What is Austin Country Club?
Austin Country Club is a private, member-owned golf club in Davenport Ranch, founded on November 14, 1899. Since February 1, 1984, it has played on a Pete Dye course on 189.5 acres along the south bank of Lake Austin, just southeast of the Pennybacker Bridge. It is the club where Harvey Penick taught for most of the twentieth century, where Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite learned the game, and where the PGA Tour's WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play was held from 2016 to 2023.
The address is 4408 Long Champ Drive, Austin, TX 78746, about 10 miles west of downtown, according to the club's About Us page. It is a club, not a residential community: there are no homes inside the club grounds, and joining does not depend on where you live. For every other private club in the area side by side, see every Austin country club compared. For the club's profile, amenities and nearby listings, see the Austin Country Club page.
How old is Austin Country Club?
Austin Country Club is more than 125 years old. Lewis Hancock organized it on November 14, 1899 as the Austin Golf Club, and the club's history page says it believes it was the first club of its kind organized in Texas. The name changed to Austin Country Club in 1905, when the club bought property.
The club has played on three sites:
| Years | Site | What remains |
|---|---|---|
| 1899 to 1949 | The original Hancock location on 41st Street, northeast of the University of Texas | The nine-hole Hancock municipal course |
| 1949 to 1984 | Riverside Drive in east Austin | The public Riverside Golf Course |
| 1984 to today | Davenport Ranch, on Lake Austin by the Pennybacker Bridge | The current Pete Dye course |
The early years were modest. The first clubhouse, built in 1902, was a two-room frame house with a porch across the front, and the nine-hole course had sand greens, as was the custom in those early days. A two-story wooden clubhouse followed in 1908. On March 19, 1934, that clubhouse burned. The club had $12,000 of insurance and little else, so members rebuilt with brick and stone salvaged from the University of Texas's Old Main building, which was being torn down at the time. The club's history notes that this clubhouse still stands.
In 1949, needing more room, the club moved to Riverside Drive. The Austin American covered the grand opening of the "Country Club of Austin" (the name had briefly changed) and called it "a dream come true for members." The club returned to the Austin Country Club name and stayed at Riverside until it opened the Davenport Ranch course on February 1, 1984.
In 1999, close to 1,000 members marked the centennial. In 2018, the Texas Golf Hall of Fame added Austin Country Club to the Texas Registry of Historic Golf Courses.
Who was Harvey Penick, and why does he matter to the club?
Harvey Penick is the teacher who made Austin Country Club known far outside Austin. He started as a caddie at the Hancock course when he was eight, became head golf professional in 1923 after graduating from Austin High School, and stayed connected to the club for 82 years. The club held the head professional job open for him while he finished high school.
At the Riverside location, Penick coached two future major champions, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite. In 1971 his son Tinsley succeeded him as head professional and Harvey became professional emeritus. Tinsley held the job until 1995, when Dale Morgan took over.
Penick's teaching reached millions of golfers through books. With Austin writer Bud Shrake, he co-wrote four instruction books, starting with *Harvey Penick's Little Red Book* in 1992; the club counts the first two among the best-selling sports books of all time. A statue of Penick and Tom Kite was dedicated at the club on April 2, 1995. His name is still part of the place: the back tees on the scorecard are the Harvey tees, and the club restaurant is Harvey's.
What is the course like?
The Austin Country Club course is an 18-hole, par-72 Pete Dye design that plays about 7,100 yards from the Harvey tees, set along the Colorado River with the Pennybacker Bridge as its backdrop. The club describes the property as more than 180 acres of Hill Country views and canyons in Davenport Ranch.
A few details from the published scorecard and course history:
- Par 72, 36 out and 36 in, with four par 3s and four par 5s.
- Four sets of tees, from the Harvey tees at about 7,062 yards down to about 5,066 yards from the forward tees.
- Renovated in 2015, before the club began hosting the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2016.
- Tournament history: the Match Play was one of the World Golf Championships, contested in match play format, and Austin Country Club hosted it every year from 2016 through the final edition in 2023 (the 2020 event was cancelled).
- Ranking: Golfweek's Best 2025 list of private courses placed Austin Country Club tied for ninth in Texas.
The greens tell the club's history in one line: sand greens on a nine-hole course in 1902, and a Pete Dye championship layout good enough for a World Golf Championship a little more than a century later.
What does Austin Country Club membership cost?
Austin Country Club membership costs $150,000 or more to join, with dues of $1,000 or more a month, by our team's figures as of October 2026. The club is member-owned and does not publish its fees online, so treat those numbers as a starting point and ask the membership office for the current written schedule for the category you are considering.
Beyond golf, the club's posted attire policy names a pool, a tennis and pickleball area, a fitness area, Harvey's restaurant and The Terrace. Check which of those come with the membership category you are offered, along with any food minimums, assessments, and transfer or refund terms. Buying a home nearby does not include membership, and membership does not depend on owning property in a particular neighborhood.
We can help you think through the timing of a home purchase and a membership application as separate decisions, so one does not hold up the other.
Where do Austin Country Club members live?
Austin Country Club members can live anywhere, because membership is not tied to an address, but the club itself sits inside Davenport Ranch, in the 78746 ZIP code, and many buyers who want to be close to the club start their search there. Davenport Ranch is in Eanes ISD, whose district profile lists Davenport among the parts of Austin it serves. Confirm assigned campuses for a specific address with Eanes ISD before you buy.
Nearby, and not part of Davenport Ranch, are Westlake Hills, Lost Creek, Rob Roy and the rest of the 78746 ZIP code. Each has its own lot sizes, price levels and drive times to the club gate. If schools and commute matter as much as the course, our Rollingwood and Westlake Hills comparison covers the trade-offs, and our list of Austin's most expensive neighborhoods shows where these areas sit in the wider market.
Buyers who want the club also look well beyond 78746, in Tarrytown, Barton Creek or on Lake Austin. If you are weighing a club community with homes on the course instead, the UT Golf Club in Steiner Ranch and the clubs in Barton Creek, Lakeway and Bee Cave are covered on our Austin country clubs page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Austin Country Club founded?
Austin Country Club was founded on November 14, 1899, by Lewis Hancock, as the Austin Golf Club. It took the Austin Country Club name in 1905 and has played on its current Davenport Ranch course since February 1, 1984.
Who designed the Austin Country Club course?
Pete Dye designed the current course, which opened in 1984 on 189.5 acres in Davenport Ranch along Lake Austin. It is an 18-hole, par-72 layout of about 7,100 yards from the back tees, renovated in 2015.
Is Austin Country Club private?
Yes. Austin Country Club is a private, member-owned club. Golf and the clubhouse are for members and their guests, and the club's membership terms come from the club itself.
How much does it cost to join Austin Country Club?
As of October 2026, our team's figures put joining at $150,000 or more, with monthly dues of $1,000 or more; the club does not publish its fees. Ask the club for the current written schedule, including any food minimums, assessments, and transfer or refund terms.
Where is Austin Country Club?
The club is at 4408 Long Champ Drive in Davenport Ranch, Austin, TX 78746, on the south bank of Lake Austin just southeast of the Pennybacker Bridge, about 10 miles west of downtown.
Did Austin Country Club host a PGA Tour event?
Yes. Austin Country Club hosted the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play from 2016 through 2023, when the event ended. The 2020 edition was cancelled.
Do you have to live in Davenport Ranch to join?
No. Membership does not depend on owning a home in Davenport Ranch or any other neighborhood, and buying a nearby home does not come with membership. Treat the home purchase and the membership application as separate decisions.
What school district serves the area around Austin Country Club?
Davenport Ranch, where the club sits, is in Eanes ISD. Assigned campuses depend on the exact address, so confirm them with the district for any home you are considering.
Ready to take the next step? Tell us whether you want to be near the club, on a course of your own, or both, and we will show you homes that fit. Get a home valuation if you are considering selling, explore luxury buyer resources or buyer resources if you are searching, or review the Keenan Group's track record across 1,000+ Austin transactions.
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