Comanche Trace - The Valley Nine Review

Comanche Trace - The Valley Nine Review

Review of Comanche Trace Valley Course

Comanche Trace is home to three fantastic nine hole layouts all within the 1300 acres of the upscale Comanche Trace golf community just a few miles south of Kerrville.  Comanche Trace was voted the "#1 Private Course in the Texas Hill Country"  by Golf Digest.  Each of the nines has it's own unique characteristics and personality:

• The Creeks, designed by Jay and Carter Morrish, is the newest and hardest of  the nines and is characterized by the meandering creek that twists and turns along and across seven of the fairways - read our review of The Creeks to learn more
• The Valley Nine at Comanche Trace was designed by Tom Kite along with Roy Bechtol and Randy Russell and opened in 1999 and it plays in the valley and as such it is the most open and flattest of the nines
• The Hills was part of the original 18 that opened in 1999 and as you would expect it leverages the beautiful Hill Country with plenty of elevation changes and rolling terrain and it is regarded as the easiest of the nines - here is a link to the review of The Hills

Common to all three nines are excellent conditions, challenging Bent grass greens, beautiful scenery and views of the surrounding Hill Country, lots of fun and challenging holes, great service, and an upscale clubhouse.  Everything is very well maintained and manicured from the tee boxes to the pin.  . 

Tom Kite along with Roy Bechtol and Randy Russell designed the original 18 which was the Hills and the Valley nines.  The Valley nine starts off  with a big "WOW" - elevated terraced tee boxes offer a fantastic view of the valley and the surrounding Hill Country and a 390 yard shot to a green guarded by a large bunker and a large pond on the left and trees on the right.  The rest of the holes play through the valley with some huge beautiful homes, clear blue lakes, white sand bunkers, and natural areas.  This nine, when compared to the Creeks, is more traditional and straightforward.  The fairways are more open and forgiving and several holes have a links feel to them and the greens seem a little easier. 

That said, there are still several fun and very demanding holes that are a blast to play, for example:

• #3 is a challenging 204 yard par 3 with a carry over a pond to a sloping green guarded by 4 bunkers
• #4, a 523 yard par 5, requires two precise shots to nail the green and miss the trees and stay out of the natural areas and pond
• #5 has a fairway that is split by a tree and pond and forces you to choice which side to take off the tee box - either side may result in a very tough approach shot
• #6 is the #2 handicap hole that demands a very accurate approach shot to a green well protected by water, mounds, and trees 
• you'll want to play #9 again - #1 handicap 447 yard par 4 with a sloping and rolling fairway that heads uphill through a minefield of 11 big bunkers to the green

The fairways were in near perfect condition and in most cases are wide and forgiving.  You'll need to manage the contour and mounding and avoid the trees and bunkers.  If you really spray the ball, you'll be lost in the natural areas.  Some beautiful big homes are dot the rolling hillsides.

The greens on Comanche Trace's Valley nine are large, well guarded, and challenging thanks to tiers, slope, and undulation.  They hold the ball very well, run true if you can figure out the breaks, and are fast at around 11 or so. When we played they were in near perfect condition.

The white sand bunkers need to be avoided.  They range in size from average to huge and some are very steep and deep.  The good news is that the sand is soft and fluffy.  The rough around the bunkers is thick and deep and may be worse than landing in the bunker. 

The Valley nine at Comanche Trace is challenging but don't let that discourage you from playing it - pick the right set of tee boxes (there are six to choose from) and play conservative and you'll have a blast on this scenic and unique nine.  Esthetically, Comanche Trace is a very eye pleasing course - you drive up a long hill to a beautiful clubhouse perched on the top of a hill with 360 degree panoramic views, the cascading creeks and ponds are clear blue water, and the contrast of the natural areas, white sand bunkers, and green fairways is stunning.  Comanche Trace is a private club but Reciprocal play as well Stay & Play is allowed.

The slope and rating are based on playing the Creeks and Valley nine which is the hardest combo of nines by a stroke or two.