½ from a local source in San Antonio—provide a unique appearance and distinct playability.

“This capital infusion has really embraced all of the touchpoints that a guest or consumer will experience,” says Anthony Holder, the resort’s PGA Director of Golf. “We focused on the places guests and members spend (most of) their time out on the course to elevate the golfing experience and highlight the property’s incredible natural features and views.”

It’s also worth noting that these courses have exceeded their descriptions, as Horseshoe Bay Resort’s resorts have amassed several accolades, including being named to GOLF Magazine’s “2019 Top 100 Resorts in North America” list and the Editors’ Choice Award by Golf Digest as one of the “Best Golf Resorts in the Southwest”, in addition to being regulars among Texas’ Top 100 Courses, with Ram Rock being named a Top 10 in the State.

In regard to the golf course, Horseshoe Bay has implemented touch-free pin flags and a single-rider per cart policy, the latter of which isn’t a big deal in light of the fact that there are 4 courses, each with their own fleet of carts, that can be redistributed as necessary.

And if you’re looking for something more casual in between your rounds, don’t miss the exciting 18-hole natural grass Whitewater Putting Course

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hozel Rocket 🚀 (@hozel_rocket) on Jun 9, 2020 at 7:51am PDT

To make sure any non-golfing significant others, family members and friend aren’t left out, Horseshoe Bay also features a world-class spa and health club, tennis facilities with 14 courts, bike rentals, hiking trails, lake activities with a full-service lake marina and boat valet service, and even a few nearby wineries.

And since it wouldn’t be a trip to Texas without some BBQ, one of the other significant renovations made to Horseshoe Bay Resort’s 249-room Tower Hotel first floor and lobby is the reimagining of its popular first-floor restaurant as an authentic Texas barbeque smokehouse. Dubbed “The Baddest Barbeque in Hill Country”, J’s Restaurant and Bar offers guests refined Texas barbeque and authentic Hill Country cuisine, featuring slow-cooked fare from the renowned Bad Donkey Barbeque.

“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,” says general manager Bryan Woodward. “To be on this side of this major resort renovation means the world, when they’re ready, can see what a uniquely-rewarding and complete experience can be found here. Everything golf travelers are looking for is here in an inimitable tropically-inspired Texas Hill Country setting. There’s really nothing like it in the country.”

Hopefully, this is the first of many large-scale re-openings in the golf and vacation industries, signaling that normal life (albeit, with some reasonable safety precautions) is approaching. Indeed, Governor Abbott recently announced that Texas is approved to enter phase 3 (of 4) of its re-opening plan, with hopes to enter phase 4 by the end of summer.

And on that note, all I need to do now is set aside some time, book my flights and make my way to Horseshoe Bay for some much needed rest, relaxation and golf far, far away from the NY hustle and bustle.

Cover Image Via Instagram