My photography shoot at Great Hills Country Club was slightly more significant than usual. That’s because I was the final photographer to capture the course before it undergoes a major renovation by Chet Williams. Chet is a world class golf course architect that somehow manages to fly under the radar even while consistently delivering spectacular work. Most recently, his creation The Covey at Big Easy Ranch won Golf Digest’s 2024 award for best new private course in America. It is reasonable to suspect that the upcoming changes should be spectacular.
The renovation results in 2027 will certainly garner most of the attention, but the original work of capturing the “before” imagery is equally important. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to spend 3-4 days properly documenting the beauty of Great Hills. Please enjoy my top ten favorite images from my visit in May of 2025.
10th Place - Hole #1 Fairway
Any good photographer knows that it is imperative to take advantage of good light when the moment strikes. These streaky clouds lasted a little more than several minutes before they blended into noticeably less appealing cloud shaped smudges.
9th Place - Hole #1 Green
Hole #1 is unique to Great Hills as it is always the final hole to soak up the last bit of the day’s sunshine. While all of the other greens are in shade, the first green gets several extra moments to bask in the light. This is the view from #2 green during that time.
8th Place - #17 Green
As I hustled down to capture the final few licks of sunlight on the green, I found myself a perfect window to frame my photograph. This window won’t last much longer as the renovation will reroute the pesky cart path and the green will be moved closer to the hazard .
7th Place - The 13th hole
In my opinion, the 13th hole is the best golf hole at Great Hills Country Club and it also makes for a great photograph. The updated version should be even more spectacular with the tee box moving back and to the right.
6th Place - The 12th hole
The 12th hole is the first time on the golf course where you really feel like you are out in the Texas wilderness. The resulting photographs feel a little more special. Chet’s updated version will be much different as the current green site will be the new 13th tee box. There is a trio of images featured here which all tied for 6th place.
5th Place - The 16th hole
There is something about long shadows spilling across a perfectly manicured fairway that sends me into a fit of joy. This was the scene when I arrived on the 16th hole. I had to wait several moments for a pack of deer to clear the scene before I could get the crispy pure shot that I was after. Deer photos shown below for reference.
4th Place - The 7th green
Just from hanging out on the golf course for several days, I was able to tell that community is a big part of the Great Hills Country Club experience. You can see a group of members gathered and chatting in the picture below. Moments later, the lawn in the background would be filled with kids playing soccer and throwing the football. The joyous environment is contagious and the people at Great Hills made my time extra special.
3rd Place - The 3rd and 4th holes
In this photograph you can really get a sense of the topography on the front nine and how close Great Hills Country Club is to the city of Austin. The Live Oaks do a splendid job of lining the fairways to make for a compelling photograph.
2nd Place - The 18th hole
This splendid sliver of a photograph does a great job at illustrating the rise in elevation and the accuracy required for success on the 18th hole. From a visual perspective, the exposed rock is also one of my favorite features on a golf course. They help to frame and accentuate the edges of the playing area.
1st Place - The 15th Hole
A good position at the top of the swing, good lighting and a good golf hole all come together in this fine piece of golf photography. It must be noted that the conditions were so nice in Texas that I could have done my top 50 photographs. The only question left to ponder is exactly what a photograph from this same position will look like in 2 years. It will certainly be different and most likely it will be glorious. Stay tuned for the before and after breakdown coming in 2027 or 2028 depending on how fast that grass grows back in on Chet Williams’ renovation.
