Texas Outside review of Wolfdancer Golf Club

Wolfdancer Golf Club - Hyatt Regency Lost Pines

Texas Outside Rating: 8.6

18 Holes - Golf - Resort
Bastrop, TX
512 308-4770
Website

Date Played: December 16, 2006
Front Nine Rating: 8.5 Stars
Back Nine Rating: 9.5 Stars
Approximate Weekend Price Range: $89.00 to $165.00
Brief Description:
Paying tribute to the Tonkawa Native American Indians of Central Texas who celebrated life through their wolf dance, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa has named this outstanding course Wolfdancer Golf Club. This very scenic course takes advantage of the natural terrain and beauty as it traverses three distinct terrains - rolling prairie, heavily wooded ridgeline, and the Colorado River valley.

The first 12 holes are on the ridgeline and rolling prairie with majestic views for miles of the surrounding country side. One of the prettiest and most challenging holes in Texas is number 12 which is a par three along the top of the ridge with 180 degree views looking down on the remainder of the course, the Colorado River, the entire resort area, and far into the distant horizon. The remaining holes are along the Colorado River in the river valley which is heavily landscaped with old, broad-canopied oak, cedar, and pecan trees.

For such a new course it appears very mature and the rolling fairways are in excellent shape. Most of the fairways are fairly wide and the approach shots can be challenging. There are lots of randomly scattered steep faced bunkers just waiting for your ball - including the 15 foot deep "Big Mouth". The greens are large, undulating, and in very good condition. Wolfdancer gives you a little bit of everything - dogs, blind shots, rolling fairways, elevation changes, plenty of bunkers (one hole has 15), water, panoramic views, and more. Course management and club selection are key to scoring well. Forecaddies are required before twilight and they can help with strategy and yardage. The price is steep at $145 but the twilight rate makes this course a great bargain.

To accompany this outstanding course is a 21,000 square foot clubhouse with a grill (Major Neighbors) and well equipped pro shop. Make sure you stop in for breakfast or lunch at Major Neighbors Grill. After your round, tell the bartender your score and that is the price of your first cold beer.

Wolfdancer is part of the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines which we rated 5 stars and it is a marvelous place to stay for outdoor enthusiasts - read our review here. We played Wolfdancer in December and the fairways were dormant and the leaves had fallen - I can only image how beautiful this course would be in the summer. You can see some pictures at the Hyatt's site.

Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard Rating

The Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this: links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses!
Texas Outside rates courses on the following:

Beauty – tall trees, rolling hills, beautiful houses, waterfalls, and similar stuff would score high; a 1 would be flat, bushes or cactus instead of trees, and some grass but mostly weeds

Difficulty – a straight, 300 yard par 4 with no traps or hazards, no out of bounds or water would probably get a 1; if it is a 460 yard par 4 over two ravines, with water along one side, natural hazards on the other, strategically placed traps or that dreaded tree right in the middle of the fairway, we are talking a 10.

Variety – what would you give a course where all the holes looked and played exactly the same (“I thought we just played that hole!”); were side-by-side, which is good for finding or dodging other people’s balls, but not much fun; and you can see the flag from every tee box? That’s right, it gets a 1.

Fun Scale – a 10 is where you walk off the course and say “now that was fun” and you can’t wait to get back, or you immediately turn around and play another 18 holes

Value – a 5 is $50 to $60, a 10 is $20 to $30, and 1 is $200 or so – of course all of this is dependent upon how you liked the course. For example, if a run down, boring municipal course, with six players on each hole was only $10; it would still get a value rating of 1.

Condition – this one’s pretty easy – what condition are the fairways. A 10 commands very lush perfectly manicured fairways, compared to a 1, which has fire ants, weeds, and more dirt than grass!

Condition of Greens and Difficulty – very hard to read greens with lots of undulation and tough pin placement, rate very high on the difficulty scale. Condition is self-explanatory.

All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course. In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40. We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.