San Antonio golf runs the gamut from resort courses to daily-fee play and public greens. Test your swing on the city’s spread of options, equally challenging and scenic.

Resort

The Hyatt Hill Country Resort kicked off San Antonio’s modern golf boom when it opened in 1993. This highly scenic Arthur Hills design offers a leisurely stroll through springtime Texas wildflowers. Hills recently added nine holes here, complementing Hyatt Hill Country’s lazy river and full-service spa.

In 1995, the Westin La Cantera entered the scene. Though it represented one of the area’s first resort course choices, it was the last partnership between architect Jay Morrish and PGA TOUR superstar Tom Weiskopf, earning national honors as Best New Resort Course of the Year.

Golf legend Arnold Palmer came in 2001 to design the adjacent par-72 Palmer Course, which combines with the lavish 500-room Westin Resort to create a true golf-lover’s haven.

Tapatio Springs in nearby Boerne is the area’s original golf resort, opening in the mid-1980s with a Bill Johnston design in a scenic valley hidden from the Interstate. Johnston later returned to add a new, steeper nine holes of golf, the Ridge, giving the laidback resort a total of 27 holes.

Daily Fee

The Keith Foster-designed, par-72 Quarry Golf Course stands as a prime example of adaptive re-use, transforming the Alamo Cement Plant into golfing gold. The back nine quarry walls stage the most unique setting for golf in San Antonio.

Canyon Springs Golf Club occupies some of the highest points of land in San Antonio, just outside the highway loop. Its par-72 Thomas Walker course takes full advantage of the expansive views from its tee boxes and greens.

Since the Pecan Valley Golf Club hosted the 1968 PGA Championship (and Julius Boros’ legendary edging out of Palmer on the 18th hole), it hasn’t lost much of its history or shot-making value. In the last decade, $5.5 million in improvements have helped cement the status of this par-72 south San Antonio gem.

Just south of Pecan Valley, the Republic Golf Club is one of the newest entities on the local golf circuit, but it has plenty of tree-lined views and top-notch greens to test or tease the golfer who journeys a few miles from downtown.

North of San Antonio in New Braunfels, scenic conditions and budget-friendly play characterize the Bandit Golf Club. And SilverHorn Golf Club, with its Randy Heckenkemper layout, promises a memorable stretch of closing holes.

Public

In the contest for “best firsts,” cast your vote for Brackenridge Park Golf Course, Texas’ first public 18-hole course (opened in 1916). It was also the original site of the Texas Open and the PGA Winter TOUR. This par-70 standout takes today’s golfers back in time. The Willow Springs and Riverside golf courses, east and south of downtown, respectively, are almost as historic, while Cedar Creek and Mission del Lago represent the modern era of Alamo City golf.