Inside the course: TPC San Antonio

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May. 10, 2010

The TOUR heads to San Antonio,Texas, for the Valero Texas Open at a new course. Learn more about this week's host, TPC San Antonio.

Steve Hanlon, head instructor at TPC San Antonio, analyzes this week's course.

This week the PGA TOUR heads west to TPC San Antonio, my home course and the new venue for the Valero Texas Open. This is one of the oldest events on TOUR, dating back to 1922 when it was simply called the Texas Open. In 2002, the Valero Energy Corporation took over the naming rights to this event and has helped make it what it is today. Since the inception of this storied event, which includes past champions like Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer (who won this event 3 years in a row), they have always played in the great city of San Antonio. With a few last minute big name additions (Ernie Els and Vijay Singh) to the field, this year's Valero Texas Open is shaping up to be a great one.

The AT&T Oaks Course opened its doors in February of this year and is sure to be a great test for the best players in the world. This Greg Norman design features a layout of over 7,400 yards, tree-lined fairways, enormous bunkers and big rolling greens that will certainly be a challenge. The course is in fantastic condition and features four different types of grasses adding to the ultimate playability and depth.

With the shortest par 5 playing 567 yards and the par 3s in excess of 200 yards, players will be challenged this week with some lengthy holes. In fact, if they decide to set the course up at its fullest potential and allow it to show its teeth, players could be in for a real treat. And we all know if those Texas winds are a blowing, then it could get really fun.

My first key for this week's players -- drive it straight. Obviously that's important every week, but once you see this course on television you will get a feel for what I mean. With lined fairways with massive bunkers, tall native grasses and limestone walls, driving accuracy is a must. In addition to straight drives, I also feel hitting the green in regulation is a real key this week. With this golf course there are a lot of run offs and unique chipping areas that can present problems should you miss the green on the wrong side. Look for this week's winner to not be the longest in the field but to be among the leaders in fairways hit and greens in regulation.

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Fast facts

Director of Course Operations	Thomas R. Lively
Original architect	Pete Dye and Greg Norman (2009)
Par value	72
Number of TOUR events as host venue	Debut event
Course ranking	n/a
Yardage history	7,522 (present)
Grass	Bermudagrass (tees, fairways, rough, greens)
Tournament Stimpmeter	10.5 ft
Sand bunkers	58
Water hazards	3
Course tour	Click here

TPC San Antonio
Hole	Par	Yards
1	4	454
2	5	602
3	3	213
4	4	481
5	4	342
6	4	403
7	3	207
8	5	604
9	4	474
10	4	447
11	4	405
12	4	410
13	3	241
14	5	567
15	4	464
16	3	183
17	4	347
18	5	591

Course origins

TPC San Antonio opened in January 2010 with 36 holes of golf designed by two of golf's most innovative architects: Pete Dye and Greg Norman. Situated on 2,800 acres at the base of Texas hill country, both the AT&T Canyons Course by Pete Dye and AT&T Oaks Course by Greg Norman were built with the infrastructure to be host venues for PGA TOUR tournaments.

TPC San Antonio is a private resort, only accessible to club members and guests of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. --Source: Golf Course Superintendents Assocation of America

Tournament course history

Course	Location	Years
TPC San Antonio	San Antonio, Texas	2010
LaCantera Golf Club	San Antonio, Texas	1995-2009
Oak Hills Country Club	San Antonio, Texas	1977-'94, '61-'66
Woodlake Golf Club	San Antonio, Texas	1972-'76
Pecan Valley Country Club	San Antonio, Texas	1967-'70
Fort Sam Houston Golf Club	San Antonio, Texas	1960, '56, '51*
Brackenridge Park Golf Club	San Antonio, Texas	1957-'59, '52-'55, '50-'51*, '29-'40, '22-'26
Willow Springs Golf Club	San Antonio, Texas	1941-'49, '27-'28

*In 1951, the Texas Open was played over two courses

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-4, 347-yard 17th at TPC San Antonio
DESCRIPTION: Current PGA TOUR player Sergio Garcia lent his unique perspective in assisting celebrated golfer and renowned golf course architect Greg Norman with the design of the par-72, 7,522-yard AT&T Oaks Course. Similar to renown golf course designer Pete Dye, Norman's design philosophy is underscored by environmental sensitivity and a deep reverence for nature. Great care has been taken to incorporate the distinct nuances and indigenous flora of the natural Hill Country topography into the course design, to create a compelling, strategically diverse and strikingly beautiful course for golfers of all skill levels. (Click here for TPC San Antonio tour)