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White Bluff is centrally located about halfway between the DFW metroplex and Austin and 20 minutes west of Hillsboro - meaning it is easy to get to. White Bluff is a planned gated residential community with some beautiful homes, residential lots, plenty of amenities sitting on 3,450 acres with four miles of prime shoreline along beautiful Lake Whitney. The terrain is gently rolling and heavily treed with plenty of grazing and roaming deer. Within the gated community is White Bluff Resort, Spa, and Conference Center and two great golf courses - the Old Course and the New Course.
Golf Courses
White Bluff is home to two outstanding 18 hole golf courses, each of which has it's own unique personality and characteristics. But common to both White Bluff golf courses are excellent conditions, smooth greens, good service, an excellent pace of play, peace and solitude, and some fun, challenging, and memorable holes. White Bluff's Old Course was designed by Bruce Lietkze and opened in 1992 and it is generally regarded as the easier of the two courses but also has the most scenic and hardest nine. At 6,866 yards with a slope of 74.6 and rating of 138 from the tips, the Old Course is no walk in the park and it demands some strategic shot accuracy off the tee box as well as on the approach shots plus you'll encounter some dramatic elevation changes, water, strategically placed bunkers, and lots of deer. The good news is that although the deer carefully analyze each and every swing very closely, they don't critique your shots, heckle you, or giggle among themselves when you dribble your ball down the fairway. I wish my golf swing was as smooth and graceful as those deer.
The front nine of the Old Course is more traditional with tree lined fairways and gently rolling fairways. On this nine you can usually let 'er rip off the tee box - most of the fairways are resort wide and friendly and the rough is wide and playable - but if you spray it you're in the trees and natural areas. You'll also want to do what you can to avoid the bunkers. This is your warm up nine because the back nine is going to test most of your game.
The back nine of White Bluff's Old Course is fantastic - very scenic, challenging but fair, and fun with some very memorable holes. #12 is a good example of this nine - it's a very scenic 396 yard par four with a tee shot from an elevated tee box with a carry over a pond to a narrow uphill fairway with two strategically placed bunkers and then the second shot is all uphill to one of the toughest greens - odd shaped and severe downhill slope. And the next six holes offer some forced carries, plenty of water (including a cascading creek with waterfalls), elevation changes, risk reward opportunities, and challenging green complexes. You'll remember this hole and want to play it again. To learn more and see some additional pictures, read our review of the Old Course. If you're staying for the weekend, you may be tempted to play this 18 again - don't do it, head over to New Course and let it test you golf skills - you'll really enjoy it also. Better yet, White Bluff offers a fantastic stay and play packages, one of which includes unlimited golf at a very affordable price - sign up for that package and play both courses multiple times until you drop or a family member tug you by the ear back to the condo.
The New Course at White Bluff was also designed by Bruce Lietkze and opened in 1998. This 18 is almost 200 yards longer and with a slope of 144 and rating of 75.5 it is the more demanding of the two White Bluff golf courses. This 18 is more traditional and characterized by tighter flatter fairways tough and demanding approach shots for 150 yards and in, water on 16 holes, 30 huge bunkers, and smooth bent grass greens. The front nine is fun as the first couple holes wind through the trees and the next few open up and feel like a links style course, and then back into the trees. Like the Old Course, this nine is your warm up for the back.
The back nine of the New Course is really fun and very challenging. The 10th hole, a 411 yard par 4 that dog legs right around the pond, is an example of this nine - accuracy and positioning are critical off the tee thanks to a narrow fairway that is lined by a horseshoe shaped pond on the right and tall side by side berms and trees along the left side leading to the fairway. On #10 you'll have a good risk reward shot off the tee box to try and carry the pond to shorten your approach which also has to carry the lake to a well guarded green. And the next 17 will give you more of the same - elevation changes, lots of water, steep faced big bunkers, forced carries, and more. This is a very memorable nine holes that is demanding but fair. And the greens on both nines are excellent - smooth, good speed, true, hold well, and good sized. Read our review of White Bluff's New Course to learn more about why we love this 18.
The pro shops at both of the courses are very well stocked and some of everything that you need. Both courses have a range and putting green. Service is very friendly and with the Stay & Play packages the rates are a great value for the quality of the courses. The Old Course clubhouse has limited food (snacks and hot dogs) but the New Course has a very good restaurant serving appetizers, soups and salads, and a variety of lunch items from burgers to wraps. And the veranda is perfect for a cold drink after your round.
Or after your round you might consider heading over to the Spa to loosen up the muscles for your next round, release some of the kinks or frustration, or just treat yourself to a massage using the winnings from your round. The Spa offers a variety of services ranging from several massages to pedicures to facials and hair styling. The Spa is also home to a very complete fitness center with a variety of the latest cardio and weight training equipment - perfect to help you wear off all the calories from the good food at the White Bluff restaurants.
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A number of the condos that are in the White Bluff golf Stay & Play package have fully equipped kitchens if you're up for slaving over a hot stove or grill after a full day of golfing. If not, then head over to the Lighthouse Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They offer a wide variety of dinner entrees and specials at reasonable prices, not your typicall high resort prices. For example, when we had dinner on Saturday night the special was a pretty good New York Strip Steak with a salad, baked potatos, vegetables, and bread for $11.95. The Lighthouse Restaurant sits on a tall bluff overlooking Lake Whitney - so get there in time to sit on the veranda and enjoy the sunset or get a table near the window - it's majestic! |
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After dinner, there is a small bar and patio adjoining the restaurant. On the Saturday night we stayed at White Bluff, there was a two man band called Drunken Musicians that we really enjoyed.
In addition to two great golf courses, pretty good food, and a spa, one of the other reasons to pick White Bluff for a golf outing and stay and play is because they offer you a variety of very comfortable and reasonably priced accommodations to choose from:
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We stayed in a two bedroom condo and found it very clean (seemed almost new), well apointed, and eclectically decorated and it had everything we needed for a fun weekend. The beds were very comfortable, the refrigerator was full sized with an ice maker that worked, and coffee supplies were replaced each morning. Regardless of where you stay, you'll have less than a 5 minute drive to get to the restaurants, spa, or either one of the golf courses. The advantage is you can choose is be close to the main pool and restaurant or stay next door to the driving range or overlook one of the golf holes. When you use one of the golf packages, the combo of golf and lodging are reasonably priced and very affordable for an enjoyable weekend.
Another one of the reasons to stay and play at White Bluff is because of all the other amenities that you can enjoy before or after your round of golf. White Bluff got it's name from the beautiful white limestone cliffs and bluffs along the shoreline of Lake Whitney. The lake is perfect for any type of water recreation - fishing is excellent for catfish and bass, the north west end of the lake is the Brazos river and it's excellent for boarding, skiing or tubing; and there are several small coves that are great for dropping an anchor and swimming. White Bluff has over miles of shoreline on Lake Whitney which is good for walking the shoreline, skipping rocks, or casting a line to catch a dinner. Read our review of Lake Whitney to learn more. If you have a boat, at the marina is a two lane boat ramp and ample trailer parking, a gas dock, and overnight boat slips. If you don't have a boat, you should consider renting one from the White Bluff Marina - they offer 19' and 20' pontoon boats that are excellent for exploring the lake, a fishing trip, or just getting out on this beautiful lake for a few hours. The Marina is in a small protected cove and a short walk up the hill is a ship store with gas pumps, ice, beer, snacks, bait, and more. |
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White Bluff can also make arrangements for a fishing guide to pick you up at the marina and take you fishing for a few hours - these guys have been fishing the lake for years and know where the big ones are waiting for you. They will provide all the gear and bait and help you catch enough fish to feed friends and family for a week. White Bluff can also make arrangements to take you out on the lake for a sunset cruise - doesn't get much prettier than watching the sun set over the lake!
Some of the other amenities besides the Spa and Fitness Center you'll find:
For reunions, social events, weddings, or corporate events, the White Bluff Conference Center has everything you need for a small to medium sized meeting or event. And they will provide all the services and catering to make it a memorable event.
Bottom line - if you're a golfer, want a fun weekend escape, or need to host a special event, then White Bluff is an excellent choice and provides good friendly service, two top notch golf courses, a beautiful lake to explore, good food, a variety of excellent and comfortable accommodations, and affordable and reasonable prices.
