Golf Icon and Course Designer Jack Nicklaus Inaugurates Summit Rock

Course is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course to open in the U.S. this year

SEE ALSO: Photos from the inauguration.

(HORSESHOE BAY, TEXAS) – Summit Rock, the brand new, exclusive golf and lake community in Horseshoe Bay, celebrated the grand opening of its Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course with course designer Jack Nicklaus Oct. 30. Nearly 300 members and guests of Horseshoe Bay Resort enjoyed a private luncheon and a candid Q&A with “The Golden Bear” before Nicklaus hit the ceremonial first tee, played select holes, and offered his insight into the design of the course.

“The Hill Country, as a whole, is beautiful and creates opportunities for unique and interesting golf course designs,” Nicklaus said. “You have a lot of natural features in the Hill Country that allow you to just place quality golf in there and I think we did that with Summit Rock. If you look at all the courses we have done in the Hill Country, the properties are fairly rolling, with an abundance of rock features and outcroppings, little ravines, and a lot of gorgeous, mature trees. You have all of these features at Summit Rock, along with nearby LBJ Lake and beautiful vistas.”

The Summit Rock Golf Community sits on 1,600 acres of gentle, oak-studded hills with scenic views of Lake LBJ and the Hill Country terrain. The centerpiece of the community, Summit Rock Golf Course, is a members-only, 18-hole, par-72 course designed to have a more natural, rugged look while providing challenging holes that are enjoyable for players of all skill levels. The layout plays between 6,500 and 6,600 yards for the average player or 7,200 yards from the back tees for the more accomplished player; the course rating is 76.0 with a slope rating of 145. The Bermuda fairways have generous landing areas, but also highlight the property’s numerous elevation changes, with many lined and framed by mature trees. Bent grass greens provide a challenging mix of tiers, flowing long slopes, and bowls. The course, which features 50 strategically positioned bunkers, is high on shot values, along with risk-reward holes. A comprehensive practice facility with a driving range, and putting and chipping greens, allow members to work on all aspects of their game.

Once completed, other community amenities will include The Summit House (golf clubhouse), a recreational lake, comfort stations, walking and jogging trails and The Summit Rock Organic Farm and Apiary, which provides fruit, vegetables and wildflower honey to the community. The most notable amenity, however, will be The Smokehouse—a dining venue with an open-air pergola and a large screened-in porch. Upon completion, The Smokehouse will also include comfortable indoor dining areas, congenial outdoor gathering places, fireplaces and fire pits to warm chilly Hill Country evenings and a distinctive menu featuring succulent, smoke-cured meats and fish.

Summit Rock is the newest jewel in the crown of our golf course at Horseshoe Bay Resort and we’re excited the legendary Jack Nicklaus was able to come out and christen the course he designed for us,” Horseshoe Bay Resort CEO Douglas Jaffe III said. “Nicklaus Design is widely recognized as the world’s leading golf course design firm. Having the Nicklaus name behind a golf course enhances its value tremendously and that value will only increase over time.”

There is arguably no name more synonymous with greatness in golf than Jack Nicklaus. His competitive career spanned five decades, including 120 professional tournament victories worldwide and a record 18 professional major championship titles. But Nicklaus’ legacy as the Golfer of the Century is being rivaled by his reputation as one of the world’s most sought-after course designers. His design firm Nicklaus Design, the privately owned company of the Nicklaus family, is considered the world leader in golf course design, with 376 courses open for play in 36 countries and 39 states. Of those, Jack Nicklaus has been involved in the design of close to 290 courses worldwide. At least 70 Nicklaus Design courses have been ranked in various national or international Top-100 lists, and through 2012, at least 95 Nicklaus courses have hosted a combined total of more than 650 professional tournaments worldwide or significant national amateur championships. Nicklaus Design currently has courses under construction or under development in 20 different countries.

For any media inquiries regarding the Grand Opening of Summit Rock, please contact Emily Wells by phone at 210.826.8899 or email .

SEE ALSO: Photos from the inauguration.

Summit Rock

Location: Part of the Horseshoe Bay Resort family of golf courses, Summit Rock is a private, members-only course located near constant-level Lake LBJ, approximately 45 miles from Austin in the…

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