New name, improving course: Lost Creek Country Club becomes Westlake Country Club

While a familiar face was behind the redesign of a southwest Austin golf course, a new name and a new look should position the now 50-year-old club for a bright future in the state’s capital.

Last week the former Lost Creek Country Club unveiled a radical rebranding, one that had many members on hand excited about what upcoming years might bring. Moving forward, the club will be known as Westlake Country Club, and while World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins was on hand last Wednesday to discuss upgrades to the course, it was just one component of a massive project that should put the club in Central Texas’ highest tier.

Westlake Country Club general manager Chip Gist kicked off a ceremony with a panel that included Wadkins and others speaking to the membership. While the course redesign is complete, a number of other changes are coming, including upgrades to the tennis center, fitness center and clubhouse.

“What we've decided to do is embark on this journey to drive the club to its full potential," Gist said. "This club has everything you'd ever want. It has location. It has aesthetic beauty. It has programming. And it has a great membership. It just always wasn't aligned. So what we're doing is we're putting all that together. And making this club realize its full potential. And that's powerful. That's really powerful."

Wadkins remains on course

Wadkins, 73, is showing no signs of slowing down. He still dabbles in PGA Tour Champions TV commentary and his design firm continues to help with new designs (his Black Jack’s Crossing at Lajitas Golf Club near Big Bend National Park is Golfweek’s best course you can play in the state of Texas) as well as redesigns like the one at Westlake. Clearly, Wadkins was proud of the work his team did at Westlake, saying he believes the property offers players a gamut of experiences.

“The good thing about this course is the variety. You’ve got a little bit of everything,” Wadkins said. “Reachable par 5s. Driveable par 4s. You know, big boy stuff. Overall, I feel like we had our work in front of us and we just kind of went out there and got after it.”

While on site at Westlake, Golfweek asked Wadkins about his recent comments about Phil Mickelson, who he called the “most disappointing figure in golf.”

Not only did the current Dallas resident stick by his statements, but he also said Mickelson should be grateful that the game gave him a platform.

“The truth is Phil is disappointing," Wadkins said. "I mean, we all love Phil and watched him play. He was a rookie on my Ryder Cup team and played very well. He went 3-0. He and (his wife) Amy were dating, they weren’t even married at that point in time. But to do the stuff he’s done and, you know, cause the problems he’s caused and the friction he’s caused, and the divisiveness in golf he’s caused — if it wasn’t for golf, where would Phil Mickelson be? You know, he’d be gambling in a ditch somewhere. So, you know, It’s not good. I think he owes more to the game than what he’s done.

“No question he would have been a captain, probably a two-time captain. He probably would have been the captain next time at Bethpage Black when it comes over here. Instead, it’ll probably be Tiger.”

Spieths welcome second child

There was a good reason why U.S. Ryder Cup member Jordan Spieth skipped Team USA’s scouting trip to Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome earlier this month. Spieth’s wife, Annie, was expecting the couple’s second child, and while trying to win the biennial match on European soil for the first time in 30 years is kind of a big deal to Spieth, no self-respecting father-to-be would want to be on the other side of the planet and risk missing the birth of their bundle of joy.

Good thing the three-time major winner and Texas product didn’t make the trip; otherwise he may have struggled to get back to Dallas, which he calls home, in time to be there to witness the birth of daughter Sophie on Sept. 12. She joins big brother Sammy, who was born in 2021.

Spieth, 30, posted an announcement on social media that was short on details — no mention of weight or height — and included a photo of his daughter sucking on a pacifier in his arms. Congrats to the Spieths, who now can fill out their own foursome.

Big names to be honored in Frisco

The PGA of America’s 2023 Hall of Fame class will feature three PGA professionals, an LPGA legend, a past PGA president and a famous broadcaster.

The PGA announced its next Hall inductee list Monday, with the official ceremony set for Nov. 8, at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort. PGA members Robert Dolan (Middle Atlantic PGA Section), Don Wegrzyn (Illinois PGA Section) and Herb Wimberly (Sun Country PGA Section) will be inducted alongside past president Suzy Whaley, LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth and CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz at the 107th PGA Annual Meeting. The PGA’s Hall started in 1940.

Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock. Golfweek’s Adam Schupak contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Newly-renamed Westlake Country Club eyes course, facility upgrades