The Beauty and Brutality of Ram Rock Golf Course | 18 Holes with Jimmy Hanlin
[Music] welcome to 18 holes presented to you by Marathon Petroleum i’m PGA golf professional Jimmy Hannah and I’m Fox Sports Holly Saunders and today Jimmy and I are pleased to be in Texas at Horseshoe Bay Resort just about an hour from Austin in San Antonio wait till you see this place three unique beautiful 18hole golf courses one exclusive private club and a beautiful 18hole challenging putting golf course today we’re going to play the Ramrock Golf Course not the putting course let’s hit it come on the Ramrock Golf Course here at Horseshoe Bay Resort is famously known as the Challenger this Robert Trent Jones senior design is known for its tough bunkering and tight fairways and it’s no different kicking off your day here on hole number one the key shot is fitting your T-ball between those two bunkers stay right there hole number two here at Ramrock sets up perfectly for the player who fades the ball you want to carry it over that bunker on the right and remember this green is uphill so make sure you take enough club to get it there oh look at you wow it’s tour quality are you that good that was a little divot afterward are you that good go away the Ramrock Golf Course here at Horseshoe Bay Resort has hosted the Texas State Open and many USGAA qualifying events this third hole here on the Ramrock is a difficult one downhill off the tea dog leg left you have to maneuver around that bunker on the left side of the fairway but the tough shot is the second uphill like Holly just experienced on number two make sure that you take enough club welcome to hole number four it is absolutely stunning but you have to make sure obviously Jimmy that you choose your club selection correctly well this is one of has to be one of the most beautiful part 3es in the whole state of Texas i mean this is one of those holes when you play when you come to a golf course and you’re looking forward to you’re like you really want to play it and then when you get there you’re like you just want to get it over with that’s exactly right let’s get it over with right now let’s do it all right giddy up giddy up go i think that’s going to find a bunker i almost had to pull out my driver when you used That’s as hard as I can hit a seven giddy up got a piece totally safe that’s going to be a long one totally safe we’ve only been playing golf for like 40 years you probably at some point figure when you hit it hard you pull it left i mean it just kind of goes together tell you one of the awesome things i don’t know if you saw the lake here awesome this entire complex and they’re still preparing it and getting it ready like this is a sight i think I should actually get the Australian dream shot of the day today just for getting it over that water and on the green it was really intimidating like it really was as hard as I could swing a seven iron right there that’s a seven tough little bunker shot here show me You’ve shown me how to hit that before oh yeah absolutely get Oh yeah look at you go oh too much spin wow how’d that stop wow that was That thing was spinning that was a good shot thank you i feel good in this Texas heat i almost I don’t even have to use my Australian dream as much in this Texas heat muscles feel good turn come on come on good speed it takes two direction and speed but you got one of them hang on let’s focus you and I need a little more focus in our life you’re always on me about that i know i am on you about focus always on me about focus i know i just want to make you a better player it’s my job in life to make people better players oh did I get it can I uh have credit for that up and down because of my bunker lessons i will take that on this hole yeah kidding me how about two pars on that hole wow woo standing on that tea up there that could have been nasty you would have ran off of that tea if they would offer it you know what I’m surprised about right now though i’m surprised that this has this big beautiful lake and all these things do i thought you’d like leave me on a second hole i didn’t think you finished we have more golf to come though welcome back to 18 Holes jimmy and I are playing our way along in Texas today just about halfway between Austin and San Antonio at a beautiful resort a Horseshoe Bay Resort 54 holes of golf and we’re teen it up on the Ramrock Golf Course number five on this Robert Trent Jones senior design is a tough one again dog leg left up the hill keep your T-ball right center next shot again is elevated two good shots are required here to play hole number five hole number six is a short par4 and a nice little chance at birdie you have a lot of room out to the right leave your drive short of those bunkers and knock that approach up there nice and tight get in wow how’d that not go in get in hole number seven is one of the most beautiful holes on this golf course it’s a par five t-ball is down the hill and it’s reachable folks but you’re probably not going to have a flat lie anywhere from this fairway as you can see the water down there is the danger but I say let’s go for it in two hole number eight here at Ramrock is a picturesque par three a large tree shades the right side while water wraps around the entire left side of the green and now this green is very expansive so make sure that you pay attention to all your pen placements and get that right before you tee off because this could easily be a three club difference get back oh yeah good shot okay that was not the pin placement you were talking I didn’t want to go over that tree though i’m not messing around Jimmy i’m not that confident in my game all right H we standing here on hole number nine and I’m actually still surprised that you’re playing golf because I just read there’s like 30 wineries around here within like so many miles which usually you bolt on me when that’s available there’s a lake available with all kind of fun activities i mean I just didn’t expect you to spend as much time with me today i’m actually playing pretty well that’s why I’m hanging around yeah there’s also three different Yeah and the Raider hat um it’s going to be my my special guju today there’s also three golf courses yeah three golf courses that are open to resort play there’s actually a private golf course here too it’s a Nicholas design but the three you can play at the resort are all Robert Trent Jones golf courses and perfect resort courses i love that i love that you know what surprised me though when I think of Texas I think of wide open and windy and you know whatever this is opposite of what most Texas golf I’ve played i like it yeah it’s good so have fun hit it i’m going straight down the middle i have nothing to cut off here i’m playing your TE’s oh my gosh all right oh that straight down the middle that felt so good i like golf courses that are like have definition to them listen every hole has definition you could tell which way it turned you’re not guessing right i guess that’s just from being like an older mature golf course they’re just an older mature golfer you’re saying I knew that like I set myself up for that good was that older and mature oh get out nice so this would you would consider this central Texas right i mean it’s kind of like it’s between Austin because San Antonio is that West Texas because we’re close right in the middle it’s so big i know so big right so big and I forget because Ohio we can drive from Yeah top to bottom in four hours texas is so large right right right yeah turn it right around a corner like you knew what you were doing like I do yeah I really like this golf course man i Yeah you really really are high on this golf course super high on it cuz it’s like I don’t know i guess you have expectations when you go to a place and I thought it was going to be more of a resorty type golf course this is a really good layout and it’s just I don’t know i like when we’re on a hole we’re on that hole nice jimmy had to be conservative after all that sit all right i’m being positive with you today is that what’s happening that’s happening oh all right let’s move onward [Music] oh that was solid got some earth with that one get up oh good shot good let me fix that divot for you now with this type of grass do I replace it put the seed over seed in it look at you good job they got a job for you here at Horseshoe Bay should I use a little Texas wedge here i don’t know if you could get it there oh did I just jinx myself get up it’s all right i’ll have the Texas wedge from off the green right there oh dude that was like the the malo jinx of all jinxes right there everything can’t be perfect you can’t be perfectly set up for a birdie like me all the time did I hit it the cut i like it not bad not bad very very nice got to pay attention to your tea ball here can you give me the rest of this it’s a friend zone you got it you sure it’s friend zone friend zone you got it knock it in i didn’t know we were friends but good glad to know that too no that’s what I call it if it’s a gimme it’s the friend zone oh okay oh did you just make party hit it come on that was good all right good good good i love the front nine man back nine’s as good nobody loves the front nine more than you did i know i’m I’m over the top a little bit but back nine might be better nature at its finest be happy welcome back to 18 holes presented to you by Marathon Petroleum and Holly start the back nine’s just as good as the front hole 10 I didn’t even hit driver off the tea which is very rare for me kept it in play and you had a short little wedge shot up there but that’s a tough shot yeah it’s a very good scramble hole as we play it right it is it’s car our way but this course Jimmy really showing why it’s rated four and a half stars by Golf Digest and all the other high accolades that it’s received it’s surprising how every hole is different and pleasant 10 was a cool golf hole 11 this is one of the most intriguing holes on the golf course right here uh you know water down this left side right here you got to pick your line where to hit your T- ball i don’t even have driver again cuz I like this golf course so much i just want to hit it in play so I can see the holes which is not very normal for me i don’t I just I go for it well cuz you hit it straight that’s part of the reason i can’t hit it far enough to keep up you hit it straight oh man that’s got perfect right that’s the same shot you did huh you’re taking the edge off of it i like it turned it a little bit good oh man I don’t know if I hit it far enough though i think you um you took a risk there but I think we’re fine i think we’re fine oh solidness get up one-handed spin oh no oh yeah sit okay Texas just off the track that’s all right i’ll take that there were It’s a hard hole there were some other troubles there that that I avoided i’m okay that was good thank you we’re being so nice to each other today it’s so weird i know nice spin spin all right Jay that was not good it’s okay it’s a good little touch that was quick maybe I spoke too soon that’s faster than what we’ve seen today i will warn you a little bit like you needed another did I get it winner oh I mean really are we rolling on that just so I know are we rolling on that i mean really well you said we never make any birdies on the program well you just made one i wasn’t even paying attention can you take the flag out i’m too worried about this i’m sorry this is not in the friend zone yeah it it definitely is not six footer five footer is not the friend zone my bad you’re bad actually even though you already beat me on a hole but that’s okay this isn’t a competition it’s just Yes it is our life is a competition right in the center that was so much less uh fun after you made Burger it felt really good it’s been a long time time for me to make some bun relax you just had all that coffee chill here at the par 312th hole at Ramrock you have a chance at birdie not something that you say very often you see a little creek running in front and bunkers surrounding but get your club right and you have a chance at it too hang on please okay hole number 13 is another beautiful dog leg here on the Ramrock Golf Course you’re going to have to pick the club again off the tee whether you can turn it to not hit it too far right into the rough this green is large pay attention to the pin it’s all the way back today i’m definitely going to need an extra club i think I got it back there well number 14 is a dog leg left par five now find a yardage that you’re very comfortable laying up to because there’s a creek that runs in front of the green or give it your best shot and go for it and two hole number 15 on the Ramrock Golf Course is a long par4 first key hit away from this bunker or make sure that you can carry it because if not you’re going to have a bunker shot with a tree in the way very difficult hole on this golf course if you can make park be happy if you could please stop having fun i quit i can say the entire thing jimmy could go “Yeah you’ll have a blind T-shot here on your drive at the 16th hole make sure you aim toward the center of the fairway and set yourself up for a nice approach into this tightly guarded green by the lake just ignore it you’ve got this coming down the stretch you’ll get to hole number 17 it’s uphill challenging hole but you’re almost done we finish up our lovely day at Ramrock with a very uphill par4 18th hole it’s wide open begging for you to come in and birdie it and end your round the right way a nice rock wall behind there very scenic make sure to take some pictures too that a way to finish around i like it nice oh yes love it you know I love this golf course i need a drink if you need a drink we need to go to the Tito’s Handmade Vodka 19th hole at the Yacht Club Beachside Bar that sounds ritzy doesn’t it oh my god sounds like the most perfect place ever welcome to the 19th Old presented to you by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and we are right down the road from Austin Texas their home why not huh it seems to find us everywhere it does find us everywhere but it was really easy to find it in Austin Texas like about as easy as it gets so uh how’s this 19th hole you know I mean I don’t Do we even need to talk let’s just sit here and just look at it for four and a half my favorite place we’ve been so far this year oh my gosh i mean you can you can if you want to come on vacation here i’m moving to Texas i’m going to tell you right now do I look like a Texan it’ be perfect yeah i mean this is just this place is awesome where you want to start accommodations pull into the hotel last night i mean just right out of the gate just bam right in your face valet amazing check-in they take you over to your villa which is like you could live there i could absolutely live there i had a single villa by the way i must be a VIP here at Horseshoe Ve i had that too yeah it was awesome i mean just the room was great i did feel special that’s what everybody feels like because you all feel VIP here yeah so I mean the accommodations the hotel the options there’s all kind of different options depending on what you’re coming for golf trips or vacation wherever is really good um and then you know we had dinner multiple food options here too from sports bars to dining there’s all kind of different options from a standpoint of food which is usually what I talk about for two minutes but there’s so many other things going on here i have to tell you about more here by the way and I don’t know if you noticed as we walked through the pool area here which is we’re just right beside right here the largest hot tub in Texas because everything’s enormous in Texas i did notice it you did notice it it was really cool actually i know you want to get in there too no not right now that’s too hot all the tricks yeah but um so I I’m never going to stop talking so you can talk for a little bit cuz I like everything here are we ready to move on to the golf course yeah let’s talk about that was equally spectacular as the accommodations here three different golf courses and the one we played today was unbelievable you you raved and raved and raved about it the entire time well because to me it was like you go to a lot of resort golf courses and they’re beautiful right and they’re made to be spectacular beautiful this golf course had tra like a traditional feel to it with like beautiful looks through it like with the water features and so on and so forth treeline lots of water not what I’m used to seeing in Texas yeah right i mean just the opposite of what I expected when I came robert Trent Jones i mean it’s quality it’s all quality for sure now he’s designed three golf courses here all three golf courses here are are just you know they’re spectacular then there’s actually a private uh golf course here jack Nicholas Senior Design and the homes here too are just off that’s the only reason I may not be able to move here because I’m not sure my my salary for your show here is high enough for me and all the water sports you saw the guy just go by on his buzzing it’s for families for everybody think we have to get a release form for him being on the show there buzzing through like that i think he saw that we were on camera and he wanted to get around card yeah he’s in yeah so multiple things and then I think the cool thing too is and I’m sure people come in for this all the time they have all kind of different things to do here they have you know beer by the bay wine dine and jazz festival and then they have balloons over Horseshoe Bay all these events that come in as the year goes along and obviously you can plan your vacation around that for me I mean there’s enough to do even without the events you know and the golf courses are also highly rated top golf courses in the state of Texas so if you guys haven’t had an opportunity to get down here it’s between San Antonio and Austin easy right from the airport horses we loved it horses yeah just just an incredible stop so uh thanks for hanging out with me vacationing with me here in Oso Bay and uh we also want to thank all of you for watching us this week on 18 holes
On this episode of 18 Holes with Jimmy Hanlin:
Jimmy and Holly Sonders explore the stunning Ram Rock Golf Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas. Known as “The Challenger,” this Robert Trent Jones Sr. design is renowned for its tough bunkering and tight fairways. The episode features a detailed tour of the course, highlighting its challenging layout, scenic beauty, and memorable holes. From the uphill climbs to the water-protected greens, Jimmy and Holly navigate the course, sharing tips and experiences. The resort’s amenities and natural beauty are also showcased, making this episode a must-watch for golf enthusiasts.
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