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Live Oak - Hill Course reviews
11
0
Oh Hill Yes! 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jan 9, 2019
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
The Live Oak Hill Course is another highly replayable Houck-designed gem focusing variety and difficulty into a stellar 18 plus one layout. Like Mr. Houck's other designs of the post-Selah era, the Hill Course is a master class in maximizing the available land to create the best possible product. Placement golf is a must, and players who reach for driver off the tee every time will find themselves in a world of hurt. With holes ranging from 192 to 912 feet from the longs, there's enough variety here to keep the player fully engaged, even if they're guessing about what's around the corner. There are hyzer holes. There are anhyzer holes. There are holes that play up a hill. There are holes that play down a hill. There are holes that do both. There are ace runs. There are punishing grinds. There are open holes. There are wooded holes. There are par 3's. There are par 4's. There are par 5's. You'll have to utilize your entire bag of tricks to score well here, and you'll have a great time doing it.
The real treasure of these holes comes when they start to get away from you. Doubling down on mental mistakes can cause your score to light up like a pinball machine, and effective scrambling is an absolute must on the wooded holes in particular. Sensible pitch outs and cut rollers will come in handy.
The Hill Course feels a bit more difficult than the standard Houck design, aiming more for the advanced/open player. The two par 5's (Holes 10 & 16) have real teeth, each requiring the player to hit two surprisingly small landing zones to set up a birdie look. Rec-level players like myself can seemingly only hope to control the damage, as I've walked away relieved with a double bogey on more than one occasion.
If the generalizations weren't enough to sway you, here's some highlights: Hole 2 is a downhill control shot that asks the player to sneak just under the live oak ceiling to a downward-sloping green that's difficult to stick. If you're a RHBH player, you'll want to hit your anny line perfectly...or else - a giant cactus patch dominates the left boundary of the fairway. Hole 15 is a borderline-cruel exercise in midrange control down a narrow fairway bordered by thick brush on either side. The green is elevated just enough to leave it short if you find yourself on tricky footing, or if you didn't net enough distance on the previous shot. Hole 18 is a beautiful uphill drive to one of two tiers in the side of the incline. Long arms that can get to the summit in one will have to dial the power back for a delicate upshot to a green that's well downhill and tighter than you might think.
Hole 19 is less of a part of the course and more like a tiebreaker hole to settle bets among friends. Some may dislike its tacked-on feeling, but I enjoy both the opportunity to get a stroke back after being lashed by the closing stretch and the idea of a little ace run to determine the day's champion. It's a social addition to a highly individual, mentally challenging course, and I dig it.
Most holes play to DISCatchers in good repair (see below). Long pads are concrete with top-notch HouckDesign tee signs.
The real treasure of these holes comes when they start to get away from you. Doubling down on mental mistakes can cause your score to light up like a pinball machine, and effective scrambling is an absolute must on the wooded holes in particular. Sensible pitch outs and cut rollers will come in handy.
The Hill Course feels a bit more difficult than the standard Houck design, aiming more for the advanced/open player. The two par 5's (Holes 10 & 16) have real teeth, each requiring the player to hit two surprisingly small landing zones to set up a birdie look. Rec-level players like myself can seemingly only hope to control the damage, as I've walked away relieved with a double bogey on more than one occasion.
If the generalizations weren't enough to sway you, here's some highlights: Hole 2 is a downhill control shot that asks the player to sneak just under the live oak ceiling to a downward-sloping green that's difficult to stick. If you're a RHBH player, you'll want to hit your anny line perfectly...or else - a giant cactus patch dominates the left boundary of the fairway. Hole 15 is a borderline-cruel exercise in midrange control down a narrow fairway bordered by thick brush on either side. The green is elevated just enough to leave it short if you find yourself on tricky footing, or if you didn't net enough distance on the previous shot. Hole 18 is a beautiful uphill drive to one of two tiers in the side of the incline. Long arms that can get to the summit in one will have to dial the power back for a delicate upshot to a green that's well downhill and tighter than you might think.
Hole 19 is less of a part of the course and more like a tiebreaker hole to settle bets among friends. Some may dislike its tacked-on feeling, but I enjoy both the opportunity to get a stroke back after being lashed by the closing stretch and the idea of a little ace run to determine the day's champion. It's a social addition to a highly individual, mentally challenging course, and I dig it.
Most holes play to DISCatchers in good repair (see below). Long pads are concrete with top-notch HouckDesign tee signs.
Cons:
Only the long pads are concrete, as the shorts are natural and marked only by a wooden post. Tee signs are only at the longs.
For reasons unknown, a small handful of baskets on the back of the course are missing their inner chains. Although not a deal breaker, it's still bizarre to go from modern, full-strength DISCatchers to throwback-style DISCatchers.
The routing isn't entirely intuitive, but the signage is excellent. First timers should be able to navigate without issue, and the second time through is a breeze.
Most of the course isn't a whole lot to look at, but the Hole 1 and (especially) Hole 18 bookends are pretty attractive for a park course.
For reasons unknown, a small handful of baskets on the back of the course are missing their inner chains. Although not a deal breaker, it's still bizarre to go from modern, full-strength DISCatchers to throwback-style DISCatchers.
The routing isn't entirely intuitive, but the signage is excellent. First timers should be able to navigate without issue, and the second time through is a breeze.
Most of the course isn't a whole lot to look at, but the Hole 1 and (especially) Hole 18 bookends are pretty attractive for a park course.
Other Thoughts:
It's not quite Harmony Bends, but this is as good as a mortal park course gets. Definitely add this one to your travel plans if you're in the San Antonio/Austin region.
Although I can't speak to it myself, maintenance may be a point of concern here. The Hill Course requires a lot less upkeep than the adjoining Lake Course, but there is evidence that a lack of routine care negatively affects the latter. The City of Live Oak has something special on their hands with these two routings, and it would be a shame for them to suffer due to negligence.
Although I can't speak to it myself, maintenance may be a point of concern here. The Hill Course requires a lot less upkeep than the adjoining Lake Course, but there is evidence that a lack of routine care negatively affects the latter. The City of Live Oak has something special on their hands with these two routings, and it would be a shame for them to suffer due to negligence.
