Golf SA: Woodlake

Woodlake Golf Club

SCJ Rating: 3 stars out of 5
HLJ Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Greens Fees: $$$ out of $$$$$

Men’s White Tees: 69.9 Strokes, Slope 128

Women’s Tees: 70.8 Strokes, Slope 121

Now this is what a wide open golf course is supposed to look like!  It was a pleasure to play and offered somewhat of a challenge.  There were long and short par 4s.  The par 5s were indeed par 5s … long yardages!  And there was a good mix of par 3s!!!  We didn’t even have to be concerned with losing our balls unless our shots were really errant and deserved to be lost!?!  All in all, a great day of golf.

Though our putting was better than normal because the greens were not lightning fast, some of the greens weren’t in very good shape.  We did not know whether to attribute that to the winter weather or some other inherent problem.  Other negatives included the facts that it is not in a great nature setting (I didn’t get to see any deer!) and it isn’t close to home.  The drive there isn’t even slightly interesting.  I found the roads on the east side of San Antonio to be even worse than those here in central San Antonio.  I didn’t think that was possible!?!  But, again, I have to give props to the course for being a good play when one is tired of being constantly challenged … a breath of fresh air!?!

Weather Update:  The low must have been in the high 30s last night.  We started this round at 10am to get a lower rate and the temperature wasn’t bad.  I think we were both pleasantly surprised.  As a matter of fact, we had to take off some layers by the end of the round!  And I only kept my cold weather “ninja” balaclava on my head to keep the hair out of my eyes!?!

Golf SA: Northern Hills

Northern Hills

SCJ Rating: 2 stars out of 5
HLJ Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Greens Fees: $$$ out of $$$$$

Men’s White Tees: 69.3 Strokes, Slope 123

Women’s Tees: 69.6 Strokes, Slope 117

After playing mostly challenging courses (as in narrow fairways) to date, the Northern Hills course finally offered us some room for error! Though able to spray our drives without losing our balls or winding up with unplayable lies, we were not prepared for the speed of their greens!?! The greens were lightning quick. It was common for me to chip up to a green only to have my ball roll all the way off the green on the other side!?! We are thinking that other courses we have played will have greens this fast in the near future since most are still recovering after having been overseeded for winter play. Overall though, this course offers a decent challenge for those who don’t want to have to hit their balls straight down the middle of the fairway.

Golf SA: Silverhorn

Silverhorn Golf Club

SCJ Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Normal Greens Fees:  $$$ out of $$$$$

Player’s Club Fees:  $$ out of $$$$$ … Pay $45 per month (or $65 per month for a couple) for at least 3 months to get special benefits

Men’s White Tees:  70.9 Strokes, Slope 131

Women’s Tees:  71.8 Strokes, Slope 132

After researching courses online, we decided we needed to check out this golf course which sits in the middle of San Antonio about 25 minutes from our condo.  The club offers a Player’s Club monthly membership whose benefits we have not found elsewhere.  They include reduced rates for play after noon and FREE range balls anytime!?!  Since Jake and I will probably be hitting a lot more balls and playing less while in SA, this was a no brainer!  Not to mention that the driving range and course appeared to be green and in great condition in this very dry city.  Other driving ranges we had passed did not appear to be in nearly as good a shape.

The course itself is quite a challenge.  Note that the slopes are higher than those at Olympia Hills.  It was hard for me to believe until we started playing the holes.  The gentlemen we were paired with warned us that the course would be tough and narrow … and it was!  Straight shots are essential on this course if one wants to score well.  Thus, the biggest challenge for us will be just to stay mentally tough as we spray our shots into the roughs and trees.  Did I mention that there are San Antonio sized trees (smaller) lining every fairway with a couple of ponds thrown in for good measure!  Amazingly, I thought it easy to find balls in these roughs since they are brown from being so dry.  Our white balls really stood out.

I have to give props to the getting back to nature feel of this course.  We saw more deer in our first 18 holes than we have seen everywhere else all year long!?!  Many times we had to encourage them to finish sauntering across the fairways so we could hit our shots.  Missy later told us that there are pockets all over the city which are overrun with deer because there aren’t any natural predators remaining.  Maybe the bambis can help us find our balls?  At the very least, they will make the searching a little more pleasant!?!

Did I mention … free range balls anytime?  If we never play golf on this course, we will probably break even just hitting practice balls alone!?!

Golf SA: Olympia Hills

Olympia Hills Golf Course … Universal City, TX

SCJ Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Greens Fees:  $$$ out of $$$$$, especially the Senior rate which is applied at 55 years of age instead of the 60 something which most clubs use!

Men’s White Tees:  71.8 Strokes, Slope 128

Women’s Tees:  72.3 Strokes, Slope 128

We played our first 18 holes in San Antonio yesterday at Olympia Hills which is just northeast of San Antonio.  While looking at sale merchandise in Golf Galaxy, Jake struck up a conversation with a gentleman who suggested we might like the course.  He was absolutely right!  Though almost 40 minutes from our home, the golf was well worth the drive!!!  There are beautiful nature scenes and the course is in great shape … not to mention that it is challenging but not overly so.  Our friend also mentioned that, even at his youthful age, he wouldn’t play the course without a cart.  There are indeed some dramatic changes in elevation which one would not necesarily like to traverse on foot!  We will be playing this course as often as we care to make the drive!?!

This course is also almost due north of Randolph AFB.  As a result, their jets are constantly taking off and flying maneuvers.  It is a thrilling site to see and hear them roar through the sky.  I am surprised my neck isn’t sore from jerking it around all the time trying to find the jets.

Being our first round in Texas in awhile, we were reminded that Texas harbors fire ants!  One has to be careful when walking and placing clubs on the ground.  One needs to avoid the fire ant hills at all costs!!!

We were also pleasantly reminded that our balls fly further in warm, dry air!  It has been chilly in Bella Vista recently so our balls haven’t been going as far as they were in the summer.  Well … the weather is still summer-like in San Antonio!  YAHOO!!!

Golf SA: Alsatian

Alsatian Golf Club … Castroville, TX

SCJ Rating:  1 star out of 5

We drove over 30 minutes west of San Antonio to check out Alsatian.  We pulled into the parking lot and turned right around.  Obviously, our first impression was not a good one and we didn’t bother to stick around to see if the course could possibly change our minds.  It looked to be flat and boring … which may be a good thing on some days.  Definitely didn’t look to be worth the 35 minute drive though … on any day!