Loraloma Club
Hole 18 / Par-5 / 573 Yards
Architect: David McLay Kidd (2025)
Spicewood, Texas, USA
The greater Austin area is lifting off in a big-time way. Loraloma opened in late 2025 and is a new residential development in the community of Spicewood, located just 20 minutes from central Austin.
Loralona serves as the first phase of Thomas Ranch, a master-planned development occupying 2,200 acres. The facility will have a number of key amenities, but the center point comes with the 18-hole layout.
Designed by acclaimed architect David McLay Kidd, the design is the Scotsman’s first layout in Texas.
Kidd came to the forefront when selected by Mike Keiser in creating the first 18-hole course at Bandon Dunes back in 1999. His portfolio of successful courses include the likes of Nanea in Hawaii, Gamble Sands in Washington and Sand Valley / Mammoth Dunes in Wisconsin, to name just a few.
Loraloma occupies approximately 120 acres, and several holes skirt the bluffs of the nearby Pedernales River. Kidd has provided ample width in the fairway landing areas, but it is critical for players to secure the best playing angle for approaches into the greens.
Unlike countless other mega-development projects in which housing can engulf a site with endless clutter, Loraloma is free of such mindless distraction. It is the golf and Mother Nature occupying the main playbill.
The course has a number of engaging holes but the closing hole is one that remains in the memory long after the round is completed.
Kidd opted to go with a par-5 of 573 yards at hole 18. The genius of the hole is the manner by which clear decisions have to be made by players and then doing so with top tier execution.
“Hole 18 presents a visually intimidating tee shot yet offers more room than it first suggests,” said Spencer Scheeler, Director of Golf. “The true challenge lies in the approach – one must commit to carrying the arroyo or choose a precise line that sets up the ideal angle for your third.”
Those with sufficient length can reach the green in two shots when wind conditions are favorable but that desire must be backed up with flawless shotmaking. The putting surface is generous at 5,036 square feet but not indifferent to wayward play.
Once you get to the green, the visual elements coalesce into a riveting setting.
Closing holes succeed when the totality of the round reaches a clear crescendo. That happens at Loraloma’s 18th.
It’s a hole where perception and reality rarely align and one that demands your full attention until the final putt drops,” said Scheeler.
Yes indeed.
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Pictures courtesy: Evan Schiller
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