Great days in San Antonio's LaCantera and TPC San Antonio

I spent about 36 hours in the Alamo City Tuesday and Wednesday playing 54 holes at -- in order -- LaCantera's Resort Course, LaCantera's Palmer Course and the AT&T Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio. I had a great time at all three and took away a handful of observations from the trip and the rounds.

1. The Resort Course is a blast and has subtle challenges that make you think and keep your game in focus. Perhaps the course was too easy for the PGA Tour pros that annually blistered the track while it hosted the Texas Open, but I have always liked playing there because it gives me a chance to score but can also be penal.

The downhill par-5 fifth hole (played as a par-4 for the Tour event) is a great hole but you have to golf your ball and be precise in the approach. The short par-4 seventh -- the famed rollercoaster hole (photo at right) -- can jump up and bite you because of its demanding green and the green surrounds.

On the back-nine, the par-4 12th is one most demanding shots on the course off the tee and then hits you in the face with its shallow green played over a water-filled canyon. A great course and a great time is almost always par for the course at the Resort Course.

2. The Palmer Course is picturesque and ultra demanding, especially in the ever-present wind. The wind was stout Wednesday morning when we played, making the long par-4 ninth play more like a par-5 and the out-of-this world approach over the deep canyon on the short, but uphill par-4 10th knee-shaking to say the least.

You feel like you are on top of the world at The Palmer Course, as it's routed on the tops of hills and among the highest elevations in the San Antonio area. The closing hole (below), playing at 482 yards
and downhill toward the massive clubhouse and a putting surface protected by a pond on the right, is one of the great holes in Texas -- it played downwind Wednesday, so I hit the green with an eight iron.

I play golf all over the nation, and LaCantera -- with its two excellent courses and varied tests -- remains one of my favorite stops. As a place to stay and play, I would go there anytime.

3. The AT&T Oaks Course at the TPC San Antonio (bottom photo) remains one of the toughest courses I have ever played, and -- with the rough high and deep in preparation for the upcoming Valero Texas Open (to be played the week after the Masters this year) -- the track was punitive nearly beyond playable. Any shots that strayed from the fairway were virtually unfindable and extremely difficult to advance.

From the third set of tees -- playing about 6,700 yards but even more because of the wind -- the AT&T Oaks course carries a 142 slope. Conditions on the course are absolutely perfect and a round at the course is a pleasure even with its difficulty.