In the process of putting together a golf weekend for a foursome and looking for tips and suggestions. Will most likely take place in the late summertime. Current thoughts so far is getting an airbnb somewhere around the Fredericksburg/Comfort areas and we'd hit up the courses in that area.

Lady bird J course
Buckhorn
Vaaler
Commanche Trace?-not sure if this is fully private or if its accessible?
Riverhill


Vaaler is the only one I'm familiar with so any suggestions are appreciated.

Would most likely play 18 fri, 18 or 36 Sat, 18 on Sun then drive back home.

I don't know why but I really like Lady Bird. Sounds like a great weekend. Enjoy.

Sounds fun...grew up in the area and now live closer to San Antonio.

Lady Bird - yes, conditions late in the summer can be hit or miss depending on rain, but still a fun track.
Buckhorn - yes, very easy, wide open, etc. Believe they use all reclaimed water, so I've never seen it in bad shape.
Vaaler - I've never actually played there, but it looks nice.
Comanche Trace - fully private. No public play. If someone in the group has a club pro, maybe they can help out.
Riverhill - same as Comanche Trace (fully private)...but a level below in the experience.

I would consider adding the Kerrville course to the mix (Scott Schreiner). They redid the greens last summer and I'm told it's in good shape. Again, depending on how rough the summer drought is. Vaaler and Buckhorn are likely your best conditions.

thanks for the info...since you're local are there any other courses in the area worth playing? Willing to head further SW towards Boerne if the options are better.

I'm going to make some assumptions here...the group is mainly single-digit or low double-digit handicaps and mainly just wants to hang out. If this is true and you are staying in Fredericksburg, I would honestly keep it to Lady Bird, Buckhorn, and probably Vaaler. You could think about playing Vaaler in the morning and Buckhorn on the way back to Fredericksburg on Sat. Maybe add Kerrville if you want to mix it up.

IF you want a better test of golf, and upgraded courses, you will need to get onto one of the previously mentioned private courses or head to San Antonio (Canyon Springs is fun and on the outside of town, public). Or TPC, but pricier.

I say all the above because I have taken higher handicaps to Canyon Springs and TPC, and it was more of a beatdown for them than, say, Buckhorn. But really fun courses for a low / + handicap.

Good choices, I really like Vaaler and the Buckhorn. Comanche Trace is nice if you can get on. I've played a couple tournaments there, but can't remember if it's private

You might also look at staying in Kingsland and playing Legends and Lighthouse. We took a guys trip there several years in a row (my buddy's sister owned a house there). Lighthouse is a fun course that is cheap and a layed back atmosphere. Legends is a little nicer and probably more like the Buckhorn or Vaaler as far as conditions. There are some other courses a little further but we just stuck to those two since they were close. Not sure what kind of shape they're in now, it's been a few years since we made that trip.

I'd add Delaware Springs as an option if you're going the Kingsland/Burnet/Marble Falls route.

Vaaler is probably my favorite public course in that area outside of Austin. My cousin lives in Wimberley and before he got a membership out at Horseshoe Bay, he said a lot of great things about Kissing Tree, so that might be worth looking into. If you're looking for a decent spot that is fairly reasonably priced, the public course in Wimberley (Double J I think is the name of it) isn't bac. But I'd pick Vaaler over that course any day of the week.

Lady Bird J
Buckhorn
Vaaler
Commanche Trace?-not sure if this is fully private or if its accessible?
Riverhill

Comanche & Riverhill are private you got to know a member. Both are winners, love bent grass greens, hope you get on. I play Vaaler once a month and it is the pick of the litter here, Lady Bird and then Buckhorn. Was on Buckhorn last Saturday it's fine, wide open and hard to lose a golf ball. The muni in Kerrville mentioned above is a fun layout but I've not seen it in a year.

Looks like a great weekend to be in the Hill Country

If you can get on with a member at Escondido, congratulations. It's the best course I have ever played (June 2022).

For pure fun and not to take it too serious there is a fun 9 hole golf course in Horseshoe Bay called Blue Lake Golf Course. There is no range, they have 3 cages to warm up and if memory serves a practice green. The course has lots of elevation changes and is a fun layout. I forgot why we went, I think it might have been for a STGA Junior Tour tournament my daughter played years ago. We came from the Houston area and it was unlike anything we had seen in our area. We enjoyed it and I never forgot it!!! When it is right, we love Lady Bird.

https://www.bluelakegolf.com/