Texas City Becoming Major Golf Destination

SAN ANTONIO -- This city has long been known for such major tourist attractions as its magnificent River Walk, The Alamo, Seaworld and the Six Flags Fiesta Texas entertainment theme park.

But there's a major new player joining the scene:

With more than 300 days of sunshine per year and a year-around average daytime temperature of 72, San Antonio is on its way to becoming a Texas golf mecca, building on average one new golf course per year the past 12 years.

The addition of the Westin LaCantera Resort complex course, the debut of the beautiful Palmer Course at LaCantera and the opening of the Hyatt Hill Resort were major steps in the past few years.

And more is on the way.

Development of a huge PGA Village Resort complex has been announced, with some wrinkles to be ironed out before it becomes a reality (including questions regarding the impact on the region's aquafier)

The metropolitan San Antonio area already includes more than three dozen golf courses. Some of the older stalwarts include such famous layouts as Pecan Valley (which hosted the 1968 PGA Championship, won by Julius Boros by one shot over Arnold Palmer) and Oak Hills.

If you like your golf courses to have unique designs, then the new Palmer Course and the Quarrry course could bring some smiles.

The 7,000-yard, par 71, Palmer course offers some of the most striking views in golf.

The course lies right next to the LaCantera resort course and snakes along the Texas hills and valleys, offering panoramic views on many holes, with the course's majestic mission-style clubhouse sitting above it all on a hilltop like a golden jewel.

A small stream meanders through much of the rocky course (LaCantera in Spanish means The Quarry), with a sprinkling of ponds along the way. The course has several signature-type holes, including No. 4 (a beautifully-bridged, tough par 3 across a pond, dedicated to Palmer's late wife, Winnie).

Golfers see beautiful limestone walls, stone outcroppings and waterfalls all over the course, with several dramatic changes in elevation. The many doglegs result in a few holes having blind shots.

The Palmer course has a rating of 74.4 and a slope of 142, making it one of the toughest courses in the state. Indeed, the course is rated even tougher than the LaCantera Resort Course (rated 72.5, with a 134 slope), which each fall hosts the Texas Open PGA Tour event (won in 2002 by Loren Roberts).

The LaCantera Resort Course also has many scenic holes and wraps around the beautiful LaCantera clubhouse and resort hotel.

The course includes many elevated tees. The beautifully-appointed hotel, with more than 500 rooms, also features the eye-catching mission-style design and a lovely courtyard with water flowing through a multi-level rock garden situated adjacent to one of the hotel's restaurants. The view from the restaurant windows of the courtyard and the golf course is outstanding.

The LaCantera complex also includes a huge practice area and a reknown golf school, featuring state-of-the-art teaching equipment. The staff includes Bryan Gathright, named on the top 100 golf instructors in the U. S. by Golf Magazine, and noted sports psychologist Dr. David Cook.

One interesting aspect of the LaCantera Resort Course is that one of the many elevated tees has golfers aiming directly at the huge Six Flags Fiesta Texas rollercoaster The Rattler (located only about a Tiger Woods 4-iron from the green).

The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort course is located adjacent to the Sea World complex west of the city and features a ranch-style clubhouse. The course plays to 6,515 yards, is rated at 70.9 and a slope of 122.

The Quarry course is located close to the center of San Antonio and was built muchly around the inside rim of an old limestone quarry, with a huge pond (which comes into play on several holes) in the center. The course plays to 6,740 yards and a rating of 72.4 (slope 128).

Pecan Valley is one of the region's oldest tracts and is built on the site of an old cattle ranch on the southeast side of the city. The course is always rated at or near the top of public courses in the state (rating in the Top 50 Public Courses in America by Golf Digest Magazine). The course is a flat "thinking man's course" that calls for golfers to use all the the clubs in their bag. The course features a ranch-style clubhouse, plays to 7,010 yards and has a rating of 74.5 (135 slope).

Other notable San Antonio area golf courses include Brackenridge Park (debuted in 1915 and is the oldest public golf course in the state), Canyon Springs Golf Club (another Texas Hill Country course featuring beautiful views), Silverhorn Golf Club (meandering through heavily wooded terrain), The Golf Club of Texas (a Lee Trevino layout featuring water on 11 holes) and Tapatio Springs Resort (a 27-hole Hill Country resort course reaching elevations of 1,900 feet), Oak Hills (another Hill Country course, at Fredericksburg, playing to 6,691 yards, 72.5 rating and 135 slope) and Sonterra Country Club (highlighted by more than a dozen water hazards and a $7 million clubhouse).

A major factor in San Antonio's golf popularity is the diverse layouts available and the affordability.

For more complete information on San Antonio golf courses on the Internet go to www.golf-sanantonio.com. For more information on hotels and attractions go to www.sanantoniovisit.com or call 800-447-3372.

• Alamo Golf Club, 9700 Rochelle Road, (210) 696-4000. Green fees - weekdays: $15, $23 with cart (seniors $16 with cart); weekends: $18, $26 with cart (seniors $22 with cart).
  
• Alsatian Golf Course, 1339 County Road 4516, Castroville, (830) 931-3100. Green fees - weekdays: $22, $34 with cart (seniors $16, $23 with cart); weekends: $27, $39 with cart (seniors $22, $34 with cart).
  
• Bandera Ranch Resort, Texas 16 West, Bandera, (830) 460-7958. Green fees - weekdays: $10, $19.50 with cart (seniors $12 with cart); weekends: $15, $24.50 with cart.
  
• The Bandit (designed by Keith Foster), New Braunfels, (830) 609-4665. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $35 with cart (seniors $27); Friday-Sunday: $45.
  
• Brackenridge Golf Course (designed by legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast), 2315 Avenue B, (210) 226-5612. Green fees - weekdays: $16.25, $35.25 with cart; weekends: $19.25, $38.25 with cart.
  
• Buckhorn Golf Course, Comfort, (830) 995-5351. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $28 with cart (seniors Monday-Friday $22); Friday-Sunday: $36 with cart.
  
• Canyon Lake Golf Club, 405 Watts Lane, Canyon Lake, (830) 899-3301. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $17, $25 with cart (seniors $23 with cart); weekends: $24, $32 with cart (seniors $30 with cart).
  
• Canyon Springs Golf Club, 24400 Canyon Golf Road, (210) 497-1770. Green fees - weekdays: $69 with cart (seniors $25 Monday-Thursday before 9 a.m.); weekends: $69 with cart.
  
• Cedar Creek, 8250 Vista Colina St., (210) 695-5050. Green fees - weekdays: $24.25, $44.25 with cart (seniors $18.25, $37.50 with cart); weekends: $27.25, $46.50 with cart (seniors $20.25, $39.50 with cart).
  
• Chaparral Country Club, 300 Chaparral Drive, Seguin, (830) 379-6313. Green fees - weekdays: $21.95 with cart (seniors $19.95); weekends: $29.95 with cart ($19.95 after 3 p.m.).
  
• Devine Golf Course, 116 Malone Drive, Devine, (830) 665-9943. Green fees - weekdays: $22 with cart (seniors $17); weekends: $29 with cart.
  
• Flying L Guest Ranch and Resort, off Texas 173 and Wharton Dock Road, Bandera, (830) 796-8466. Green fees - weekdays: $22.50 with cart (seniors $17.50 with cart); weekends $31 (seniors $26 with cart.)
  
• Golf Club of Texas, 13600 Briggs Ranch, (210) 677-0027. Green fees - weekdays: $75 with cart (seniors $35); weekends: $85 with cart (seniors $35).
  
• Hondo Golf Course, Hondo, (830) 426-2331. Green fees - all week: $12 with cart for nine holes (seniors $10); $22.50 with cart for 18 holes (seniors $20).
  
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort (designed by Arthur Hills), 9800 Hyatt Resort Drive, (210) 520-4040. Green fees - all week: $120 with cart; $70 after 2 p.m. (hotel guest); $135 with cart, $85 after 2 p.m. (nonguest).
  
• Karnes County Country Club, U.S. 181, Kenedy, (830) 583-3200. Green fees - weekdays: $6.50, $14 with cart (9 holes); $8, $15.50 with cart (18); weekends: $8, $15.50 (9 holes); $10, $17.50 (18).
  
• La Cantera (designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf), 16401 La Cantera Pkwy., (210) 558-4653. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $115 with cart; Friday-Sunday, $130 with cart.
  
• Lady Bird Johnson, Texas 16, Fredericksburg, (830) 997-4010. Green fees - weekdays: $24, $34 with cart; weekends: $34, $44 with cart.
  
• Landa Park, 340 Landa Park Drive, New Braunfels, (830) 608-2174. Green fees - weekdays: $14, $24.50 with cart; weekends: $17.25, $27.75 with cart.
  
• Lee's Par 3, 1450 W. Klein Road, New Braunfels, (830) 620-4653. Green fees - all week: $5 (9 holes); $9 (18 holes).
  
• The Lynx at Las Palomas, 120 Las Palomas Drive, La Vernia, (830) 217-4653. Green fees - weekdays: $18 with cart (seniors $14); weekends: $24 (seniors $20).
  
• Mission del Lago, 1250 Mission Grande St., (210) 627-2522. Green fees - weekdays: $16.25, $35.50 with cart (seniors $10.25, $29.50 with cart); weekends: $19.25, $38.50 with cart (seniors $15.25, $34.50).
  
• Northcliffe Golf Club, 5301 Country Club Blvd., (830) 606-7351. Green fees - weekdays: $15, $26 with cart; weekends: $31 with cart.
  
• Northern Hills Country Club, 13202 Scarsdale Drive, (210) 655-8026. Green fees - weekdays: $33 with cart; weekends: $41.50 with cart.
  
• Oak Valley, 18632 Bandera Road, Helotes, (210) 695-2606. Green fees - all week: $5.
  
• Olmos Basin, 7022 McCullough Ave., (210) 826-4041. Green fees - weekdays: $16.25, $35.41 with cart (seniors, $10.25, $29.25 with cart); weekends: $19.25, $38.25 with cart (seniors, $15.25, $34.25 with cart).
  
• Olympia Hills Golf and Conference Center, 12900 Mount Olympus, Universal City, (210) 945-4653. Green fees - weekdays: $35 with cart (seniors $27); weekends: $45.
  
• Palmer Course at La Cantera (designed by Arnold Palmer), 17865 Babcock Road, (210) 558-2365. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $115 with cart; weekends: $130 with cart.
  
• Pecan Valley (designed by J. Press Maxwell), 4700 Pecan Valley Drive, (210) 333-9018. Green fees - weekdays: $49.95 with cart (seniors $45); weekends: $69.95.
  
• Pleasanton Country Club, 1801 McGuffin Drive, Pleasanton, (830) 281-3486. Green fees - weekdays: $16, $24.55 with cart (seniors $16 with cart); weekends: $18, $28.80 with cart.
  
• The Quarry (designed by Keith Foster), 444 E. Basse Road, (210) 824-4500. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $75 with cart; Friday-Sunday: $95 with cart.
  
• Rayner Ranch Golf Club, 10101 Rebecca Creek Road, Spring Branch, (210) 497-7100. Green fees - weekdays: $20, $30 with cart (seniors $15, $25 with cart); weekends: $25, $35 with cart).
  
• The Republic, 4226 S.E. Military Drive, (210) 359-0000. Green fees - weekdays: $35; weekends: $49.
  
• River Crossing Golf Club, 500 River Way, Spring Branch, (830) 904-4653. Green fees - weekdays: $49.95 with cart (seniors $25.95 with cart) weekends: $59.95 with cart.
  
• Riverside, 203 McDonald St., (210) 533-8371. Green fees - $16.25, $35.49 with cart (seniors $11.25, $19.75 with cart); weekends: $19.25, $38.87 with cart (seniors $12.30, $25 with cart).
  
• San Pedro Par 3 Golf Course, 6102 San Pedro Ave., (210) 349-5113. Green fees - weekdays: $3.50; weekends: $4.
  
• Scott Schreiner, 1 Country Club Drive, Kerrville, (830) 257-4982. Green fees - weekdays: $18, $30 with cart; weekends: $24, $36 with cart.
  
• SilverHorn, 1100 Bitters Road, (210) 545-5300. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $55 with cart (seniors $39.95). Friday-Sunday: $65.
  
• Southwest Texas Golf Course, Aquarena Springs Drive, San Marcos, (512) 245-7593. Green fees - weekdays: $10, $19 with cart (seniors $9, $18 with cart); weekends: $12, $21 with cart (seniors $11, $20 with cart).
  
• Starcke Park, 1400 S. Guadalupe St., Seguin, (830) 401-2490. Green fees - weekdays: $12, $22 with cart; weekends: $15, $25 with cart.
  
• Sundance, 2294 Common St., New Braunfels, (830) 629-3817. Green fees - weekdays: $8.66, $16.24 with cart (seniors $8, $12 with cart); weekends: $15.16, $21.65 with cart ($11.91, $18.40).
  
• Tapatio Springs, Johns Road, Boerne, (830) 537-4197. Green fees - Monday-Thursday: $85 with cart; Friday-Sunday: $95 with cart.
  
• Willow Springs, 202 Coliseum Road, (210) 226-6721. Green fees - weekdays: $26.25, $35.50 with cart (seniors $10.25, $29.50 with cart); weekends: $19.25, $38.50 with cart (seniors $15.25, $34.50 with cart).
  
• Woodlake Golf Club, Woodlake Parkway, (210) 661-6124. Green fees - weekdays: $20, $27 with cart (seniors $22 with cart after 10 a.m.); weekends: $25, $35 with cart (seniors $30 with cart).
  

This story was published on 17 Oct 2002.