Uncategorized

• August 5 – 9:  Last summer session for our Junior golf camps in partnership with Golfinity.  Camp schedule is 9:00a – 12:00p, Monday – Friday  Click Here for more information. Practice range area is closed until noon when camp is in session.   
• August 12: Summer ParTee golf tournament by Crystal Falls Golf Club, the last qualifier for the Crystal Cup Invitational.   Information & Registration  
• September 14: ATX Elite golf tournament benefiting Miracle House    Information & Registration  
• September 16:   Texas Golf Association Fun Golf Event.  Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed teams. 2-person best ball.   Information & Registration  
• September 30:  Yellow House Charity Golf Tournament   Information & Registration

It’s almost Football season! Stop by the Golf Shop and check out our new team gear!

Course Played as It Is Found

Rule 8 covers a central principle of the game: “play the course as you find it.” When the player’s ball comes to rest, they normally must accept the conditions affecting the stroke and not improve them before playing the ball. However, a player may take certain reasonable actions even if they improve those conditions, and there are limited circumstances where the conditions may be restored without penalty after they have been improved or worsened.

To see what is and is not allowed, click here

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

The USGA has produced a great brief video on the basics of course care.  If we all follow these practices, we help keep the course is the best possible condition.   It’s not just for new golfers, we all need a reminder now and then.   Please take 2 minutes and click here to view.

“He who has the fastest golf cart, never has a bad lie.”

― Mickey Mantle

DJ Nixon, Greenskeeper II

DJ has worked in the golf industry for over 9 years with the last 7 years at Crystal Falls.   He is a Certified Irrigation Technician and helps keep water flowing through the pipes to provide the best possible growing environment for the health of our course.   DJ has 2 children and also enjoys the feel of our family environment here at the golf course.  

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! We’d like to announce the arrival of an additional food truck, The Holy Grill, that opened for business beginning August 2, 2024. Our friends at Sibil’s Ribs-N-More are still serving up some great food as well!  You may view both of their menus here. Thanks again for supporting these great local food trucks!

Have you checked your point standings recently for the 2024 Crystal Cup Series?    Our Summer ParTee tournament on August 12 is the last chance to qualify for the 2nd Annual Crystal Cup Invitational. (Yes, participation is by invitation only!) 

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

• September 3: Applying sand topdressing on greens
• September 23: Crystal Cup Invitational – Participation is by invitation only
• September 25: Private event
• September 28 & 29: 2nd Annual Hill Country Junior Amateur Championship for golfers age 18 and under, featuring 9 hole and 18 hole options.  Information & Registration
• September 30:  Yellow House Charity Golf Tournament   Information & Registration
• October 7: American Legion Post 911 charitable tournament with proceeds going toward Leander High ROTC cadets.  Information & Registration
• October 21: 7th Annual Leander Chamber of Commerce Lucky Texas Scramble Golf    Information & Registration
• October 28: Save the date for 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!

Welcome back high school golfers!   Crystal Falls is the home course for three Leander ISD high schools, Glenn, Leander and Rouse.  You’ll find these student athletes teeing off from 2:30-4:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday and also on the practice range those days from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Make time to improve your game.   Our practice area opens daily at 7:00 a.m. and we discontinue selling range balls 1 hour before sunset. On Tuesday, we discontinue selling range balls two (2) hours prior to sunset to conduct a clean pick; and the range reopens Wednesday morning by 11:00 a.m. after maintenance is completed.  Stop in the clubhouse to purchase a ticket for range balls, available in 3 sizes ranging from $5 – $15

Rule 13 – Putting Green

Rule 13 is a specific Rule for putting greens. Putting greens are specially prepared for playing the ball along the ground and there is a flagstick for the hole on each putting green, so certain different Rules apply than for other areas of the course. The Rule allows a player to do things on the putting green that are normally not allowed off the putting green, such as being allowed to mark, lift, clean and replace a ball and to repair damage and remove sand and loose soil on the putting green. Did you know there is no penalty for accidentally causing a ball or ball-marker to move on the putting green?  Click Here to learn more from the USGA

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

Having the right tool for the job is very important along with the proper use of the tool.  If you are unfamiliar with the amount of specialized equipment that the golf course uses, let me enlighten you with a view of the basics…. 

To continue reading, click here 

“Why am I using a new putter? Because the last one didn’t float too well.” – Craig Stadler

Kirk Pierce

Kirk is a member of the Golf Course Maintenance team and serves as our Assistant Superintendent.  He has been with Crystal Falls Golf Club for 14 years and enjoys being outdoors and takes great pride in creating the possible playing conditions on the course.   When not rising early to prepare the course, Kirk enjoys family time and golf.

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.

Nate Brown and Nick Onesto emerged victorious at 6 under par over 104 other competitors in the August 12 Summer ParTee 2-person scramble tournament, the last of 8 qualifying events in our 2024 Crystal Cup series.   The net handicap finishers were led by Ray Hoglund and Connor Case.  We awarded $1,530 in merchandise gift cards to 30 players ranging from $25 – $75 for finishing 1-5 (overall and net) and winning net skins.    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

• Check out Crystal Cup 2025!  Dates and formats have been set for our series of monthly golf tournaments culminating with the Crystal Cup Invitational in September.   Click Here to learn more.  
• Monday, February 17: Stableford Shamble golf tournament, our monthly club event open to everyone. 2 Person teams, scoring best ball.  Gross & Net winners along with Gross & Net Skins included in entry fee.  Information & Registration  
• Every Thursday Starting March 13th:   Play with Spark Golf in their weekly 9-hole, social golf league under a relaxed set of rules to make the experience casual and fun with a touch of friendly competition. No long-term commitment, play week to week.     Information  
• Save The Dates for Upcoming Club Fitting Events – Watch for registration opening soon
  • Saturday, March 29, TaylorMade
  • Saturday, March 29, Callaway
  • Sunday, March 30,  Titleist

Callaway Golf Ball Sale with Free Personalization!   Buy 3 Dozen get 4 Dozen with online orders. Click Here and use Promotion Code: 2025208460002

February Specials (while supplies last)

20% off Pukka Beanies

20% off ALL Cleveland Golf Clubs

20% off ALL Golf Bags in stock

10% off ALL 2024 Titleist Pro V1 & Pro V1x

New Equipment

2025 Callaway Elyte Drivers & 3 Woods

2025 Odyssey Ai-ONE Putters

2025 Titleist Golf Balls

New Apparel in the Golf Shop

Adidas  

Swannies Golf

From Koby Greene, Head Golf Professional 

“Keep your hands low”

1. I am sure you’ve heard the advice “hit down on the ball to make it go up” before. I’m not a big fan of this advice for amateur players, because while it comes from a good place, it leads to golfers driving the club straight down into the ground and hitting fat shots and damaging the golf clubs you spend so much money on!

2. Keeping your hands “low” forces you to create lag in your downswing, and to drive your legs up at impact to deliver the clubface to the ball.

3. This ensures that you’ll hit the ball first and then take a nice tidy divot while you watch your shot soar right at your target. Keeping your hands low keeps the clubface square for as long as possible through the hitting zone. No matter how you get it there, a square clubface is a must to produce a good golf shot.

4. If you are struggling with consistent ball striking, give this swing thought and feel a try on the range!

February and Yellow Turf

By: Wayne Slaton, Golf Course Superintendent

As the wind of the North has not let up, you gaze upon the yellow dormant Bermuda grass turf of our golf course.  We are getting closer every day to an awakening of the dormant Bermuda turf with hopefully spring rain events.  Non-overseeded areas of our golf course are in full yellow dormant mode after the mid-January cold.  Dormant fairways enjoy the extra yardage on the tee ball, yet our overseeded areas on fairways/roughs are so that extra roll does not find your golf ball rolling out too much and stopping in the penalty areas….

To continue reading, click here.

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

Gabe Galaviz, Greenskeeper I

You may recall meeting Gabe in person 2 years ago when he first joined the team at Crystal Falls Golf Club and was working part-time as a Golf Shop Attendant.  He later moved to a role in Guest Services, and you started seeing him around the cart barn and practice area.  Gabe moved to a full-time position with our Golf Course Maintenance Team 3 months ago, his favorite role to date.  His new early morning start time allows more opportunity for him to pursue his passion for playing golf.  Would you be surprised to learn that his dog is named, Caddie?  His broad personal experience in various areas of golf course operations make him a valuable member of the team.

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

2025 kicked off with the Polar Bear Open and competitors conquered weather befitting of the event’s name!  This 2-person scramble was won by Dennis Sokol and Rithy Khem with an 8 under 64 for a 1 shot win over Minh and Emmy Tran.  Richard Himmer and Chad Brown took top honors on the net side after winning a scorecard playoff over John Pate and Tony Piercey.  Payouts were made to the top 5 teams for both gross and net places with the $300 Net Skins Pool divided between 5 teams.  In total, participants took home $1,340 in merchandise gift cards with everyone getting on the board with 2025 Crystal Cup season points.  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

• 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… 

To continue reading, click here 

“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… 

To continue reading, click here 

“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…

To continue reading, click here.

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