Fazio Foothills

Review and Rating of Fazio Foothills in Austin

Fazio Foothills is one of four courses at the magnificent Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa. The Omni Resort and Fazio Foothills are consistently rated by most golf and resort magazines as the top resort and resort course in Texas.  The Dallas Morning News ranked Fazio Foothills as #26 in their 2019 list of the Best Golf Courses in Texas.  All four of the courses at the Omni Barton Creek are fantastic and some of the best in Texas.  Read Texas Outside's Reviews to learn more about each course:

• Coore Crenshaw
• Fazio Canyons
• Palmer Lakeside

In 2018 Fazio Foothills was included as a part of the $150 million renovation and improvements at Omni Barton Creek.  Some of the improvements made at  Fazio Foothills included:

• a new Pro Shop
• removal of over 1000 scrub trees
• redoing several greens
• renovation of all the bunkers
• a new irrigation system

The improvements were obvious – the greens were perfect, the bunkers were the best we've seen in years, the fairways were in excellent condition, and the course was a little more playable.  In addition to all of that, what makes a round of golf on Fazio Foothills fun and challenging includes:  beautiful scenery with panoramic views of the Austin hills dotted with some huge stunning homes, ponds and cascading waterfalls, split fairways, significant elevation changes, doglegs, contoured fairways and berms, natural hazards, blind shots, forced carries, and narrow approaches and challenging green complexes.  Thanks to all of that we added Fazio Foothills to Texas Outside's list of the Best Resort Courses in Texas.

Fazio Foothills has a reputation of being very challenging and we would agree – the tips can be a monster and the wind and elevation changes can be a huge factor on your score. However, if you can hit the ball straight and low if the wind is blowing, employ some good course management particularly on some of the approach shots and the split fairways, and avoid some of the risk-reward shots, then you will score well and have a very memorable and fun round.

Some of the holes that we found unique and really enjoyed included:

• #2 is a 377-yard par 4 with an uphill blind shot off the tee box, a tree splitting the fairway, a pond on the left, and a slightly raised green with a huge right bunker and smaller bunker next to it
• #5 is a fun 601-yard par 5 that includes a split fairway (the right side is elevated and wider but has a downhill shot to the green while the left side is tighter and riskier), a roller coaster ride to the fairway, and a creek and rock wall that crosses the fairway and guards the front of the green
• #9 made our list of the Most Scenic Holes in Texas
• #16 is a great 417-yard par 4 (#2 handicap hole) with an elevated tee shot and a challenging slight uphill approach shot across a creek with a waterfall to a small oval green with a rock garden in the back and the Resort as a backdrop
• #18 will make you want to come back and play Fazio Foothills again – a wide rolling fairway with a big pond off the left side than a very steep climb up and over a ravine to the green – all of the resort guests in the pools, restaurants, and Pavillion will be cheering your shot

The greens are about average size, gently rolling with some undulation, very true, and run at a great speed of around 10 to 11.  The majority of the greens are guarded by at least one bunker and several have little to no room for error

The Fazio Foothills fairways were in also excellent condition and the first cut was well maintained and very playable – miss that and you're most likely lost. The course is well maintained and beautifully landscaped.

The bunkers were perfect – soft, white, fluffy, deep sand with manageable faces.  The faces are steep but groomed and packed smooth, which means your ball may roll back to the middle of the bunker. 

You have to be a member or a resort guest to play any of the four Omni Barton Creek Resort courses.  The Omni has a very good stay and play package and the resort is fantastic.  Read our article about a 4-day visit to the Omni Barton Creek Resort and Spa.