TPC San Antonio - Oaks Course

The Good: The Oaks course at TPC San Antonio is the flagship of the two 18-hole designs at the upscale resort community. This Greg Norman & Sergio Garcia collaboration is impeccably conditioned and has more challenging of green complexes that I anticipated, even though I expected them to be tough considering the site hosts an annual PGA Tour event at the Valero Texas Open. Fairly generous off the tee, the Oaks course has greens that repel errant to even just slightly mishit approaches and have sand bunkers that have great depth. Good Par-3 variety and I particularly liked the Par-4’s on the closing nine, several are drivable or require strategic thought. The clubhouse and practice facilities are very impressive, as you would expect for a TPC, and the service throughout the experience was good. Cost for resort and member guests is extremely fair, especially compared to rising golf prices in the area.

The Bad: The front half of the course is fairly forgettable other than the unique Par-3 3rd that has a very long, thin green and a huge sand trap to the right. The newly updated sand traps have very heavy sand, which is great for the experienced professional, but challenging for the average hacker. Pace of play, even on a relatively empty Sunday afternoon, wasn’t great. The routing of the course is odd and is not really walkable.

The Verdict: TPC San Antonio (Oaks) is a very strong addition to the TPC Network and a formidable test for both professionals and amateurs alike. The inward nine is absolutely fantastic and I only wish the front-nine matched its fun-factor and interest. My first and only Texas golf experience was overall a great one!

Best Hole: While everyone raves about the Par-3 16th with the sand trap in the middle of the green (which of course I hit!), I really enjoyed the downhill, short Par-4 11th. You can lay up conservatively to the left of the sand traps but you have a challenging wedge approach, or you can try to get as close to the green as possible that requires carries over a sea of sand.

$500 round with two junior golfers, which is fine but the experience better be worth it!

No beverage cart running in dead of summer. Pro shop didn't know, b/c I asked and they said it was.

Starter failed to mention to load up on drinks.

No water on the course!? In the dead of summer?!

Did not see any staff on the course until #9.

I asked again about beverage cart. He said no and drove off. Didn't offer to get us anything. We paid $500?

Greens were Slow, like 7 on the stimp slow. Course otherwise in good condition.

They sent me a bot survey where I shared the same details and left contact info. No one followed up.

I'll never pay for a round at TPC San Antonio again. Shame, because the Canyons is a good course. The Oaks is so-so, but it was the resort course that day.

Might be time to start staying at La Cantera, shame because some good memories we've had at the JW.

The TPC Oaks remains the best golf course in SA. The course layout and conditions are top notch. Bring your big boy game though, it plays long and difficult. Bunkers are well below the playing surfaces and if you miss greens you will be punished. Pace of play is what you would expect from a major resort/member course...slow. If in town, make this a destination spot. Go play, take your time, enjoy the scenery, be prepared to shoot 5 more than normal and enjoy.

The Oaks is the best course in the city. Be prepared for the best test too. The bunkers are deep, the rough was lush, greens are fast. Beautiful course. Pay, enjoy, but be prepared to shoot 5-10 more than your average. Still, the best course in the city.

The course was in immaculate condition as it had received a bit of rain in the past couple of weeks. Fairways and greens were super green. Although the greens have been aerated a week or so ago, you couldn't notice it at all. Two major cons though: 1) there were no range balls available to practice with which is unsatisfactory for a place like this, and 2) the pace of play was extremely slow and there was no starter on the first tee box which made things even worse

This course is in very nice shape, and it should be for the price you pay. The twilight rate is reasonable, but you are otherwise paying a ridiculous premium because the pros play here. The front 9 is a bit redundant, but the back 9 is interesting and nicely done. The front and back are both quite challenging with tight fairways. Golfers that struggle off the tees are in for a long day. I give this 4 stars but don't recommend to others because of the unreasonable price and the fact that you don't get the views/scenery that you get at some other courses in town (for a much better price).

I'm not normally a fan of Norman designed courses, but this is one of his best. He has managed to take a relatively flat piece of terrain and craft an interesting routing. Although this is a PGA tour course, Norman has always left a bailout area for us amateurs so that the course is playable by everyone. Not common to be both a tour and resort course at the same time.. Course is heavily bunkered but the greens are gigantic and relatively flat. Enjoyable.

The TPC San Antonio Oaks course in my opinion is the best course in San Antonio. I've played every course around the city and this one was my favorite pure golf course. I played a few days after the pros finished at the VTO, so the course conditions were nothing short of perfect. The greens rolled smooth and very quick, every bunker was sanded and in pristine condition, all ponds were full, and every fairway looked great. The course sits in Texas hill country and has some elevation change but isn't gimmicky with the elevations at all. Many holes are framed with beautiful live oaks, bunkers, and rock outcroppings that make them a thing of beauty. The par 3s are strong throughout the course, maybe one of the best collections of them I've played to date. If I am comparing the course to other truly top facilities, I must admit the service was slightly lagging behind them. I've played many places where Valet service was standard, tee times were adhered to strictly by the starter whom normally gives a great overview of the course itself to guests, and the cart girls are ever present. While none of this really is necessary to me and I am splitting hairs between the top facilities, it needs to be mentioned in reviews to stay valid. Still, if given the chance to get a round on this course, I would highly suggest making it a golfing priority. Practice bunker play, chips from tight lies, and play the correct set of tees in order to have a chance at scoring at all here. The course is tough, but sometimes tough can bring out the best. In this case, it brings out the best San Antonio has to offer.

This is a good course, very well-conditioned, with some quirky/gimmicky features. It rolls through Texas hill country but the elevations are not severe. It has large, deep cavernous bunkers. Greens are fairly large but if you miss them anywhere you are punished. The front 9 is surprisingly fairly plain other than a few quirks like the shared green that wraps around a monstrous bunker. I played a couple of weeks before the Valero tournament so the greens were lightning fast. The back-9 makes good use of the topography and the streams to make a nice-looking course and to make you think through your shot selection.

It's always fun to play where the pros play. This is a cool layout through the tress and plays fairly difficult. The main defense are the deep green side bunkers, if you miss the green by just a little bit you are most likely in one. The sand was super soft which made them hard to get out of. I played this course in August 2017 through a stay and play package so the rate was pretty cheap, this is definitely not a course worth playing during peak season and peak rates. Definitely better than the Canyons course though.

This course was a fantastic test of golf. This course had some very difficult holes but it also had some birdie holes. Course was in fantastic shape. Greens rolled very well and the grass was in pristine condition.

I was lucky to have played in a course that's part of the PGA tour. I played a week after the Valero Texas Open and was pleasantly surprised at how pristine the entire course was. I figured that after the pro's went through, that it'd be a mine field of divots the week after, but that was not the case at all. This course plays long and it is super challenging with lots of sand traps. It has a lot of elevation changes, typical of a Texas hill country course. The fairways and greens are gorgeous. I've never seen fairways this pretty, they almost looked fake to me how smooth and green they were. Perhaps the best thing that complements this course is the JW Marriott resort, with its awesome pools, slides and lazy river. This course is a must for a weekend getaway with your family. Get a round of 18 while you're family is enjoying the pool and other amenities.

Having been able to play this course multiple times since it first opened up, it is wonderful to see some of the changes they have made, especially to the greens. With some tough tee and approach shots, it definitely takes some shot making skills to play this course well. On more than one hole, the landing area for the tee shot is a narrow part of the fairway that depending on the day could roll your ball an extra 20 yards forward or straight into the rough which is usually very high and thick. For the more novice of golfers, the course does offer some more welcoming landing areas for tee shots, you just have to sacrifice score for lie.

While the dead patches in the fairway were very impressive, I was even more impressed by the superintendant's choice of crafty pin placements. The Valero Texas Open was played well over two months ago, and I got the impression the grounds crew wanted to treat ME like a pro!! I mean, who doesn't love seeing most of the pin placements on steep ridges? I really enjoyed seeing my putts that missed by a few inches travel 30 feet from the hole. I got bonus putts--for free!! Thanks, TPC San Antonio!!

Now I don't want you to think I got bonus golf for free, because I'm pretty sure the $4 Gatorade I purchased was no different from the $2 Gatorade I am used to drinking (but I could be wrong?).

Sarcasm aside, the staff were friendly, and the layout is a good test. I wish they would understand there are lots of choices around San Antonio for my golfing dollars. Fair pin placements make the golf more fun, and good conditioning is a must when the greens fees are $$$. Given my experience today, I think I will spend my discretionary golf dollars elsewhere.

I live around the corner and finally got a chance to play TPC San Antonio.. It was a pleasure and I really enjoyed the course.. The practice area was unbelievable.. Being able to work on 50 yard wedge shots on perfect fairways and greens was a treat.. The course itself was in pristine condition.. Everything was green because of the rains and there were wild flowers everywhere.. The course is tough for average golfers.. I was strutting my stuff as I was even par after 5 including a birdie on #5.. I racked up a ton of double bogies after that and only managed a 92.. The greens are slick and as the day went on I found them hard to handle.. It was hard to get the first putt close.. We did play the forward tees (6200 yards).. I'm no pro and there are way too many folks that think they are good enough to play the tips out here.. Enjoy the course by playing a yardage that gives you a chance.. I am a local and would like to see more affordable rates in the late afternoon.. Right now, most of us are priced out of this course..

Now open about five years now, the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio is really starting to settle into its groove. The fields just keep getting better at the Valero Texas Open and the course is maturing beautifully. That improvement is reflected in the fact it was rated at No. 68 on Golf Digest's most recent Top 100 public after not being on it at all the previous time.

The Oaks, designed by Greg Norman, is absolutely a Top 100 course and a real joy to play, even if you're a mid- to -high-handicapper and the layout dutifully slices and dices up your game. It's a gorgeous piece of Hill Country property with some nice roll to the land, but the larger hills are saved for the Canyons. It's a wonderfully walkable layout to boot, and hoofers were out in abundance on the brisk spring day I played.

I enjoyed playing the Oaks more than TPC Sawgrass -- architecture buffs can go ahead and skewer me with that statement. I can take it -- because of the two short par 4s, a fine collection of par 3s and artful shaping of the property that just oozes "Hill Country" at every turn. (Okay, maybe the 18th is a little over the top, but that's Texas, for ya) There are some devilish pin positions out there, and there really isn't an easy approach shot on the course, but TPCs are meant to be a supreme examination of your game, which this course absolutely is. But in spite of the inevitable scorecard carnage, it's still such a pleasant walk from No. 1 to 18.

Course was in "tournament shape." Completely overseeded with rye grass. Deep green and beautiful. Really significant rough and most firm, fast greens I have played in many years. Green complexes are raised and run off into closely mown collection areas and deep bunkering. This is not a course for beginners or very high handicaps. I am a 7 hdcp and got beaten up badly. Hit some 9 irons to centers of greens that bounced and released over (with premium ball, not a rock). Not nearly as scenic as sister course Canyons, but 5x the test. Conditions were among best I have ever played. Price is brutal but this gives you the real feel of playing a PGA Tour venue. 18 is an outstanding hole to finish a match. Highly recommend the drinks and food at the restaurant (18 Oaks).

Pro: Since this course hosts the Valero Open Tournament this course was in really great conditions. Bunkers were to be a challenge. The course was green all around. This is a must play course if you are around the San Antonio area. TPC courses are usually very good courses like this one. Rough was thick all the way around.

Con: The greens were rolling smoothly but tended to be slow. The walk from the parking lot is a big uphill walk. Overall I really like the course a lot.