"November is a little bit lighter on the special event calendar in Austin … aside from UT football games," Nathan Kopp, executive director of the Austin Sports Commission, told Community Impact last month. He was talking about the Austin Championship, the PGA Tour's first Austin event since 2023, and the boost he expects it to give hotels and restaurants.
In Barton Creek, the tournament and the holiday season are using the same two places at once. Santa photos at Barton Creek Square opened Nov. 7, took a break Nov. 9 through 12, and come back Friday, Nov. 13, the tournament's second round. The mall is also the tournament's general-admission parking lot. At Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, stays in the Santa's Landing holiday rooms begin Nov. 14, during the tournament's Saturday round. Five days after the final putt, the resort's holiday bar opens.
Four public days on Fazio Canyons, starting today
The Austin Championship is an official FedExCup Fall event on the Fazio Canyons Course at Omni Barton Creek. It has a 120-player field and a $6 million purse, and the winner takes 500 FedExCup points. Tom Fazio designed the course in 1999. It plays 7,433 yards and was recently renovated. Practice rounds ran Monday and Tuesday and the Pro-Am was Wednesday. Competition runs Thursday through Sunday, and those four days are open to the public.
The field includes Austin native Cole Sherwood and former University of Texas players Christian Maas and Tommy Morrison.
| Day | Gates open | Daily admission | Shuttle hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 12 | 7 a.m. | $80 | 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | 6:30 a.m. | $90 | 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | 8 a.m. | $120 | 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 15 | 8 a.m. | $100 | 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
A weekly pass costs $350. Children 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult, up to two children per adult. For a household planning one day, the price spread matters. Saturday costs $40 more than Thursday, and Thursday's gates open an hour earlier than the weekend's. Tickets are on the official tournament site.
This is the inaugural edition. Tournament director Ian Helm told Community Impact that whether the event returns each year depends on the PGA Tour securing a lead sponsor. So this week could be a one-time event or the first of many, and nobody knows yet.
Barton Creek Square becomes the arrival point
All general-admission parking is at Barton Creek Square, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. The tournament site points to Lot M. You can buy parking in advance or at the lot, and complimentary shuttles run to the tournament's main entrance. ADA parking is in the same lot, and the shuttles are ADA accessible.
Shuttles start at 4:30 a.m. and run until 7 p.m. each day, so the lot will be busy before the mall opens and after a normal afternoon of errands. Santa photos, which run through Dec. 24, start up again on Friday after a four-day break. On Friday, Nov. 13, the LEGO Store is hosting a "Build a LEGO Reindeer" activity from 5 to 7 p.m. Participants take their builds home while supplies last. That overlaps the last two hours of Friday's shuttle service.
Rideshare passengers skip the mall. The tournament directs them to 4111 Barton Creek Blvd. The drop-off and pickup area there is a short walk from the main entrance, near the No. 6 green and No. 7 tee. If a neighbor is dropping off a guest, that is the address to use.
The broader goal is visitors. Kopp told Community Impact that the tournament should bring players, caddies, agents, trainers and media to town. He also said the 2021 to 2023 Match Play events brought in 5,000 overnight hotel guests and $12 million to $14 million in direct spending, according to Austin Sports Commission data. Those figures cover a three-year span at Austin Country Club. They are a baseline for comparison, not a forecast for this week.
Five days later, the resort changes over
Omni Barton Creek starts its holiday season on Friday, Nov. 20. Some events are open to the public and some are for resort guests only, and that difference determines what a neighbor can actually go to.
Open to the public, per the resort's events page:
- Blitzen's at Jim Bob's Lobby Lounge, Nov. 20 through Jan. 10. This is the resort's Christmas-themed pop-up bar.
- Snow Show on Lady Bird Lawn, Thursdays through Saturdays in December, 6 to 7 p.m. Artificial snow falls to holiday music.
- Austin Championship, through Sunday, which is the last event on the resort's calendar before the holidays begin.
Resort guests only:
- Trail of Lights, Nov. 20 through Jan. 10. It is a walk through the property's lights and holiday decor.
- Story Time with Mrs. Claus, Saturdays in December, 5 to 6 p.m. in the lobby.
Dining and classes on the resort calendar:
- Art of Mixology: Autumn Sips & Spices, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2 to 4 p.m. at Blind Salamander Kitchen & Bar. Guests make an Apple Cider Bourbon Smash and a Pumpkin Spice White Russian. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite.
- Thanksgiving Brunch, Nov. 26 at Blind Salamander, with reservations through OpenTable.
- Breakfast with Santa, Dec. 5, 12 and 19, 9 to 11 a.m. at Texas Spice.
- Art of Mixology: Merry & Bright, Dec. 19, 2 to 4 p.m., with tickets through Eventbrite, and Christmas Day Brunch, Dec. 25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nov. 20 is the Friday after the tournament ends. In a single week, the same lobby goes from hosting a PGA Tour field to opening a pop-up Christmas bar, and Santa's Landing stays will already be six days underway. You can find the full lineup on the resort's Holiday in the Hills page.
December dates at the mall, and the trees down the road
Barton Creek Square's own holiday calendar continues after the golf traffic is gone:
- Thanksgiving, Nov. 26: the mall is closed.
- Black Friday, Nov. 27: open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Caring Santa, Dec. 6: a sensory-friendly visit from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Reservations are required, and photos are available for purchase.
- Pet Photos with Santa, Dec. 13: no reservation needed.
- Christmas Eve, Dec. 24: the mall is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is the last day of Santa photos, with Santa available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Christmas Day, Dec. 25: closed.
Downstream at Zilker Park, the city lights the Zilker Holiday Tree on Sunday, Nov. 29. The tree stays up through Jan. 1. Austin Parks and Recreation updated its closures page on Oct. 27 to say the Barton Creek Greenbelt stays open during Zilker's seasonal Great Lawn and Trail of Lights operations.
For a walk closer to home, the city lists the 360 Trailhead at 3753 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. That is the same highway as the mall, on the way to Twin Falls. The city's Greenbelt page says creek levels rise and fall with rainfall and are not monitored by Parks and Recreation. It suggests checking USGS or LCRA readings before you go.
What's next for the mall after the holidays
Two pending additions show the mall's next phase. The Uniqlo planned for Barton Creek Square has a revised construction completion date of April 30, 2027 on file with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, according to MySA. The previous date was Sept. 4, 2026. The filing tracks construction, and MySA notes the date can change. Simon's directory lists Chubby Cattle as "Coming Soon" on the upper level near Gap.
If you're hosting guests for the tournament or the holidays and want a local's read on the mall, the resort or the Greenbelt, Chris Krueger is a native Austinite and glad to help with your plans. Let's Work Together.
