Forest Creek Golf Club

Review of Forest Creek Golf Club in Round Rock

Designed by Dick Phelps and opened in 1984, Forest Creek is a somewhat traditional tree lined course with rolling fairways, pristine greens, an abundance of native foliage, some very fun holes that require some strategic play, good conditions and challenging greens, and reasonable rates for such a quality course. It's not surprising that Forest Creek was named as "Best Public Golf Course in Central Texas" by Golf Digest and it also made Texas Outside's list of the Best Austin Area Golf Courses!

The City of Round Rock took over ownership of Forest Creek Golf Club in 2018 and invested over $5 million in improvements and renovations, some of which included:

• new golf carts with a great GPS (Bluetooth, touch screen, pace of play, and more)
• rebuilding of the greens, putting green, and chipping green
• renovation of the driving range to include new tee area, regrading of the range, target greens, bunkers, and LED lighting for night time practice
• improved drainage in low lying areas and installation of a new irrigation system
• reconstruction of all bunkers unisng the Better Billy Bunker method

The City also hired Kemper Sports (one of the best golf course management companies) to manage the course and staff. 

We loved the front nine because each hole is a little different from the previous holes, the fairways are lined by trees on one side and beautiful homes on the other side, the terrain is rolling and contoured, and you need to deploy some good course management and strategic shot-making to turn in a good round.  Plus Forest Creek's front nine is home to some really fun holes like:

• #3 is a 552-yard par 5 with a slight downhill tee shot leading to  a green guarded by a left side bunker, 2 right side bunkers and water off the back side – there are also 5 bunkers in the fairway you need to avoid
• #7 is a blast – a 537-yard par 5 dog leg left where off the tee it's easy to overshoot the fairway and end up in the trees; a second shot that needs to carry a creek and avoid a huge sprawling oak in the middle of the fairway that covers most of both sides of the fairway; and an approach to a green off to the right guarded by 4 good sized bunkers
• #9 is a challenging 405-yard par 4 that takes a sharp dog leg left – your drive needs to be perfect to not overrun the fairway and to give you a good angle at the approach shot which needs to miss  two ponds that pinch the fairway that leads up a big hill to the green – and halfway up the hill trees on both sides narrow your approach shot and the steep fairway slope can take your ball back down into or near the water

Most of the holes on the front require accuracy off the tee as well as some strategic shot making to avoid hazards and position your ball for the next shot.  The driver will most likely enjoy a stay in your bag!  You'll also encounter some excellent risk-reward opportunities.

The back nine seems easier and a more forgiving – on the first three holes the fairways are huge and you can pull out the big dog and let-er-rip.  But this nine is no walk in the park: you'll find dog legs, creeks to cross, an intimidating 200-yard par 3 with a carry over the lake to a big green with 3 bunkers, some demanding green complexes, plenty of bunkers, and a really fun 16th hole.  Our two favorite holes on this nine include:

• #15 is a long 474-yard par 4 with a slight downhill tee shot, two bunkers at the end of the fairway where it takes a sharp dog leg right, and a pond on the right front of the green waiting for your approach shot
• #16 is a fun 539-yard par 5 that takes a right turn in front of two big bunkers (a good risk-reward shot to fly the trees to shorten the hole) – trees on the left and right side of the fairway make for a challenging approach shot to the oblong green with a ridge across the middle

The fairways at Forest Creek Golf Club are lined with trees on one side and some big beautiful homes that can come into play on the other side. The fairways are rolling with some uphill and downhill shots (including a couple blind shots) and they are heavily contoured with some mounding and plenty of strategically placed bunkers. When we played the fairways were in good condition and firm providing some good extra roll. 

The greens at Forest Creek are huge and a wide variety of shapes.  All have some degree of slope ranging from gentle to severe, several have spines or ridges or tiers and mounds, and all but two are guarded by one to three bunkers.  When we played the greens were running very fast and pin placement made putting very challenging – three putts were fairly common.  The good news was we found it fairly easy to get on the green in regulation. 

The bunkers range from some steep and deep pot bunkers to some large nasty monsters!  The sand was perfect and a joy to hit from.  They were well manicured.

The rough was very dense and thick and ball eating when we played – they were letting to grow in preparation for an upcoming tournament.  Normally, the rough is playable.

Bottom line – very good conditions, a great rate, and a fantastic 18 holes that requires some good putting and excellent course management skill to score well.  The second time you play the course, you'll find it a little easier.