In Austin there are unique golf courses and places worth saving for

At dusk, as the patio lights came on and the post-dinner crowd arrived, things got interesting at Butler Pitch & Putt. And as I nursed my IPA on a warm spring evening in downtown Austin, I sat at a picnic table near the first tee and watched a few groups tee off. First, a young couple – in ripped jeans and T-shirts – took to the blocks. The young lady – split grip, hunched posture, up and down like a yo-yo – took six swings (I counted) to make contact. Her companion then took a vicious lunge and shot one straight left across the railroad tracks into Never-Never Land. I ordered another one. Austin’s golf scene grew on me.

The long and storied history of golf in Texas hardly needs an introduction. So I won’t give that. But Austin – think Dallas with tattoos and a nose ring – is cut from a different cloth. It’s a bit ‘weird’ there. And most Austinites seem to like it that way. (“Keep Austin Weird” is a slogan the city wears with pride.)

The atmosphere in the city center, everything is allowed, everyone is welcome at Butler is undoubtedly the ultimate example. This is a place, now 75 years old, where golfers in miniskirts, tank tops and pumps with funky patterns are a better fit than country clubbers in pleated pants and collared golf shirts. “No shoes, no tee time, no problem” is the official mantra of the place. Some would argue – and I would be in that camp – that golf needs places like Butler. It’s just in a class of its own. Without this, thousands of Austinites would never have learned or been introduced to the game.

But no matter how hip and ‘ungolfy’ Butler is, make no mistake: it is a golf course. There’s a clubhouse (your closet might be bigger), food and drinks (craft beer in the clubhouse and a Gimme Burger food truck outside in the courtyard), and nine quirky holes that range in length from 61 to 101 yards. No golf clubs or golf balls at your disposal? No problem. They also rent clubs and balls for a dollar. (An extra ball or two might come in handy. The railway lines and Lee Barton Drive are quite close.)

Of course, as cool and quirky as it is, Butler isn’t the only golf lifeline for downtown Austinites. Located just west of downtown, Lion’s Municipal Golf Course is another local institution with legendary status. And its pedigree, its history, as an irreplaceable “treasure” in downtown Austin, is just as compelling. Unfortunately, his status – hence the ongoing ‘Save Muny’ campaign – is in jeopardy.

Built in 1924, Lion’s Municipal (everyone calls it simply “Muny”) is a blue-collar municipal golf course where legends like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite learned the game and honed their craft. Many other notable players – Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and local teaching legend Harvey Penick come to mind – were regulars.

It’s true that Lion’s won’t wow you with timeless Golden Age architecture (BF Rowe is credited as the original architect, but AW Tillighast modified it in 1936), a royal clubhouse or phenomenal turf conditions. But there is an aura, a status in the community, that puts Muny in a rarefied atmosphere.

“Muny does over 70,000 rounds a year,” said Scotty Sayers, who, along with Ben Crenshaw, co-chairs The Muny Conservancy initiative launched several years ago to stay the course. “Our mission is to preserve, restore and protect this iconic trail. If it were to disappear, it would leave a tremendous void in the community.”

Although complicated, Muny’s precarious position is due in large part to future expansions, infrastructure issues, and so on that could trouble the current landowner, the University of Texas. The city of Austin operates the course, but leases the land from the university. And it has been that way since 1937.

However, the ‘Save Muny’ campaign is gaining traction and hopes remain high that the course will be saved. In addition to Crenshaw, perhaps Muny’s biggest advocate, many other PGA Tour players, celebrities, musicians and personalities are helping the cause. Jordan Spieth, musicians Willie and Lukas Nelson and actor Luke Wilson are just three examples. (A bill was recently passed to move the dissolution date to May 2027.)

Angela Garcia, an Austinite and the wife of Sergio Garcia, also sits on Save Muny’s board of directors. And the Garcias (Sergio occasionally shows up unannounced at Muny and joins a group of junior golfers) have been strong advocates for years.

“Muny is not just a golf course,” says Angela Garcia. “It’s a way of life. The golf course serves as an after-school and weekend home for hundreds of junior golfers in Austin. It’s where more than a dozen middle and high school golf teams practice every day. There are a lot of kids who wouldn’t be able to play golf if Muny didn’t exist.”

Garcia, who met Sergio during her reporting stint at Golf Channel, also has a strong personal bond with Muny. Garcia, a former player on the UT golf team, played and practiced regularly at Muny in the mid-2000s. “The giant heritage oak trees at Muny are really impressive and one of my favorite aspects of the course,” says Garcia. “These are some of the most beautiful trees you will ever see. If we don’t save Muny, we will lose a cherished place in our community that children will enjoy and use as a sanctuary for generations to come.”

Fittingly, Muny was also the first golf course in the South to desegregate in 1950. It is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role as a civil rights landmark. It became a place where all people, regardless of color, religion or culture, could play golf.

And for the record: there’s nothing ‘weird’ about that.

Where else to play

If you’re looking for the ultimate two-step destination in Texas, two of the state’s resorts have landed in GOLF’s Top 100 Resorts in the World. There is Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa (20 minutes west of downtown Austin) and Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa (30 minutes north of Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport). Both offer luxurious accommodations, award-winning golf courses, exceptional dining, world-class spa experiences and more. View the December promotions here. And for more golf in the Austin area, check out Lost Pines Golf Club east of town, the Golf Club at Star Ranch north of town, Kissing Tree Golf Club south and, about an hour west, a handful of courses Horseshoe Bay Resort.

While you’re there

Austin is also known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” with numerous festivals throughout the year and live music venues downtown. And thanks to Austin’s cultural diversity and spirit of creativity and artistic expression, it’s not just country music. Jazz, folk, blues, hip hop, indie, punk; You name it, it’s alive and well in Austin. Click here for more information.