Pine Forest Golf Club Review

Texas Outside Rating: 8.8

Golf - Semi Private Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Bastrop
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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 for all skill levels  making for a very 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,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. 

When we first played Pine Forest each of the holes had 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 countryside 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.  We played in late April and right after the course had been aeriated making for a bumpy ride and sometimes a tough lie.  The back nine was in a little bit 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 challenging slope and undulation.  When we played they were in fair shape but 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 fair condition with some sand that was a little thin and gritty.  The lips on most of the bunkers are small and manageable.

Pine Forest Country Club is also home to an 18 hole AFGL certified FootGolf course.

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.

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 6,048 69.6 123
White 5,353 66.6 116
Gold 6,569 71.8 132
Red 4,797 67.9 116

Course Information

Course Architect:
Bill Martindale
Greens Type:
Bermuda
Greens Condition
7.0
Greens Difficulty
8.7
Fairway Condition
7.0
Bunker Condition
7.0
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Very Hilly
Beware of water on 8 holes and the 15 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
8.8 out of 10
Beauty:
8.8
Difficulty:
8.5
Variety:
9.5
Fun to Play:
10.0
Value:
9.0
Condition:
7.0
Front Nine Rating:
8.8
Back Nine Rating:
8.5
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FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $16.00 to $42.00

Service is friendly, the pro shop has all of the basics, and the practice facilities are adaquate. The grill serves breakfast and lunch - burgers, sandwiches, dogs, and more.

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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.