Real estate
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Great Hills Country Club tackling $22M golf course, facility renovations
Diving in deeper
What else?
Looking ahead
In addition to the irrigation system, some of the other golf course projects include a short-game practice area, bunker renovations and an improved driving range with covered bays. The country club is also set to renovate other facilities as part of its 2030 Master Plan. Some of the improvements include updates to its clubhouse and racket sports areas. These renovations are in the nal stages of development and have all been approved by club members as required by the club’s bylaws, Schoelkopf said. “Those aren’t as rm as the plan on the golf course, but we have ongoing meetings to deter- mine both exactly what we’re going to do and what the timeline is,” Schoelkopf said. The idea is for the clubhouse renovations to begin this summer and wrap up before the golf course renovations begin, Gist said. The racket sports facility upgrades would follow later in the overall project timeline, as completing
The golf course renovations are slated to begin this October. Holes 1–7 will remain open for the rst six to eight months while renovations begin on holes 8–18, then switch. The full course is expected to reopen in spring 2027.
The new irrigation system will allow for the club to control the water required to grow the turf on the golf course, GHCC General Manager Chip Gist said. The current system has been in place since the club’s inception over 50 years ago and is ine cient, Gist said. “We’ll end up using somewhere between 25-30% less water on an annual basis once we put this in,” Gist said. “This will allow us to have new turf as well. There’s upgraded turf, just like there’s upgraded irrigation systems that are acclimated to the climate in this region.” This project will take place rst in the club’s renovation timeline so the new turf and greens can be watered and grown in properly. GHCC organized a sustainability team and hired experts to identify how this process would work and how much it would cost, Gist said. “We had to package that and promote it to the members as a long-term bene t that we just couldn’t put o any longer,” he said.
The plan GHCC’s Master Plan includes various projects at its other facilities, including:
Great Hills Country Club in Northwest Austin’s Great Hills neighborhood is set undergo a $22 million renovation over the next few years to upgrade its golf course irrigation system and make other club improvements. The project was initiated nearly three years ago to address the golf course irrigation system, which is now over 50 years old, said GHCC board vice president Tom Schoelkopf. “If we didn’t address that, we would have signi cant challenges keeping the golf course alive and well,” Schoelkopf said. The club also hired Chet Williams, a golf course architect, to renovate the golf course along with the irrigation system replacement, he said.
Tennis court expansion
Pickleball courts
Family dining and grab-and-go cafe
Children’s play area
MISTY HILL COVE
SOURCE: GREAT HILLS COUNTRY CLUB COMMUNITY IMPACT
Great Hills Country Club
the golf course is the “number one project.” Some parts of the club will be shut down during con- struction, Gist said. “There is some pain, but there’s a lot of gain,” Gist said. “This membership is committed to having a quality facility that’s upgraded. Anytime you set out to do that there’s going to be a little bit of impact.”
Various renovations will be made on the golf course, including replacing its irrigation system.
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COURTESY GREAT HILLS COUNTRY CLUB
HYMEADOW 12611 Hymeadow (512) 506-8401
NORTH 620 10601 N FM 620 (512) 506-8316 NORTH LAMAR 914 North Lamar (512) 214-6665
ARBORETUM 10515 N Mopac Expy (512) 342-6893
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