Member Club Spotlight: Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course
The charming town of Fredericksburg is one of the most popular getaway destinations in Texas. It’s easy to see why. Set in the heart of the scenic Hill Country, the tourist hotspot offers a wide variety of year-round things to see and do, including fine dining, shopping and entertainment, lively festivals, and touring local wineries, museums, gardens, and historical landmarks.
For outdoor enthusiasts, Fredericksburg has many options to explore nature from bat and bird watching excursions, bicycling and horseback riding, to hiking and rock climbing. Another popular way to enjoy an easy day relaxing in the sun? Spend it at Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course and play a round on one of the area’s top-ranked courses that offers a resort-like experience with local municipal prices.
The origins of the modern-day Lady Bird course date back to 1969, when a homespun 9-hole layout named Live Oak was built on the western edge of Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. Located just a few miles south of downtown Fredericksburg off State Highway 16, the modest little track provided a pleasant diversion for locals and visitors alike looking for a place to tee it up. In 1991, an additional nine holes were added to accommodate golfers looking for more variety and challenge.
As Fredericksburg continued to grow in popularity as a vacation destination, in the early 2010s city officials decided to upgrade and modernize the golf course to serve as a complement to the many new amenities and attractions that had been built in the area in recent years.
Under the direction of Texas-based architect Jeff Blume, the monthslong, multimillion-dollar renovation project began at the start of 2012 and touched on every aspect of the course. Fairways were reshaped and landing areas expanded, tees were lengthened and repositioned, and bunkers were moved and redesigned. Putting surfaces were rebuilt and recontoured and new features were incorporated into the surrounds, such as swales, hollows, and closely mown chipping areas. To improve playing conditions, fairways and tees were re-grassed with 419 Bermuda and the greens with Champion Ultradwarf Bermuda.
The revamped Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course is unquestionably more fun, diverse, and exciting. The selective clearing done during the remodel also opened the vistas of the property to better showcase the rolling topography and beautiful native areas of the surrounding countryside. Aiming to appeal to golfers at every level of play, the par-71 layout has six sets of tees ranging in length from 6,686 yards from the tips to 4,598 yards from the forward tees so everyone can find a yardage that best suits their ability.
In addition to the championship course, Lady Bird offers plenty of other first-class amenities, including an expansive driving range and practice area, a well-stocked pro shop, tasty food, and beverages at the Red Bird Grill, and a spacious indoor 1,660-square-foot banquet room that can accommodate up to 100 guests.
This spring would be a perfect time to visit Fredericksburg and the friendly staff at Lady Bird. And if any added incentive was needed to plan a trip to the Hill Country, Lady Bird will be the host site for a TGA Women’s Saturday Series event on May 20. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some fresh air, glorious sunshine, and a little friendly competition.
The format for the event is a two-person shamble over 18 holes and registration is open to all female amateur golfers with a certified World Handicap System Index®. The entry fee is $160 per team and includes green, cart and range fees, plus a tee gift, two drink tickets, and hors d’oeuvre following the round.
For more information about Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course, click here. For more information about the TGA Women’s Saturday Series event on May 20, click here.