Resort Report: Horseshoe Bay Resort by Dakota Diaz

RESORT REPORT

Horseshoe Bay Resort Reopens to Guests in Scenic Texas Hill Country Setting

$100 Million in Recent Golf, Hotel, Restaurant, Clubhouse Upgrades on Full Display

HORSESHOE BAY, TX – As summer beckons and families seek normalcy and a respite from the challenges we’re collectively facing, Texas’ renowned Horseshoe Bay Resort is once again making its freshly-renovated open-air retreat available to travelers. The resort officially re-opened Friday, May 29 in accordance with Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order on re-opening businesses across Texas and with new and modified procedures in place for cleanliness, safety and social distancing.

The preferred drive-to destination for discerning Texas travelers for nearly half a century, Horseshoe Bay shines brighter than ever after a full-scale $100 million renovation that includes four re-energized golf courses, completely upgraded guest rooms, expanded conference space, a reimagined luxury spa, and brand-new restaurant concepts in the hotel tower, yacht club and Whitewater entertainment complex. Soon, the Central Texas resort’s expansive $100+ million renovation project will culminate with the opening of the spectacularly redesigned Cap Rock clubhouse in the coming months.

“We’re proud to have done our part to help ‘flatten the curve’ during Shelter-in-Place protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and we’ve spent valuable time putting new procedures and health measures in place to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our present and future guests,” says managing director Bryan Woodward. “We look forward to guests experiencing the wonderful upgrades we’ve made all across this expansive resort property on the beautiful shores of Lake LBJ. From the volume of calls and e-mails we’ve been getting, it sounds like travelers are ready to be here, too. Our golf courses are in tremendous condition and our staff has gone to great lengths to ensure a fun, safe and enjoyable golfing experience for every member and guest.”

Guests and golfers who haven’t been to the AAA-Four Diamondand Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Award-winning Horseshoe Bay Resort will notice a fresh decor and improved amenities and infrastructure at every turn, but the same wide-open spaces and incomparable Texas Hill Country setting. As the resort phases in occupancy levels, certain amenities will have selective or limited access and well-defined social distancing regulations in place.

Golf at Horseshoe Bay Resort

All three of Horseshoe Bay’s Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designs now showcase updates. A classic Central Texas Hill Country golf experience, the scenic Apple Rock course has fresh, artful touches that include new Bentgrass greens, larger greens, plenty of renovated and scaled-down bunkers, reshaped and leveled tee boxes, improved irrigation, and additional stone retaining walls along water hazards to improve aesthetics. Golf Digest’s “Best New Resort Course” in 1986 retains some of the most picturesque views in Texas.

Meanwhile, Slick Rock -- the first of the resort’s Jones layouts to open-- underwent similar renovations, and the acclaimed Ram Rock was restored to match Jones’ original vision with enlarged greens, re-contoured and smaller bunkers, and significantly more playability.

Summit Rock, Horseshoe Bay’s members-only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, now has improved bunkers that drain more efficiently and look more aesthetically pleasing. Fabric liners in all of the bunkers were replaced with capillary concrete liners -- a superior, state-of-the-art substructure that enhances the playing experience. A unique 50/50 blend of sand— half that arrives by train from California and half from

a local source in San Antonio— give Summit Rock an enhanced look plus improved playability.

“This capital infusion has really embraced all of the touchpoints that a guest or consumer will experience,” says Anthony Holder, the resort’s PGA Director of Golf. “We focused on the places guests and members spend (most of) their time out on the course to elevate the golfing experience and highlight the property’s incredible natural features and views.”

These moves will surely bolster the reputation of all four courses. Just this past year, Horseshoe Bay Resort was named to GOLF Magazine’s 2019 Top 100 Resorts in North America list and given the Editors’ Choice Award by Golf Digest as one of the “Best Golf Resorts in the Southwest.”

Hotel Lobby and J’s Restaurant And Bar

As part of a significant renovation to Horseshoe Bay Resort’s 249-room Tower Hotel first floor and lobby is the reimagining of its popular firstfloor restaurant as an authentic Texas barbeque smokehouse. Dubbed “The Baddest Barbeque in Hill Country,” J’s Restaurant and Bar offers guests refined Texas barbeque and authentic Hill Country cuisine, featuring slowcooked fare from the renowned Bad Donkey Barbeque. J’s Bar is an ideal spot to gather for happy hour or a postday drink, while J’s Patio offers al fresco dining overlooking the Tower Pool. For a period of time, J’s and the resort’s other restaurants will have well-defined and clearly-communicated measures in place for carry-out service, social distance and guest safety.

Another major lobby upgrade: The entire arrival experience has been improved. The front desk area has been revamped to convey a more welcoming, open floor plan. “In this open-air concept, our associates checking guests in can have the opportunity to mingle with guests from an appropriate distance,” says Woodward.

In the coming months, Cap Rock, the shared clubhouse facility for both the Apple Rock and Ram Rock courses, will unveil a finely appointed indoor meeting pavilion and golf shop, along with a luxury swim park and Pool Pavilion with cabanas.

“We’re thrilled for our members and guests, and for our ownership who had the vision to make Horseshoe Bay Resort one of the most unforgettable golf destinations in the country,” says general manager Bryan Woodward. “To be on this side of this major resort renovation means the world, when they’re ready, can see what a uniquelyrewarding and complete experience can be found here. Everything golf travelers are looking for is here in an inimitable tropically-inspired Texas Hill Country setting. There’s really nothing like it in the country.”

Call 877-611-0112 or visit https:// www.hsbresort.com/golf/golf-packages to book your adventure at one of the most thrilling resort destinations in the Southwest. Visit www.hsbresort.com for more information.

About Horseshoe Bay Resort

Horseshoe Bay Resort is one of the largest golf resorts in the country and is the original Texas lakeside resort destination. It is located 45 minutes from Austin on over 7,000 picturesque acres of the Texas Hill Country and along the spectacular shores of constant-level Lake LBJ. The AAA Four Diamond resort is the only waterfront resort in Texas and is part of the Crescent Hotels & Resorts management company’s distinguished Latitudes lifestyle hotels and resorts division. It features four championship golf courses designed by World Golf Hall of Fame members Robert Trent Jones Sr, and Jack Nicklaus, as well as the exciting 18-hole natural grass Whitewater Putting Course.

Horseshoe Bay Resort has invested $100+ million in a property-wide renovation and new construction. The work included new guest rooms, suites, and multi-room units, as well as renovation of the golf courses and facilities, dining experiences, meeting spaces, and more. The resort also features a world-class spa and health club, tennis facilities with 14 courts, bike rentals, hiking trails, lake activities with a full-service lake marina and boat valet service, nearby wineries and a private airport. For more information and reservations visit www.hsbresort. com or call 877-611-0112.