san antonio, Texas???

[mdhacker123]

Good courses

I will be heading to San Antonio in late May early June and was wondering if you guys can recommend any standout courses that wont break the bank. Any help will be great.

[mam8734]

Pecan Valley is a good public course. It hosted a PGA Championship back in the 40's-50's.

[rtdakota]

I'll echo the comment about Pecan Valley(www.pecanvalleygc.com). Very good public course and reasonably priced.

-Canyon Springs, pretty good track but slow on weekends. www.canyonspringsgc.com
-Silverhorn, good track but tight. Always in good shape. www.silverhorngolfclub.com
-The Quarry, good open layout. If you don't want to play in the trees this is the place to play although there is a bunch of native grass. www.quarrygolf.com
-Just to get out and play if you want to spend a bit of cash the new TPC Courses are open and would be a good test. www.tpcsanantonio.com

Avoid
-All munis except for Cedar Creek.
-Both La Cantera Courses.

If you will have a car you can make a short drive up 281 and play River Crossing. www.rivercrossingclub.com

[Yanki01]

played at The Quarry last year and enjoyed it, $55 on sunday. the back nine is what made the course, very beautiful. it was cold and rainy the front nine so i dont remember much, it cleared at the start of the back nine and will pay $55 just for the back nine again. i plan to go back on a better day.

[jaycajun]

My top picks in the SA area are: The Bandit, The Republic, River Crossing, The Golf Club of Texas, Canyon Springs, Olympia Hills.

I think Pecan Valley has really gone downhills maintenace wise...

You can't play the new TPC unless you are staying at the Marriott hotel on the property....

[big yellow]

When was last time you played at Pevan Valley?

[jay_em113]

I agree with jaycajun that Pecan Valley has gone downhill maintenance wise. Since they went under new management, their prices have gone up and the quality has gone down. I think they are relying on that "site of the 50th PGA Championship" to bring customers in. Besides, the layout is not good at all. Far better options out there IMO (see below)

My favorite courses for the value are:

1. The Republic
2. Silverhorn
3. Cedar Creek
4. Olympia Hills

All are excellent quality courses for the price. I have not played The Bandit (in New Braunfels down the road), Canyon Springs, or The Quarry, but I hear great things about all those courses as well....fair prices too.

Also, Willow Springs is pretty good for a muni since they have recently renovated it. By far the cheapest for the quality of course. Great layout with many sets of tees for all skill levels too.

[Jrose]

Can vouch for the Bandit, great price for the quality of the course.

[nunee]

I played TPC San Antonio 2/28. We went on the Pete Dye course, The Canyons, which is the 'easy' course. The other course is the Greg Norman Course, called The Oaks. That is the 'hard' course.

Nice day, in the 60s, but WINDY!

Course was nice, and in good condition. My first time playing in Texas, and on 'dormant' grass, so that was new. The greens were a mix of green, brown and light green (almost looked camo colored). Despite the look, the grass played well, and the greens rolled true. No bumps or jumps anywhere.

The Canyons course was TOUGH. Way tough. It is not easy, EASIER...perhaps. These are not resort courses, even though they are located at the JW Marriot. These are both tournament courses, at a TPC, and they play as such. The Par 4 first hole on the Canyons has bunkers up the left, and the right side of the hole drops away, down a hill. Nowhere to really go but fairway, which is decently wide, but not really wide. An intimidating first tee shot, but a straightforward hole. The green is fairly flat, but straightforward, rolled well. The second hole is a long Par 5, that looks like a bowling alley...so much for "wide fairways" as described by the golf shop. This is a tough track.

I didn't play the Oaks Course, but heard a lot about it. The valero Texas Open will be there, and it will be a test. Everyone who played it said it had teeth...it is TOUGH, meant to test the pros. So it is a feat in patience for the normal golfer. I walked the 18th green at night...and it is a doozy. A creek runs across the fairway to separate the green from the fairway, and removing the option of a run up shot. The creek runs along the right front of the green towards the fairway and across. Front left is a collection area...a LARGE collection area, that comes off the mounded green. There is also a small collection area to the right. Small, but steep. There is a good 6/8 feet (from my memory) difference between the bottom of the collection area to the top of the green. The green is guarded left and back by bunkers right next to the green. The mushroom topped green will feed any rolling shot off the side into the teeth of one of the previously mentioned sentries. You have to hit this green and stick it. No choice.

Overall, great golf, but tough. The course requires a stay at the hotel. Tough if you are visiting the area, but works very well if you have a conference at the resort. If you can get on, play it. Reciprical play I think is accepted, but be prepared for a TOUGH day of golf.

[texengr]

The 1968 PGA was played at Pecan Valley. I believe Julius Boros beat Arnold Palmer.

[oliversax]

+1 for Canyon Springs. Nice undulations, good conditions, fun layout, cute cart girls, decent food, friendly staff.

I also love to play at Cedar Creek, lots of downhill tee shots, but I hear the conditions are not what it used to be.

Pecan Valley is like the french, hanging onto to its old glory days as a powerhouse. Flat and bland now, its only redeeming trait is all the big trees.

[Dave T.]

Why do so many people in S.A. like Ceder Creek? That is the most unfair golf course I have ever played. Hit it down the middle of the fairway and the ball ends up in the woods... Anyway

TPC blows EVERYTHING in San Antonio out of the water
Canyon Springs is ok little expensive but ok
The Quarry ehh worth the time not my favorite but one of the better tracks in S.A.
Pecan Valley is a good track shot makers course!

The LaCanteras um the Palmer is fun I think it is the better golf course The Resort course is nothing special in my book just another golf course.

[TamaleFestival]

For bang for your buck:

The Bandit
The Republic


For the best:

TPC San Antonio Oaks course is the best around here, but it isn't cheap. Played it yesterday and it is TOUGH. The course is immaculate. The greens had been recently verticut and they still rolled pure.

[pdaero]

I really want to play the TPC courses - they looked absolutely amazing.

My personal favorite (anywhere, I live in Houston) is The Republic. Great track, always in great condition, fun and diverse course (not to mention a great deal)!

My favorite course (which I don't play because I think it's private now) is River Crossing up north on 281. Absolutely gorgeous and is on the side of a good-sized hill.

Other favorites are Silverhorn, The Quarry, Olmos Muni (redone, it's gorgeous), Brackenridge (in unbelievable shape with the renovation) and Cedar Creek on the NW side.

[rtdakota]

[quote name='pdaero' date='10 July 2010 - 01:11 PM' timestamp='1278785482' post='2567041']
I really want to play the TPC courses - they looked absolutely amazing.

My personal favorite (anywhere, I live in Houston) is The Republic. Great track, always in great condition, fun and diverse course (not to mention a great deal)!

My favorite course (which I don't play because I think it's private now) is River Crossing up north on 281. Absolutely gorgeous and is on the side of a good-sized hill.

Other favorites are Silverhorn, The Quarry, Olmos Muni (redone, it's gorgeous), Brackenridge (in unbelievable shape with the renovation) and Cedar Creek on the NW side.
[/quote]

The TPC courses are outstanding. Definitely a must play.

River Crossing is no longer private and I will echo that it is a great track.

Silverhorn is nice and tight, always in good shape and will really test your accuracy.

Never played Olmos so I can't comment.

Played Brack 3 times in the last month and its not in unbelievable shape. Not worth playing right now.

Cedar creek was sketchy the last time out as well.

DG

[Reidman]

My favorites in SA area:

Quarry - be sure to dress smart for this one....back nine in the Quarry...and brutally hot in July and August
Republic...not to be confused with Republic of Texas
Bandit...best finishing hole in Central Texas...maybe all of Texas
Pecan Valley...yes its old, but a great test from the back tees
River Crossing...little on the short side, but good
Canyon Springs...all around good course

I must have played Olympia Hills on a bad day....I wasn't so impressed with that one. +1 on the advice above for both courses at LaCanterra...way overpriced and over-rated. And I'm really not that picky.

My next stop will probably be the renovated Brackenridge.

[Jaywalker]

I'll echo what most have said about Cedar Creek - nice course.

I don't care for Olmos, though if you keep your balls mostly on the fairway, it should be okay. The 100,000 or so effectively identical live oaks don't help with ball marking, and I lose more balls there than any other course in San Antonio.

I saw no mention of the Fort Sam Houston golf courses, both open to the public - the La Loma, site of the Texas open in the Sixties, and the newer Rio Salado. La Loma has long straight fairways, and Rio Salado has doglegs and forced carries over water. Both are honest courses in good shape.

SiverHorn, aka "SilverThorn," is an interesting case. It's well-maintained and narrow, as previously mentioned. The problem here is afternoon play, my favorite time of the day, due to Twilight Hours pricing. For SilverHorn, though, I'd avoid Twilight. Their club structure allows for members to play free in the afternoon, so instead of a quiet, deserted course, you have traffic jams and slow play. If I play it again, I'll pay more for a morning Tee Time.

[Guest]

Quarry - i agree, very hot so dress cool
Republic...is a good course...you have to work the ball and its long from the back tees.
Bandit...i love to hate this course. I blew a tournament there in college but the course is awesome
Pecan Valley...one of my all time favorites, i played there last month and it was in bad shape...fairways were bare and greens had tons of top dress on them.
River Crossing...lis a cool course, some holes are target golf, others you can bomb away not to mention sub 4 hour rounds.
Canyon Springs...i like it but pace of play ughhh.
TPC Oaks is another beast and a must play. My personal preference I like the tall trees at Pecan, and Oak Hills. TPC from the back playes at 7500 yards. and killer fast greens. Most of the holes are very narrow and long.

Since I am a member at Oak Hills I am biased and love this course. We have had some ups and downs in course conditions, however, right now we have 3 inch rough, 11-12 pure running greens and pure fairways.

[Jaywalker]

[quote name='Nick210' timestamp='1281453282' post='2630047']
Pecan Valley...one of my all time favorites, i played there last month and it was in bad shape...fairways were bare and greens had tons of top dress on them.
[/quote]Well, whatever they did to the greens last month must have worked. I played Pecan Valley yesterday and the greens were in fantastic condition, smooth and extremely fast even in the damp morning. Fairways were nice also, nicely cut and level. In fact, the only complaint I had was the first three holes played directly into the morning sun and made it hard to follow ball flight. I thought it was in significantly better condition than Cedar Creek and even somewhat better than SiverHorn. Pecan Valley's in great shape, at least now. Foresight Golf owns it now and is doing the same trick on it that they did to Bandit and Republic.

[Reidman]

Hey...I played Vaaler Creek in Blanco today....I was fairly impressed....considering it is brand new.

Great layout....some of the greens are a little tricked out...but overall, well worth the $50. You should check it out.

[pdaero]

[quote name='Nick210' timestamp='1281453282' post='2630047']
Quarry - i agree, very hot so dress cool
Republic...is a good course...you have to work the ball and its long from the back tees.
Bandit...i love to hate this course. I blew a tournament there in college but the course is awesome
Pecan Valley...one of my all time favorites, i played there last month and it was in bad shape...fairways were bare and greens had tons of top dress on them.
River Crossing...lis a cool course, some holes are target golf, others you can bomb away not to mention sub 4 hour rounds.
Canyon Springs...i like it but pace of play ughhh.
TPC Oaks is another beast and a must play. My personal preference I like the tall trees at Pecan, and Oak Hills. TPC from the back playes at 7500 yards. and killer fast greens. Most of the holes are very narrow and long.

Since I am a member at Oak Hills I am biased and love this course. We have had some ups and downs in course conditions, however, right now we have 3 inch rough, 11-12 pure running greens and pure fairways.
[/quote]

I'm a little jealous that you're a member at Oak Hills - I've heard it's really something these days.
As per your Republic comment, I believe it's 7007 yards from the tips, but it's only really #6 at 624 with a 50 yard ravine through the middle of the hole that makes it tough. None of the other holes are too difficult with maybe the exception of the 240 yard par 3 #17.

[MahalNeneng]

Full Golf Course Reviews for San Antonio.

We havent got them all yet, but were working on it.

[url="http://www.golfsanantonio.net"]http://www.golfsanantonio.net[/url]

[quote name='pdaero' timestamp='1287454626' post='2749019']
[quote name='Nick210' timestamp='1281453282' post='2630047']
Quarry - i agree, very hot so dress cool
Republic...is a good course...you have to work the ball and its long from the back tees.
Bandit...i love to hate this course. I blew a tournament there in college but the course is awesome
Pecan Valley...one of my all time favorites, i played there last month and it was in bad shape...fairways were bare and greens had tons of top dress on them.
River Crossing...lis a cool course, some holes are target golf, others you can bomb away not to mention sub 4 hour rounds.
Canyon Springs...i like it but pace of play ughhh.
TPC Oaks is another beast and a must play. My personal preference I like the tall trees at Pecan, and Oak Hills. TPC from the back playes at 7500 yards. and killer fast greens. Most of the holes are very narrow and long.

Since I am a member at Oak Hills I am biased and love this course. We have had some ups and downs in course conditions, however, right now we have 3 inch rough, 11-12 pure running greens and pure fairways.
[/quote]

I'm a little jealous that you're a member at Oak Hills - I've heard it's really something these days.
As per your Republic comment, I believe it's 7007 yards from the tips, but it's only really #6 at 624 with a 50 yard ravine through the middle of the hole that makes it tough. None of the other holes are too difficult with maybe the exception of the 240 yard par 3 #17.
[/quote]

[daoldguy]

was in San Antonio in early December, I played Siverhorn(a personal favorite) and Pecan Valley, both were in very good condition and reasonably priced (especially for Seasoned Ctitizens). The Quarry is one of those courses that are a must play once (about 5-6 years ago), but did not consider it on this trip.

[acresi]

I live in Austin now, but I used to live down in San Antonio. I actually was an assistant Pecan Valley GC and loved every second of it. It's pricey for people who don't live in Bexar county (they make a lot of money on tourists), but it is my favorite course when it's in good condition. I cannot attest to the current condition because I haven't been there since 08, but back then it was fantastic. The history alone is enough to make it worth the trip, but I think the layout is really good. Also, for anyone who said it's not challenging, I would submit the back tees where it has always presented me with adequate challenge (even as someone who worked there.)

[rlheiman]

I was in San Antonio a couple weeks ago. I didn't get to play too many courses, but really enjoyed these two. (I didn't get to play the TPC which everyone says is clearly the best.)

The Quarry--The back nine are so picturesque, but some holes are tough. Hitting the fairway on 18 is almost impossible with driver. The front side is open and has some tricky holes, but the open feel is nice. Conditions were really good here, but the greens are tough to read; subtle breaks. Clearly the back 9 you have to see and play at least once.

Hill Country--Arthur Hills 27 holes. The layout was nice, relaxing atmosphere and really in great shape. The bunkers were a little rough, but the rest of the course was really nice. The Oaks 9 was my favorite. The original 18 holes are probably the best, but the additional 9 giving them 27 holes is solid, just not quite as good.

[smuthswing86]

The Quarry is a great course. ( a bit bias since i use to work there and still play for cheap)
La Cantera Palmer course is a tough and nice course.
Olympia Hills is a nice muny that can test you.
The Bandit is an awesome course.
Cedar Creek is a tough muny the usually hold the Texas Open qualifiers there.

[Chalk]

Will be there for three weeks - looking forward to trying some of the recommendations out. Was planning on playing Olympia and Brackenridge and was going to play the Fort Sam Houston courses.

Anyone recommend a good practice facility?

[Jserna01]

I just moved to SA from Houston and played at Redstone, so far I have played Silverhorn and La Cantera (Palmer course) down here. Both are good tracks.

Palmer is way overpriced in my opinion for what you get, we played 3 groups at twilight rate of $75. It's a pretty course, lots of blind shots, greens were good but not cut and rolled balls didn't move very much if at all when we played. Made reading putts very hard because greens were so inconsistant from hole to hole. There was lots of wildlife and on some holes you could look for miles layout really is nice. Just wish it was better taken care of. For the twilight rate it's good but I don't think it's worth the regular $150 rate.

Silverhorn

[Jserna01]

I just moved to SA from Houston and played at Redstone, so far I have played Silverhorn and La Cantera (Palmer course) down here. Both are good tracks.

Palmer is way overpriced in my opinion for what you get, we played 3 groups at twilight rate of $75. It's a pretty course, lots of blind shots, greens were good but not cut and rolled balls didn't move very much if at all when we played. Made reading putts very hard because greens were so inconsistant from hole to hole. There was lots of wildlife and on some holes you could look for miles layout really is nice. Just wish it was better taken care of. For the twilight rate it's good but I don't think it's worth the regular $150 rate.

Silverhorn is

[Bitz22]

Just found out that my wife's conference is at the JW Marriott next October. I know the two TPC courses are there and that by staying at the resort you are allowed to play them. My question is what do they charge for a round? Thanks and I am looking forward to playing them next fall.

Scott