San Antonio trip questions

[Wisc]

Greetings from up north. Have a trip planned to San Antonio in early March. Group of 8, roughly 6-20 handicap range. Trying to maximize the fun hill country golf on our brief escape from the Wisconsin winter. I'd be very grateful for your opinions on any or all of these three issues.

 

1. Planning 36-hole days for two or three days and 18 on the other one or two. Currently figuring on, in no order (that's where I hope you can help me), Quarry, Bandit, Canyon Springs, La Cantera. Rented house location makes the driving differences immaterial. Price differences not crucial (I know La Cantera is steeper). How would you rank these? I am trying to decide which to target for just 18. Conditions probably matter to us a bit less than a good fun layout. Elevation changes are valued as well. 

 

2. A subset of the group will be staying an extra couple days. We will drive a little farther to play something nice - Vaaler Creek, Buckhorn, Tapatio Springs, Kissing Tree seem like possibilities. Which would you choose?

 

3. Recommended restaurants/BBQ generally north of the airport? More interested in local favorites than high-end. 

 

Thank you so much for your time and insights. Helps a ton for first-time visitors. 

[toothysaw2]

I would rank those la cantera, bandit, quarry, canyon springs.  i have much less experience with canyon than the others though.

 

quarry is a quirky, but fun layout.  the back nine is really the draw, as it's the actual quarry part... so you get the elevation changes and such.  i expect others might put it last.

 

vaaler creek is a solidly fun track.  that would be my first choice out of the second batch. (i have not played buckhorn).  kissing tree has some really cool holes and is a fun layout with quite a bit of elevation change.  it's on the short side, but a fun round.  my only misgiving there is that the greens are not my favorite (super grainy, hard to gauge).

 

obviously TPC san antonio is also a nice option, but probably quite a bit more pricey.

[Wisc]

Thank you! My sense from reading other threads was that there was some differing opinion on Quarry. Sounds like you see that as well. We will play that and Canyon Springs but just need to decide which to do 36 on and which to do 18 on.

 

Appreciate the input. Any thoughts from you/others on places to eat?

[CCTxGolf]

Hyatt Hill Country has three nines that are pretty good in west San Antonio. Reasonable price and normally good condition.

 

you could make a day of it. Play one combo of the nine in the morning have lunch on property then pick your favorite nine from the morning and add the third nine for the afternoon.

 

resort has good food and the vibe is very much Texas. 
 

Hill Country Golf Club is the name of the golf portion of the resort. They take daily’s

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by CCTxGolf

[CCTxGolf]

I would def play la Cantera. Now only one course but a fun one. Some epic tee shots off some pretty big cliffs.

 

you kissed the Palmer course at la Cantera by a couple years. It was even better.

[CCTxGolf]

One day of 36 you could do the quarry in the morning then play Brackenridge in the afternoon which is right around the corner. 
 

Brack is an old 1920’s AW Tillinghast design which is cool.

 

you could do lunch in the quarry at paesanos Lincoln heights which is sort of a famous little Italian spot. Get the shrimp. Also good food options in the pearl brewery area for after brack which is very close to pearl. Brack also decently close to the river walk if that sort of bar hopping tourist vibe is on for a night.

[CCTxGolf]

I won’t even get into the BBQ talk. You could ask 25 people and get 50 different answers on this! 😂 I wills say pretty

much all of them are good and fun. Normally if it’s wooden and old

looking it will be what your looking for. Be prepared as most of them get pretty pricey if you really order what you want. 25-35 a person. It’s fun and worth it. Try lots of brisket and beef ribs. It’s what us Texans live for.

 

This is  actually getting me pretty excited about playing some golf and splurging on some fun good grub.

 

wife, girlfriends, and SO’s don’t take kindly to us local Texans making this sort of thing an every weekend affair! 😂 

[CCTxGolf]

TPC is cool but like others have said very steep. I think the oaks course may be worth it but the other course (canyons) is a piece of crap IMO. And they are still very proud of it.

 

I don’t  think I would waste my time there with a buddies trip. Maybe if wife and kids were there for a weekend using the pools and amenities.

 

Just my opinion 

[Whatnogarnish]

I would put La Cantera, Hill Country Hyatt, and The Quarry at the top of your list. Not a fan of canyon springs. 
 

Silverhorn is my favorite course here. If you want BBQ, Two Bros BBQ is close to Silverhorn, my opinion best brisket in SA. 

[Wisc]

Great advice/info! Thank you so much!

[J_Birdie]

1. If you're planning to play 36 in a day, does that mean at the same course? You could theoretically do Quarry/Canyon Springs in one day and possibly Canyon/La Cantera traffic depending but both of those would be tough to pull off without feeling frantic. 

The quintessential hill country experience with less emphasis on conditions for me would be La Cantera, Canyon Springs, Bandit, Quarry. 

Quarry always has slow greens, but I always take out of towners there and they love it. it is not Hilly Country style golf but it is very fun once. I would make that your 18. I would do 36 at LC and C Springs personally. 

2. How many in this subset? Vaaler Creek is the answer from your list 100x over. 

[MattSTL88]

On 12/11/2023 at 12:06 PM, Wisc said:

Thank you! My sense from reading other threads was that there was some differing opinion on Quarry. Sounds like you see that as well. We will play that and Canyon Springs but just need to decide which to do 36 on and which to do 18 on.

 

Appreciate the input. Any thoughts from you/others on places to eat?

I played TPC Oaks last year and loved it. 

 

For food, we loved El Mirasol per @J_Birdie's recommendation. 

[monty09]

On 12/11/2023 at 12:06 PM, Wisc said:

Thank you! My sense from reading other threads was that there was some differing opinion on Quarry. Sounds like you see that as well. We will play that and Canyon Springs but just need to decide which to do 36 on and which to do 18 on.

 

Appreciate the input. Any thoughts from you/others on places to eat?

 

 

Quarry is a fun track.. and you can just stick around for some burgers and beers after.. the quarry market is across the street and several other options to eat....  

 

bill miller bbq and whataburger are two cheap options but worth a try while in Texas if not local

[J_Birdie]

don't go bill miller thats the mcdonald's of bbq just get real bbq theres literally 40 in the city that are all great haha

[monty09]

19 hours ago, J_Birdie said:

don't go bill miller thats the mcdonald's of bbq just get real bbq theres literally 40 in the city that are all great haha

 

 

to a non texan.... every bbq spot in SA is amazing .lol

[Husker4theSpurs]

Do you know any Dormie Network members? Anyone have a pro at their club who can make a call? You could do a full day at Briggs Ranch if any of those answers are yes. Unaccompanied is pricy at $400 + forecaddies + tip but generally is an all day rate if room for you.

The Pearl District is great for local dining ... not as touristy as the Riverwalk. I always get some Whataburger at least once when in town. Original Rudy's is northwest of town past La Cantera as well, but it's not the best BBQ around. Maybe a longer drive up to the original Salt Lick between San Antonio and Austin would be fun?

[J_Birdie]

Briggs is definitely nice if you can swing it but $400+ is pushing it’s niceness in my book haha 

[ND2005]

On 12/23/2023 at 1:10 AM, J_Birdie said:

Briggs is definitely nice if you can swing it but $400+ is pushing it’s niceness in my book haha 

 
If you could get 36 in maybe. Since it’s a per day rate not a per round. Then you’re looking at more like 200 per round plus all the extra stuff.
 
But yeah the unaccompanied fee is a hard one to swallow…

[Wisc]

Appreciate the updates!

 

Here are answers to the questions that were brought up. 36-hole days are for the same course. We have done the 2-course approach before in FL and AZ, but have found it is just too busy. We prefer plenty of time for a relaxed lunch, a little chipping and putting, and/or a quick stop at the range for swing band-aids. Subset of guys playing a little more is 3 or 4 - sounds like Vaaler Creek is the way to go for that. Briggs Ranch probably too pricey for my crew.

 

As I check my maps I see that Vaaler and Bandit are about the same drive for us. Big preference for one over the other? Probably will do a 36 at one and an 18 at the other. Also, if we have room to squeeze in one more, any preference among Buckhorn, Tapatio Springs, Kissing Tree?

 

Again, thank you!

[Wisc]

Oops, I should add - if I am missing something closer that is not one of the courses already discussed (Bandit, La Cantera, Quarry, Canyon Springs, Vaaler Creek), but is more fun than those last three mentioned (Buckhorn, Tapatio Springs, Kissing Tree), it would be good to know. Subjective, of course, but I'd like to avoid the obvious error of omission if I can.

[J_Birdie]

5 hours ago, Wisc said:

Appreciate the updates!

 

Here are answers to the questions that were brought up. 36-hole days are for the same course. We have done the 2-course approach before in FL and AZ, but have found it is just too busy. We prefer plenty of time for a relaxed lunch, a little chipping and putting, and/or a quick stop at the range for swing band-aids. Subset of guys playing a little more is 3 or 4 - sounds like Vaaler Creek is the way to go for that. Briggs Ranch probably too pricey for my crew.

 

As I check my maps I see that Vaaler and Bandit are about the same drive for us. Big preference for one over the other? Probably will do a 36 at one and an 18 at the other. Also, if we have room to squeeze in one more, any preference among Buckhorn, Tapatio Springs, Kissing Tree?

 

Again, thank you!

 I’d 36 Vaaler. 18 kissing tree

[UFMatt]

Quarry is a fun course just from a uniqueness aspect, and is usually in pretty good shape (played there last week). Like another poster said it has 2 distinct/different feeling nines.

 

I play Tapatio a lot and it's a good track, shorter but still has some teeth. They've been cart path only for a few months now, hopefully that won't be the case come March.

 

Canyon Springs is usually in great condition, I definitely like it more than most courses in town.

 

Brackenridge is a great historic course, a lot different than most courses (square greens on a few holes). Can play long time-wise bc it's part of the Alamo City Golf Trail and they tend to pack people in. 

 

Vaaler is awesome and I'm sure you can find great BBQ down the road in Blanco.

 

La Cantera is fun bc of the views like another posted stated.

 

Buckhorn is decent but wouldn't necessarily put it on an itinerary for visiting golfers (not many hazards there but some decent elevation changes). 

 

Landa Park in New Braunfels is another fun muni (shortish but makes you think). My FIL thinks it's gimmicky which I can see, so if that's not your thing might be best to avoid. 

 

Golf Club of Texas is an option if y'all are looking for a cheaper "fun" round, but a bit of a hike from the northern part of town. Greens are in decent shape as of a couple weeks ago, and it's mostly wide open with only a few tight tee shots. Some rough spots on the edges of fairways so if you're used to pristine courses keep that in mind.

 

Haven't played Bandit/Kissing Tree.

[Wisc]

I just wanted to follow up after my group's trip to San Antonio. 

 

First, a huge thanks to those of you who provided information. It was quite helpful and generally lined up well with our reactions. Second, my Wisconsin contingent heartily thanks you for the warm weather. 

 

Here was our schedule:

 

Day 1 - Vaaler Creek (18)

Day 2 - La Cantera (36)

Day 3 - Quarry (36)

Day 4 - Canyon Springs (36)

Day 5 - Bandit (18)

Day 6 - Hyatt Hill Country (18)

 

We enjoyed all of the courses, with the 8 people being divided in terms of favorites. Vaaler was an excellent, unassuming spot way up north of town, though a bit exacting for Day 1. I wish that our timing had been flipped to instead start with Hyatt HC, which was quite pleasant but also pretty sedate. As advised above, the back nine on the Quarry was a blast for out-of-towners. And I loved the laid back, golfy vibe at Canyon Springs, as well as the course itself. La Cantera views and resort course were a treat. Bandit was really fun and interesting. Overall, the layouts were a ton of fun and we weren't concerned with the occasionally less-than-pristine March conditions. Appreciated the generous fairway rolls and were appropriately challenged by some of the Texas winds.

 

Had good BBQ a couple of times to enhance the visit (can't recall where). Hit the Riverwalk the night after playing the Quarry, as it is a short drive. Saved some money this year over Arizona, and relished a pretty different golf feel and environment. All in all, a great buddies golf trip in Texas hill country.