Fazio Canyons Course

Review & Rating of Barton Creek's Fazio Canyons Golf Course in Austin

Omni Resort Barton Creek sets the standard for excellence in resort amenities, service, and golf courses in Texas with four excellent golf courses. The two Fazio designed courses – Fazio Canyons and Fazio Foothills – are consistently rated as two of the best courses in Texas.  Golf Digest and Golf Magazine rate Fazio Foothills and Fazio Canyons among the best in the United States. Golf Magazine listed both Fazio courses as the only two Texas courses in its "Top 100 You Can Play" and also as #1 and #2 in its "Best Public Courses in Texas"   In 2019 the Dallas Morning News ranked Fazio Canyons #63 in the Best Texas Courses list. To learn more about Fazio Foothills, read our review of Fazio Foothills.  You should also find time to play the Coore Crenshaw Course and Palmer Lakeside at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa

Both courses are a tribute to the game of golf and to the rugged beauty of the Austin Hill Country. The Canyons course, in particular, leverages the scenic beauty of the Hill Country as it winds through the canyon and up and down some beautiful hills and around a wildlife sanctuary – so it's just you and nature and that elusive par. The rugged terrain provides some elevated tee boxes and greens, plenty of natural hazards, and scenic beauty. The limestone-rock hillsides feature prickly-pear cacti, aged pink-skinned Madrone trees, Spanish oaks, red oaks, junipers and sycamore trees on the 210 acres.  Short Springs Branch, a beautiful limestone bed creek with several cascading waterfalls meanders throughout the course and awaits stray balls.

The Canyons course is one of the best maintained and manicured courses in Texas. Each time we have played Fazio Canyons, the greens, fairways, and tee boxes have been in very good condition, the rough has been perfectly trimmed, the bunkers are in great condition, and the colorful landscaping is very well maintained. 

From the tips, Fazio Canyons will give your game a good test – with a slope of 144 and a rating of 74.4 you'll need your "A" game to score well.  You might consider moving up a tee box or two – you'll enjoy the course more and have a much more relaxing and memorable round.   The front nine has more of a resort feel to it and is more traditional and straightforward and a little easier.  The fairways are ample and the greens are large and flat to gently sloping.  

That's not to say the front is a walk in the park – tee shots are critical, bunkers can cause problems, and approach shots need to be accurate.  You'll encounter some elevation changes, thick rough, uphill shots, risk-reward opportunities, and some very good holes, like:

• #5 a very scenic 596-yard par five with a drive from an elevated tee box to a landing zone guarded by two large bunkers and a sharp dogleg left to a well-protected (7 bunkers within a 100 yards of the green) two-tier green
• #7 is a fantastic 543-yard par 5 with an extreme downhill shot with a creek and ravine cutting across the fairway requiring long hitters to keep the driver in the bag and an uphill climb to an elevated green protected by 4 more treacherous bunkers – club selection and accuracy are critical to par this beauty
• #9 is the #1 handicap and a very scenic and long (457 yard) uphill par 4 with a cascading creek running the length of the fairway

The front gets you warmed up for the back nine which we consider one of the best nines in Texas and well-deserving of all the accolades that Fazio Canyons has received over the years.  You'll encounter stunning Hill Country scenery including some huge mansions tucked into the hillsides, cascading creeks, dramatic elevation changes, blind shots, some risk-reward opportunities, ravines, forced carries, and some very fun and challenging holes. 

Every hole on the back nine is unique and different, fun to play, and throws something at you to keep you on your game.  For example,

• #10 kicks it off with a 442 yard sharp dogleg right that offers a really good risk-reward opportunity if you want to try and fly the trees or huge heart-shaped bunker to make the hole shorter and give you an easier approach shot over a creek with several waterfalls to a well-protected green – the rest of us can try to avoid the bunker and creek by taking the longer but safer approach up the left side of the fairway
• #14 is a fun "z" fairway from an elevated tee box and uphill to a green requiring an accurate approach to avoid the bunkers on the right side of the green
• #18 is one of the best finishing holes in Texas – a 561-yard big downhiller off the tee box with three huge fairway bunkers, and a creek that cuts across the fairway twice

What makes this course very fun and enjoyable is the scenic beauty and serenity; variety with no two holes playing or looking the same as the previous hole; immaculate conditions; a limited amount of play; and the challenge – all-in-all a near-perfect place to play golf. The Canyons offers a very intriguing layout with lots of character and personality. You'll start to feel lonely as you get into your round – it's quiet and peaceful except for the sound of the cascading creeks and waterfalls.  No holes are side-by-side and no homes line the fairways – there are some huge, and I mean huge, homes on some of the hillsides.

You do need to play with a member or be a guest of the Omni Resort to play the course. It's pricey, but who cares, you only live once so add The Fazio Canyons to your list of must plays. Omni Resort has an excellent stay and play package which is the best way to enjoy the resort and some excellent golf – check it out and call and make a reservation.

Accuracy is critical off the tee box, the fairways are ample but the rough is thick and if you miss it you'll need to reload.  When we played the rolling and sloping fairways, greens, and bunkers were in very good condition. 

The bunkers are fairly typical for a Fazio design – large, all shapes and sizes, and steep faced.  They are steep but the edges are firm and the ball will most likely roll back to the middle of the bunker – no fried eggs here.  And most of them are guarding the greens.  The sand is heavy and a tad thin and there are plans to redo the bunkers next year. 

The Fazio Canyon greens are large (29 to 50 yards deep) and much tougher on the back nine thanks to some severe slope, more undulation, and some tiers.  They are very true, held the ball well, and were pretty fast – about a 10 on the Stimpmeter.  A couple had some damage around the fringe but it didn't impact the putting.  This course puts a premium on the approach shots and several holes have little room for error.

To learn more about the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, read our article about a 4-day visit to the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa and why we loved the beautiful pool, luxury accommodations, 5 dining options, luxury spa, and playing the four outstanding golf courses.

Fazio Canyons has an excellent practice facility (driving range, putting green and a short game area with three practice greens with bunkers) and is also home to the Barton Creek Golf Academy.

Bottom line – this is a must-play course but is only available for play for members and Omni Resort guests.  The Resort does have a variety of very good Stay & Play options.