The Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas — which includes four full-length golf courses — is re-opening in early May after undergoing a $150 million renovation. Included in the revamp are significant improvements to three of the courses.
Originally opened in 1987, the resort’s renovation added a second hotel tower with an additional 180 rooms, a new fitness center, and a 13,000 square foot spa with an adults-only pool.
Omni Hotels owns and operates 10 golf resorts, including Omni La Costa Resort & Spa near San Diego, which has hosted both PGA and LPGA events. Omni also recently signed a development deal with the PGA to operate a golf resort at the new $500 million PGA headquarters being built in Frisco, Texas, that will feature two championship courses and a short nine-hole course.
The Fazio Foothills course closed in April 2017 for its renovation, and reopened last June. Coore Crenshaw course then closed, and it reopened in December. The Fazio Canyons course renovation is set to be completed by the end of 2019. Fazio and Coore Crenshaw are handling the updates to their designs.
An Omni Barton Creek spokesperson said about $6 million of the renovation budget was invested into the three golf courses.
The fourth course, the Palmer Lakeside course — which is operated by the resort, but is 25 miles northwest of the main resort campus — has remained opened throughout the process. Designed by Arnold Palmer, Ed Seay and Robert Walker, this 6,400-yard Par 71 course opened in 1986.
The Coore Crenshaw Course (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw) measures 6,630 yards and also plays to a Par 71. It opened in 1991. The Fazio Canyons Course is the longest of the four at 7,153 yards. It and the Fazio Foothiils Course both play to a Par 72. Designed by Tom Fazio, Beau Welling, Roy Bechtol and Dennis Wise, it is also the newest of the courses, having opened in 1999. The Foothills course (Fazio and Bechtol) opened in 1986, and runs 7,125 yards.
On the grounds of the Fazio Canyons Course is the Barton Creek Golf Academy, a full-service instructional facility with everything from individualized sessions on a range or a variety of high-tech booths to sports psychology.