Golf course & community at Comanche Trace in Texas Hill Country celebrate 25th anniversary

Rousing weekend includes member events with World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite and golf course architect Roy Bechtol, who partnered to design the club’s first 18 holes in
2000

KERRVILLE, Texas — While much has changed in the past three years at Comanche
Trace, the peerless golf course and lifestyle community set about an hour northwest of
San Antonio in the much-desired Texas Hill Country, has stood the test of time. 
 
More than 300 members and invited guests gathered here April 25-27 to celebrate the
25th anniversary of the 1,300-acre community and its dynamite 27 holes of golf and
sublime list of top-shelf amenities.  
 
All those facets have combined to make and keep Comanche Trace among the
polished jewels of the region, garnering the neighborhood a bushelful of kudos,
including recognition among “America’s Top 100 Golf Communities” and one of the “50
Best Master-Planned Communities in the U.S.” 
 
Headlining the late-April anniversary event was a golf scramble in which World Golf  Hall
of Famer Tom Kite played with members and golf course architect and former senior
long drive champion Roy Bechtol hit tee shots on the fourth hole with each group.  
 
Kite and Bechtol partnered with Randy Russell to fashion Comanche Trace’s much
ballyhooed original 18 holes in 2000; another nine holes were added by the father-son
team of Jay and Carter Morrish in 2008. 

Roy Bechtol & Tom Kite on the tee box of #1 of Comanche Trace

Legacy Golf Properties acquired Comanche Trace in 2022 and has since enhanced the
community’s appeal through a series of improvements and additions. Among those are
a 5,000-square-foot fitness center, a Hill Country Taphouse at the course’s 15-acre
practice facility, a quartet of pickleball courts, and an enhanced slate of club events
tailored to the lifestyle of its members. 
 
“Comanche Trace is more than just 27 holes of world-class golf — it’s a lifestyle set in
one of the most scenic settings in Texas,” said Steven Held, Legacy Golf Properties’
 president & CEO. ”Our members and I are extremely thankful for what Tom and Roy
created 25 years ago, and we were honored that they joined us last weekend, allowing
us to thank them for creating what has been recognized as one of the best residential
golf communities in the country.” 
 
Kite remarked that his return to Comanche Trace and the celebration rekindled his love
for the community and the course. 
 
“It was great to go back to Comanche Trace for the celebration,” Kite said. “The golf
course has matured quite nicely, and it’s a pleasure to see that so many people are still
enjoying the design that we put out on the ground 25 years ago.” 
 
Bechtol has been a more frequent returner to Comanche Trace through the years and
still holds dear the experiences from the designing and construction of the course. 
 
“It was one of the most magical journeys that Kite-Bechtol-Russell ever experienced as
far as having fun while we were creating,” said the Austin-based Bechtol, who has
designed more than 90 golf courses in his expansive career. “It was a seamless
transition from a raw piece of dirt to a Hill Country jewel. The golf course really has
three personalities — it was a blend of three land types, I guess you might say three
landscapes: prairie, creek and Hill Country.” 
 
Bechtol said the building of the original holes at Comanche Trace was part of a journey
that the designers cherished. 
 
“We all had a really good time on the two-hour drive from Austin to Kerrville — we’d look
forward to it,” he explained. “On the drive back, we talked about the day we had and
what we learned and what we wanted to tweak. So, it was a great personal journey for
us to get to know each other and be excited about what we were creating.” 
  
When Comanche Trace debuted a quarter-century ago, it was named one of the “Five
Best New Residential Communities” in the country. Twenty-five years on — and with the
stewardship of Legacy Golf Properties — that heritage has only grown stronger.  
 
“At Comanche Trace, we recognize that our members aren’t just choosing a
community—they’re investing in their legacy,” Held said. “It’s our commitment to ensure
every element here continues to deliver for generations. Once people experience life
here, they never want to leave — and that’s what makes it so special.” 

 
With three new homesite phases, as well as several spec houses under construction
and a 2025 Tour of Homes scheduled for this fall, isn’t it time to explore and discover
Comanche Trace?