Played The Bandit on a sunny warm Wednesday morning at 11AM on 12/9/15. Course was not crowded and we were slotted behind a twosome of locals with no one in front of them, so we expected to be off and... Continue »

Played The Bandit on a sunny warm Wednesday morning at 11AM on 12/9/15. Course was not crowded and we were slotted behind a twosome of locals with no one in front of them, so we expected to be off and going. But these locals played very slowly and the front nine really backed up behind them until we played thru on #11, then sprinted to the finish in a total of 3.5 hr.

This is a very fun course with a wide variety of holes on rolling terrain above the Guadalupe River. There’s a surprising amount of elevation changes with downhill holes, many elevated tees, some very perched greens, and everything breaks toward the creek lining the property. Many holes have creeks or drainages that must be crossed, several holes border large lakes on the course, and there’s lots of red stakes around. But hitting areas are ample on all holes, although repeated plays are beneficial in showing the proper angles to approach the greens and which side of the fairways work best. There’s also lots of sand in play throughout the course, in the angle of doglegs and around greens. With elevation changes, wind direction, and creek crossings, many holes are better played with a 3-wood instead of a driver, leaving longer approaches but avoiding sand and hazard disasters.

Conditions throughout the course were very good, despite several years of drought in central Texas, followed the last few months by biblical rain. Greens were firm and a dormant Bermuda that was a dark gray color, but held shots and rolled well at medium-fast speed. Good lies in the fairways, and rough could be cut short or shaggy and difficult if the ball sat down. Tees were level and generally pretty shaggy, but some were cut shorter and very good. Sand, while heavy and fairly damp, was very playable both along fairways and around greens.

The last hole, a dogleg par 5 reachable for longer hitters, presents some tough options. A solid drive downhill at a target bunker in the middle of the fairway leaves you with 240 to the green. But it’s off a downhill lie, over a creek to an elevated plateau green with sand and hazard along the left and trees/deep grass to the right. After that good drive you can hit 2 9-irons; or you can lay up to the left fairway leaving 90 yards over the creek, but the deep narrow green is perpendicular to your approach; or you can try to stuff a 3-wood up onto the front right corner and take your chances. A deep swale in the front left of the green leaves a steeply uphill pitch from heavy grass. Long over the green catches the cart path and the ball runs away into that creek. Good luck on choosing the right approach for your card! Recommended.