Don’t know how I missed this previously.
I live in South Austin, going on 5 years. You’ve got a healthy mix of decent munis, semi-private, and private courses.
Everything is fairly spread out, but off the top of my head, I’d guess North Austin/Round Rock has the most courses in one area. Round Rock also has a great driving range facility that has a regular range, short range, and short game areas.
The munis are pretty well maintained but can get busy quick. The “best” (and most expensive, $80ish) is Grey Rock in South Austin. It’s also run as a semi-private course as it used to be a private club before the city bought it.
I’ve enjoyed rounds at all of the semi-private courses I’ve played here. I usually play Falconhead (SW Austin) and Grey Rock just due to geography. Memberships at these clubs are also pretty reasonable.
There are several private courses/country clubs. They range from $10k initiation fee to $if you have to ask… Austin Country Club is the jewel (see Dell Match Play) but again there is a great variety depending on what you’re looking for in a membership.