Designed by Pete Dye in 1984, this 180-acre course is the third home for the Austin Country Club since its founding in 1899. With its deep pot bunkers, undulating turf, and dramatic 18th hole fairway fall, the course reflects the fascination that Dye had with the Scottish courses he visited early in his career. Dye's trademark railroad ties, inspired by the "sleepers" at Prestwick, are used in bulkheads. A Texas accent is added by extensive use of limestone slabs, quarried on site, to build revetments for tees, greens and fairways.

The course is routed over dramatic terrain, sectioned into "lowlands" and the "highlands". Holes #3-7, down by the edge of the lake, are the lowlands. The rest of the course is higher and more typical of the Texas Hill Country.

Like many Pete Dye designs, this course embodies the principle of playing to restricted targets. The fairways can be generous, but missing them can result in a severe penalty, and finding them is no guarantee of a comfortable approach. Aggressive play, flirting with the hazards, is usually required to gain the preferred angle of approach.