Clubhouse Eats: The Omni Barton Creek’s edible ‘golf balls’ are a zesty Texas treat

When Ben Crenshaw was in his competitive prime, the golf balls he preferred had wound rubber cores and balata covers.

But now that he’s a restaurant owner, Gentle Ben likes his golf balls made a different way. We’re thinking of their preparation at Crenshaw’s Bar & Eatery, an amiable hangout at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, on the outskirts of Crenshaw’s hometown of Austin, Texas.

Food

Nestled in the foothills roughly 10 miles from downtown, the resort has four championship courses, and a range of culinary offerings that fit the property’s relaxed but refined vibe. Crenshaw’s restaurant overlooks the back nine of the Fazio Foothills course, with an outdoor patio that peers down on the 18th green.

The menu is casual, comforting and eclectic, and it makes use of playful golf-themed lingo. Order a chopped salad called the ‘Bunker Bowl,’ and you’re treated to a medley of Bibb lettuce, cottage cheese, blueberries, cucumber and avocado, among other ingredients. Ask for “Birdies,” meanwhile, and your server shows up with a generous portion of crispy chicken wings, glistening in house-made hot sauce.

And if you opt for an appetizer known as Golf Balls? You guessed it. Rather than a sleeve of Titleists, you receive four zesty deviled eggs, stuffed with tangy mustard filling.

Arranged on a plate around a pair of golf tees, with their whites decorated in a dimpled pattern, they could almost pass for golf balls from a distance. But of course they’re just for eating, not for beating around.

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Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

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