Pine Forest Golf Club Review

Pine Forest Golf Club Review

Review of Pine Forest Golf Club - Bastrop

Wow, what a fun and unique course that has holes running along the Colorado River and up into the hills with lots of ups and downs and some very interesting holes - all at a very reasonable rate!!!

Pine Forest Golf Club was "created by God and designed by Billy Martindale" and opened in 1979.  Some of what we think makes this a fantastic course includes:

• holes that play up and down the hills and across the canyons offering some surprising elevation changes as well as scenic vistas
• each hole is a little different than the previous hole and all are fun to play
• the course throws a little bit of everything at you - uphill and downhill shots, dog legs left and right, forced carries, blind shots, some risk reward opportunities, tight rolling fairways, and small undulating greens
• some short holes where long hitters can get on or close to the green from the tee box
• 4 tee boxes and yardages of 4797 to 6569 make the course golfer friendly and all skill levels should have an enjoyable round

The front nine was our favorite with the most interesting holes but the back nine is also fun with some great holes and 3 par 5s and 3 par 3s.  The dramatic elevation changes, lots of uphill and downhill shots, and dog legs force you to think about most shots and excellent club selection as well as some shot making skills are needed to score well. 

Each of the holes has a name which does a good job of describing what you can expect, for example:

• The Post Card - a 170 yard par 3 with a huge elevated tee shot to a small postage stamp sized green - a beautiful hole would make a perfect post card to send to make your neighbors jealous
• Across the Pond - a fun 357 yard par 4 with a carry across a pond to a fairway that takes a sharp turn left and up a big hill to a green guarded by a nasty bunker in front
• Razors Edge - from the back tees you'll face a very intimidating carry over a pond to an uphill fairway that turns left to a small green with no room for error thanks to a steep drop off around more than half of the green - a fantastic view of the surrounding country side from the green
• Down We Go - a 180 par 3 with a dramatic drop from elevated tee boxes to a green guarded by a front side bunker as well as a creek crossing in front of it

All of the above is the good news and make Pine Forest Golf Club a unique and fun layout and a must play.  The bad news is that the conditions are not the best.  Granted, we played in late January when the course was dormant and the previous summer had limited rain and all of Texas was suffering from a severe drought.  The fairways were dry and had lots of bare dirt spots, the front nine greens had some damage, and the rough also had bare spots.  The back nine was in better shape. 

The greens at Pine Forest Golf Club can be challenging - most are much smaller than average, most are ovals, some are raised, a few are guarded by steep drop offs or bunkers, and most have some slope and undulation.  They run true but a little slow and bumpy. 

Most of the fairways are a tad tight and if you really spray it you'll be lost in the pine forest, in a back yard, or riding down the Colorado River toward the Gulf of Mexico.  Some of the fairways have some surprising slope toward trouble. 

There aren't a lot of bunkers and they seemed fairly easy to avoid.  The bunkers were in pretty good condition with some sand that was a little thin and gritty.  The lips on most of the bunkers are small and manageable. 

Bottom Line - a really fun course with excellent variety, lots of stuff to keep you on your game, scenic vistas, dramatic elevation changes, great rates, and some very fun holes.