Golf Utopia

Review of Golf Utopia

Golf Utopia is a short nine hole course on the outskirts of Utopia – the definition of utopia is "an ideal and perfect place or state where everyone lives in harmony and everything is for the best" .  The course was carved out of some flat to gently rolling farmland and opened for play in 2001.  In fact, during your round you'll see ancient farm equipment, horses, cows, and beautiful peaks and rolling hills of some of the most scenic hill country in Texas.  

It's not easy to find Utopia, but somehow Hollywood found it and in August, 2010 a crew moved in to start filming the movie "Seven Days in Utopia" starring Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Melissa Leo. The story revolves around a young pro golfer (Lucas Black) who has a major meltdown in a tour tournament and ends up in Utopia where he meets seasoned pro, Robert Duvall who helps him improve his golf game as well as his life. The Golf Utopia course is where is where Lucas "finds his game."  The pro shop is filled with some of the movie and book memorabilia. 

Some of what makes playing Golf Utopia fun is:

• knowing that you've played where Robert Duval stared in a movie
• reading some interesting and inspiring quotes from the 7 Days in Utopia book at each of the tee boxes – for example, "… confidence is supreme in golf," "focus on your checklist – see it, feel it, trust it"
• enjoying the scenery and peace and quiet
• trying to find your game like Lucas did and walk into the clubhouse after your round with a good score

Most of the nine holes are fairly straightforward and traditional and you can typically see the flag and any potential trouble from the pin.  Some of the holes that we liked included:

• #2 is a 450 yard par four with a sharp dogleg right and on the second shot you may be tempted to try and fly the Waresville Cemetery to stuff it on the green – miss and you're in with some other golfers resting in peace
• #3 offers another risk reward opportunity to try and shorten the hole and maybe even go for the green on this sharp 90 degree dog leg left 405 yard par 4 with a natural sand area if you miss and a very demanding approach shot to a green with tall reeds and water around three fourths of it
• #9 has a little bit of everything – a long natural sand area, slight uphill shot to the green, 503 yards from the tips, a small pond and cascading creek, and a green set slightly off to the left – but the fairway is one of the widest off the tee so bring out the big dog and let 'er rip

The fairways are generally a little tight thanks to trees and you'll even find some trees that will split the fairway or block your approach to the green.  When we played Golf Utopia in late September the fairways were in very bad condition – patchy spots of grass, a variety of weeds, and dirt.  It was hard to tell the fairway from the rough or the cow pasture.  The cart paths ranged from none to crushed stone to dirt trails.

The greens at Golf Utopia are a variety of shapes and sizes and most are small to average.  When we played, which was just after a rain storm, they were bumpy and a tad slow and in fair condition.  Most are fairly flat but you'll encounter some contour, slope, and a couple of the greens are slightly raised.

There are only a couple of bunkers and they are more like long natural sand areas with firm thin sand and no lip. 

If you happen to be in the area, Golf Utopia is worth stopping in for a round of golf and some inspiring quotes from the book.