Our Story

The development of Horseshoe Bay began nearly 50 years ago with the vision of two men from Brady, Texas – Norman and Wayne Hurd.

In 1968 Norman and his wife, Dorothy, were looking for acreage on Lake LBJ on which to build a home. What they saw was the property referred to by locals as the "Coke" Ranch, owned by the Lupton family, who were Coca–Cola bottlers). Norman immediately had a vision for an incredible resort, and was eager to bring that vision to fruition.

Although the Lupton ranch was not for sale, Norman was not to be deterred. Instead, he turned to his cousin Wayne. "I immediately saw the potential for the development of a resort," Wayne said. "The Lupton Ranch was in a great location. I told Norman I would join him in trying to purchase and develop it. We agreed that our goal would be the creation of something Texas did not have at that time–a top quality resort." Together they were able to convince the Luptons to sell their home, allowing the Hurds’ dream to come true.

In 1971, the cousins began the development of the resort. They also began the search for their property’s name.  One name they considered was Horseshoe Bay, for the Horseshoe Creek that ran through the property and the natural circular shape the bay had, like a horseshoe. At some point, Lake LBJ was lowered, and the name was decided. "One day Norman and I were standing in the middle of the dry lake bottom. I stumbled across a rusty horseshoe and picked it up. We decided that was a sign and settled the question of the name," said Wayne.

The vision of the Horseshoe Bay Resort was to become one of the State’s finest membership clubs and destination resorts. The amenities established served as hallmarks of tradition, yet were timeless in design to transform with an ever-changing lifestyle. Membership value was founded as distinctive, exclusive, and uniquely suited to captivate all that is above standard within private club offerings. This goal continues to hold true to this day.

The Jaffe family took controlling interest in the resort in 1995, maintaining the values of family ownership upon which the resort was built. Today, Horseshoe Bay Resort has grown to become one of the premiere destinations in the country. In 2020, the resort completed a $100 million renovation, touching all areas of the property from rooms to golf courses to landscaping, while continuing to expand its offerings and services to conform to that ever-changing lifestyle.