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• October 3: Overseeding and sand topdressing on greens.  Greens will not be mowed until seed germinates, approximatly 7-10 days.
• October 7: American Legion Post 911 charitable tournament with proceeds benefiting LISD ROTC cadets. Information & Registration
• October 8: Overseeding tee boxes. Tee Markers will be placed at the front of all tee areas or off in the edge of the rough.  Please use tee areas as marked as we need to remain off the tee boxes for for approximately 10 days to allow the new seed to establish.
• October 9: Overseeding select collars and the practice range tee box. The practice range will then be mats only for a couple weeks until the winter grass gets established.
• October 10: Central Texas Chapter RIMS Information & Registration
• October 14 – 16: Overseeding select fairways. Newly seeded areas will be roped off.  Please do not drive golf carts in these areas.
• October 15 & 16 – Rouse High School tournament
• October 21: 7th Annual Leander Chamber of Commerce Lucky Texas Scramble Golf Tournament Information & Registration
• October 28:  Our annual Gruesome Twosome.  Unlike a typical 2-person scramble where you choose your best drive, the Gruesome has your opponents selecting your worst shot off the tee!  Information & Registration
• November 4: Rouse Baseball Booster tournament   Information & Registration

October Sales

20% Off Cleveland Golf Clubs

30% Off Callaway Golf Bags 

“Ball Position”: Moving the ball position in your set up will naturally change the trajectory of your desired shot while swinging your same swing. If you wish to hit a high arching shot, position the ball more forward in your stance. If you wish to hit a low trajectory shot, position the ball more towards the back of your stance. Practice different ball positions to add more variety to your game!

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

Overseeding: A welcome return to seasonal cooler temperatures.  The back 9 starts on Tuesday will soon end as  the roughs will not need to be mowed once the turf growth slows down.  Also, October brings us a chance of light frost.  Overseeding plans are set as we are in the early stages of fall for our unique golf course… 

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“An interesting thing about golf is that no matter how badly you play, it’s always possible to get worse.”

Neil Tillman, Assistant Golf Professional

We welcome Neil Tillman to the team at Crystal Falls Golf Club.  Neil grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where he picked up his first club at 5 years old. In 2015 Neil began his teaching career at The Club at Ravenna, taking over the junior golf program one year later. Neil has also worked in Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch Golf Club and at Barton Creek here in Austin.  

Neil played golf in college and earned RMAC Freshman of the year honors, 3 All-Conference awards, reached a high ranking of #32 in Division 2; boasting a scoring average of 71.57 his senior year.  He also played professionally with his top finish coming in 2020 at the Wyoming Open, where he shot 12 under and finished T-4. Neil is currently working on his PGA Class A in order to become a better teacher and golf course professional. 

We’re getting closer to identifying a new food and beverage partner for the clubhouse and we appreciate everyone’s patience in this slow but deliberate process. We hope to be up and running with great food and a full bar within the next 90 days or so! In the interim, our friends at Sibil’s Ribs-N-More are serving up some great food from their trailer behind the clubhouse.

Crystal Cup Invitational 

Congratulations to Gary Ingram and Tim Wilks, winners of the 2024 Crystal Cup Invitational on September 23rd.  Jonathan Blank and Jeff Blank took home 1st place in the net competition. Walking away with brand new golf bags for winning a Closest to Pin were Floyd Haught, David Baehm and Andrew Vasquez.  John Carney and Austin Alaniz earned the only skin of the day with an eagle on # 12, splitting the $550 skins pool. Click Here to see full list of results. 

Hill Country Junior Amateur Championship 

Congratulations to all participants who finished two great days with us at Crystal Falls Golf Club on September 28 & 29 for the 2nd Annual Hill Country Junior Amateur Championship, sponsored by Golfinity.  Earning the Champion golf bags were Kinsley Cox from Utopia who won the Championship Girls Division, and Drew Dickens of Dripping Springs taking home the honors for the Championship Boys Division, with Cedar Park High School winning the team competition.  Click Here to see the final leaderboard for all divisions.

Crystal Falls Golf Club – See Rates, Reserve Tee Times, Event Calendar, Tournament Registration and more

Job Openings with Crystal Falls Golf Club and City of Leander

Download the USGA Rules of Golf Mobile App

GHIN Handicap

• November 14: Private Event,  12:00 p.m. Shotgun
• November 18:  Crystal Falls Golf Club’s Turkey Shoot, 9:00 a.m. Shotgun.  Information & Registration  Bring a non-perishable food item to receive $5 off your entry fee.
• November 28: Thanksgiving Day, Course and Practice Range will be closed

Please help support our food drive benefiting Hill Country Community Ministries.  We care collecting non-perishable items in the Golf Shop.  Click Here for most need items.

Our November sales have 30% off ladies’ apparel and 20% off all outer wear (Get it before it gets cold)

Easy grip, easy swing. Many recreational golfers fall prey to over gripping and over swinging, often with disastrous results. Gripping the golf club too tightly can cause muscle tension in the hands, arms, shoulders, and chest. This has an adverse effect on the golfer’s ability to rotate the club face properly and consistently through impact. Slices and hooks abound! To avoid this, imagine you’re holding a baby bird when gripping the club.  Grip it just tight enough so the bird doesn’t get away but soft enough, so you don’t crush the little guy. 

Taking an easy swing is key to control as well. Like gripping the club too tightly, attempting to swing too hard can create problems too. While also causing muscle tension, over swinging tends to make bad things worse.  The pros can generate all kinds of power and swing as hard as they want but most will tell you that a controlled golf swing is much more important than a ton of club head speed. Just ask yourself, would you rather hit the ball 200 yards up the middle or 250 into the woods? The best bet is to swing the club at 75%. Think speed and not strength. A fluid swing with relaxed arms usually yields a much better result. Try it for yourself and above all else….have fun out there!

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

Cold November Wind & Frost On The Pumpkin: It is that time again.  The north wind starts to get cooler and the fronts this time of year start to bring the cooler temperatures.  It has been unseasonally warm for this time of year so far, yet we live here in Central Texas where the weather can sometimes bring us all four seasons in a day… 

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“There are three ways to improve your golf game: take lessons, practice constantly… or start cheating.”

Jon Wooten, Greenskeeper II

Jon arrives at work well before sunrise to help create the best possible playing conditions for our guests. He has worked with our Golf Course Maintenance team for 4 years and enjoys the family atmosphere with his colleagues. 

We are excited to partner with RS3 Strategic Hospitality to provide food and beverage services at Crystal Falls Golf Club.  Click Here to learn more.

Gruesome Twosome Tournament 

The Grim Reaper arrived early on October 28 to cut holes and place pins for our Gruesome Twosome tournament. The wasn’t a typical scramble, the opposing team selected which drive their pairings partners had to play and were duty bound to the field to select the worst drive!  Tim Wilks and Gary Ingram did the best at dodging body part fragments and “seasonal conditions” to survive with a two-stroke win. finishing 1 under par.  Payouts went to the top 5 teams.  Click Here for the full leaderboard.  

Crystal Falls Golf Club – See Rates, Reserve Tee Times, Event Calendar, Tournament Registration and more

Job Openings with Crystal Falls Golf Club and City of Leander

Download the USGA Rules of Golf Mobile App

GHIN Handicap

• Food Drive – Support those in need with a non-perishable food donation to Hill Country Community Ministries.  A donation bin is in the Golf Shop.  
• Toy Drive – The Leander Police Blue Santa program is accepting toy donations in the Golf Shop.  
• December 14:  Drive-In Movie in our parking lot.   Family friendly, holiday movie.  $10 per vehicle.  Information & Reservations 
  
• December 16:  Crystal Falls Golf Club’s Holiday Classic, 9:00 a.m. Shotgun.  Information & Registration Bring a toy donation for Leander Police Department’s Blue Santa program and receive $5 off your entry fee.  
• December 24: Christmas Eve, all golf will be a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start.  Standard holiday/weekend rates.  Click Here to make your reservations now. Practice area hours 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  
• December 25:  Christmas Day, Course and Practice Area Will be Closed  
• December 30: 15th Annual New Year’s Eve golf tournament.  Email Joe Angerame at joeanger@outlook.com for information and registration  
• December 31: New Year’s Eve, normal hours  
• January 1: New Year’s Day, normal hours

Swing Tempo

Every golfer swings their club differently, therefore every golfer needs their own swing tempo to maximize their consistency when hitting golf shots. There are several ways you can work on your swing tempo to find what works best for you.

• Pause at the top: A slight pause at the top of your swing helps create a smooth transition between your backswing and downswing.
• Use a metronome: Set a metronome app to match your ideal swing tempo and practice swinging in time with the beat.
• Take the club back slower: Try to take the club back more slowly so that you remain in control of the clubface throughout the golf swing.
• Relax: Relax before you take the club back. When you are at address, take a deep breath, then exhale before drawing the club back.
• Have a practice routine: Develop a routine for practicing your swing. You should always use a routine when hitting a golf shot whether you are on the driving range or on the golf course. Having a consistent practice routine will assist a more consistent performance.
• Lastly, Ball position: For long clubs, play the ball further forward in your stance, and for shorter clubs, play it more towards the middle. The swing timing is slightly different depending on which club you are using.

Try to find your swing tempo next time you are on the driving range by working on some of these drills. Nothing in golf happens overnight, so practice these drills and stick to the ones that work best for you!

“Off-Season” at the Golf Course

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

Is there such a time as the golf off-season?  Well, in central Texas it might be a few days or a week at most.  Hopefully no 2-week ice/snow happens again. That type of an event was devastating to the trees and turf grass and a major burden to all golf courses to clean it up and safely reopen…

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I play in the low 80s. If it’s any hotter than that, I won’t play.

Lauren Haines, Assistant Golf Professional

We welcome Assistant Golf Professional, Lauren Haines, to the team at Crystal Falls Golf Club.  Lauren grew up in Brownwood, Texas and started playing competitive golf in high school.  She competed in summer tournaments, and then played in college. Lauren is available for private lessons and is looking into PGA programs in order to become a more advanced golf professional.  

Facility renovations are currently underway for the Cork & Barrell and we are looking forward to their opening in early 2025.  

Turkey Shoot Tournament 

A wet morning turned into a beautiful afternoon for our Turkey Shoot golf tournament, sponsored by Cavalry at Liberty Hill and Club Cowork, with the team of Sebastian Ferrer, Bardy Estevanott and Tommy Navarette emerging in first place.  Payouts were made to the top 5 teams and the $340 Skins Pool was divided between 7 teams, 3 of which won 2 skins!  In total, participants took home $1,090 in merchandise gift cards.  Click Here to see the full leaderboard.

Crystal Falls Golf Club – See Rates, Reserve Tee Times, Event Calendar, Tournament Registration and more

Job Openings with Crystal Falls Golf Club and City of Leander

Download the USGA Rules of Golf Mobile App

GHIN Handicap

• January 13 – Polar Bear Open, first event in our 2025 Crystal Cup series of tournaments.  Information & Registration  
• January 18 – US Am Tour   Information & Registration
• Check the Event Calendar on our website for the most up to date schedule and registration links. 

Frost Season is here!   To avoid long delays from putting play on hold for the course to thaw, we are taking precautions and not booking tee times earlier than 9:30 am. until we are confident that weather will be favorable.  Our course sits in a low valley amongst Central Texas’ Hills with temperature at the course being much lower than reflected for Leander on The Weather Channel and other apps.  If you desire to play before 9:30 a.m., please continue to check our website for tee time availability as we will open early tee times when weather conditions allow us to do so.

In Difficult Conditions, Listen to Your Brain, Not Your Ego

Golf course conditions can get difficult this time of year. Maybe the course has experienced heavy rain and is incredibly slow and wet. Maybe it’s windy or cold temperatures, and it’s two or three-club wind each time you step over a golf ball.

The key is to make the game easier on yourself when the course conditions become difficult.

Let’s take, for instance, a day when it is incredibly windy.

If you normally hit 9 iron 120 yards, and you just hit a shot that only went 100. This is good information to have. The next time you have a 120-yard shot, chances are you will need your 7 iron.

Make this adjustment for the day, don’t worry about your total distances and averages; make the game easier on yourself and accept these quick adjustments. The golf course is different every single day and you should play it that way.

A Golf Course Referee??

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

Football playoff season is here!  In golf, we do not have a flag on the play, but maybe we need to!  In golf, we have golf shop personnel and player assistants to help us along with slow play or questions as we play our golf course. The game of golf is the only game where you are expected call a penalty on yourself.  Some players on our golf course may need to be reminded of that from time to time.  Honor and dignity are some of the core principles of the game of golf…

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If your opponent can’t remember if he shot a six or a seven on a hole, chances are he had an eight.

Bradley Wolfram, Tournament and Event Coordinator

Originally from Rockford, IL, a relocation brought Brad to the Austin area in 2006, and he & his wife Debb have called Leander home since 2009. After being a regular customer, Brad joined the team at Crystal Falls Golf Club almost 3 years ago upon retiring from corporate work.  Brad is the person to call on for your group outings and charitable fundraising tournaments.  He also produces our monthly club golf tournaments in addition to the annual Hill Country Amateur Championship and Junior Amateur tournament. 

Facility renovations are wrapping for the Cork & Barrel and we are looking forward to them opening within the next month.  

There was a great turnout for our annual Holiday Classic golf tournament.  This 2-person scramble was won by Dennis Sokol and Rithy Khem with an 8 under 64.   Payouts were made to the top 5 teams and the $465 Skins Pool was divided between 4 teams.  In total, participants took home $965 in merchandise gift cards.  Click Here to see the full leaderboard.

Crystal Falls Golf Club – See Rates, Reserve Tee Times, Event Calendar, Tournament Registration and more

Job Openings with Crystal Falls Golf Club and City of Leander

Download the USGA Rules of Golf Mobile App

GHIN Handicap