Willies course website: http://cutnputt.com/the-course/
Webpage of pictures from Willie’s course.
We all know Willie Nelson, one of the music giants who made Country Music cool. Most of us could sing along with any number of his famous recordings. “On The Road Again” Willie started as a song writer for many country music greats, but his songs sounded better when he did them his way. His style, “Lyrical Story Telling,” has many similarities to Minnesota native Bob Dylan.
As familiar we are with Willie Nelson’s music and his ruckus lifestyle, most people don’t know that Willie Nelson is a golfer. He loves golf. He owns a golf course. He is addicted to golf. “Whiskey River Take My Mind” Words from Willie: “Golf isn’t just a game—it’s an addiction. Think of it as the crack cocaine of sports. Like most addictions, doing it more doesn’t necessarily make you any better at it, it just makes you want more.”
Willie’s 9-hole golf course, Pedernales Golf Club, sits on a hilltop overlooks the Pedernales River the just outside Austin Texas. Willie’s golf buddies have adopted his pet name for the course, Cut ’N Putt. For over 30 years, only Willie and close friends and associates played his, private (and I mean private) course. The small building that serves as club house today once doubled as his recording studio. Imagine, taking a break in the middle of a recording session “Pancho and Lefty” and stepping outside and playing a quick nine on your own golf course. Just imagine Willie and his, whiskey drinking, pot smoking, buddies taking off on golf carts. Eight or ten or twelve, every player with his own golf cart. What a movie that would make. Might make Caddy Shack look tame.
For years players on Cut ’N Putt played by Willie set of posted Set Of Rules. (Remember he was a {song} writer. I will share a few of his most interesting Rules:
- When another player is shooting, no player should talk, whistle, hum, clink coins, or pass gas. (I have no problem with that rule.)
- No bikinis, mini-skirts, skimpy see-through, or sexually exploitative attire allowed. Except on women. “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”
- No more than 12 in a foursome and everyone has to have his own cart.
- If your wife calls, we will tell her that you are in a conference. “Good Hearted Woman”
Now the good news fellow golfers. You can play Willie Nelson’s golf course, even if you are not a buddy of his. Willie’s golf course is now open to the public. Playing conditions at Cut ’N Putt have been improved with the addition new irrigation system and a little help from Mother Nature (end of Texas drought). They even have a golf pro. Two things are for sure, there is no food served at Cut ’N Putt and there is no cute young thing driving a beverage care. There is no alcohol sold at Cut ’N Putt. “Bloody Mary Morning” However for those of us who enjoy a beer or an adult beverage on the course, Cut ’N Putt allows golfers to bring their own cooler. Contents will not be confiscated.
For those of us who grew up as want-to-be-hippies, Willie has been somewhat of a cult hero. “My Hero’s Have Always Been Cowboys” Who else do you know who has spent several nights in the Lincoln bedroom and smoked pot with a sitting President.
Speaking of Pot, on March 25, 2017 Cut ’N Putt golf course will host the 4th Annual “Puff ’N Putt” Golf Tournament. The annual event is a fund raiser to support Texas NORML (National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws). The tournament offers much more than golf. Live music, disc golf, food truck and much more. There are still openings available in the day long event. Go to www.stillisstillmoving.com for an entry form. “Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die”
Willie Nelson, what a story teller. Willie Nelson, a wonderful musician. Willie Nelson, a true Character On The Course.
