Hill Country Golf Club - Creeks/Oaks

Excellent course! First one played since moving to San Antonio from Florida and it didn’t disappoint!

Great course in every way -- staff, practice facility, course layout, greens, etc. You feel secluded because of dense tree growth separating holes.

Overall good round. Quick pace but the greens just haven’t been very good the last few times. Everywhere else the greens are perfect. These are always grainy and really bumpy.

As you may know, this course is made up of three (3) 9-hole courses: The Oaks, The Creeks, and The Lakes. For my first time here, our group was instructed by the clubhouse to play Oaks & Lakes.

The playing difficulty of a course is a slope rating range from 55 to 155 with the standard being 113. Well, the Oaks/Lakes combination that we played has a slope of 134 from the blue tees. So it's a little on the difficult side for the average golfer. But don't let that discourage you. It's just something to know so that you don't beat yourself up when you have a few extra strokes on your scorecard at the end of the day. This isn't that track back home that you've played over and over. Give yourself a break; you deserve it.

Driver may not always be your friend on the par-4s. And it's so hard to leave it in the bag when the rest of your group is pulling out their driver almost each and every time. Plus, let's admit it (again), it's fun to hit. But as I keep telling myself and may someday actually do it ... put it back and pull out a wood, a hybrid, or a long iron. Your scorecard will thank you. Play *your* game ... not that of your playing partners. This course does not want you to scramble from under the trees etc; it will punish you. And that'll only lead to more negative thoughts and a less enjoyable round. Want to score better, have a better overall feeling about your game, and possibly beat the others in your group!? Leave the driver in the bag for almost every hole on which you have doubts about using it. I know you probably won't listen to me, but don't say I didn't warn you.

The architect certainly made sure to put a bunker right about where most players will land their drives. You'll also notice that a number of the fairways narrow at that very same spot. This is certainly a factor or two in the difficulty of this course and adds to it's somewhat challenging persona.

Trees! I do certainly enjoy the native Texas trees (almost all oaks) and vegetation/brush that are ever present on the course. It makes for a very natural feeling space. I'd like to think that the course was basically carved out of the area leaving you surrounded by its natural presence. Of course, that also means you're not going to scramble much and going off the fairway will almost certainly result in a lost ball or three during your round. Luckily, you'll find as many (good/quality) balls if not more while looking for your own. Trust me.

While most of the forced carries on the Oaks course were simply dry 'creeks' for water runoff, they were still full of well kept vegetation that you don't and/or can't hit out of. So it's still best to avoid them (obviously). I anticipated more water on the Lakes course. Sure it has a few ponds (er, "lakes"), but I was actually hoping for more water hazards just for the variety and course challenge. Sounds crazy to ask for such hazards, right!? I just like seeing something a little different than the last course, etc. I like the diversity. And when you call it The Lakes, well.....

With many greens being elevated and/or protected in front, you'll be limited with any bump-n-run shots onto the green. Side note -- special thanks to my longtime friend Steve for what my brother and I call "the ol' Goodwin bump-n-run" shot that he taught me years ago. The greens also didn't hold shots well today. Hard, cut short, different soil composition underneath? I have no idea. But I didn't see very many ball marks at all and we certainly only created a couple amongst our group. Oh, and the greens on this day were FAST. With the slope and undulation, this made for some speedy downhill putts at times. To be honest, I kind of like my greens fast versus slow. But my scorecard isn't as big of a fan. I had 34 putts this round ... a bit higher than normal and certainly not deserving of my self-professed 'one putt wonder' moniker.

I really do appreciate how more courses are embracing and paying for the GPS equipped golf carts. The carts had a small touch screen to show you the terrain of each respective hole along with yardage. If you want to know how far it is to reach the hazard, then just touch the screen on that spot to see the distance. GPS screens like this have been around for a number of years now yet every now and then I encounter fellow golfers who didn't realize that they were touchscreens and gave additional/specific information.

And finally, the staff were all quite friendly and readily available. The marshal checked us in, asked if we needed any information (since many playing there are first-timers), and otherwise let us handle our business. We may have seen him one other time while on the course. But he wasn't needed (by us) as we didn't have anyone playing right in front of nor behind us; it made for a very easy, no pressure day of golf. We also encountered two (2) different beverage carts for a total of 3-4 visits during our round. I did anticipate a cart boy to help us back to our vehicle and was surprised when we didn't see any around at the end of our round (2:00pm +/-). Okay, so that's a small tip I get to leave in my pocket. But it also meant that I had to drive the cart back down to the staging area and walk back to the car -- and that ended up being a bit farther than most courses I've played. I can manage either way -- just something I noticed.

Hyatt GC is always in great shape from tee box to green. But I have to say the greens were exceptionally nice during my round. They rolled consistent and true. Kudos to the greens keepers.

This was a very fun day screwed up by poor course conditions. For some reason the course decided to flood the fairways making them sloppy. The fairways are cut at an extremely tight cut and then you put muddy slop on top of that and it make for a very unpleasant experience. Probably won’t come back.

This place is great. I always take advantage of the Family Rates. Usually, 4 players, cart and balls or 175 bucks or so. Nobody pushing or waiting on you. Great for taking your time and drinking a few beers. Also for lower skilled players.

Been to this course many times. Staffs are always nice and welcoming. The course is always in good shape. I learn something new and interesting about this course every time I play. Great practice facility. Will be back for more.

Every time I get a chance to play in this area, this course is my top pick.

Enjoy it very much

Dave

Great resort course. Played during the week and never saw groups ahead or behind us.

I play this course 2 - 3 times per year while staying at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. There are 3 nine hole courses that change in rotation regularly. I enjoy playing the Oaks and Creeks courses, but the Lakes course is a tricked up. Avoid playing Lakes if you can choose the other two for your round. Each course has a few quirky holes but it is a fun place to play. Depending on the tees you play, the course can be much more difficult than the normal resort course. It can play long, the greens are large and very undulating. No or few straight putts. Driving accuracy can be a premium on several holes; again not like a typical resort course. Pro shop staff and cart attendants are usually top-notch. Better than average driving range and practice areas. I like playing the courses when in San Antonio. Beverage cart comes around frequently and is well stocked.

Now, however, for the not so positive remarks. Course conditions have really declined over the past two years. Gradual decline, but the decline is especially apparent with the greens. The decline in course conditions is visible throughout the courses I played but the greens were suffering the most. They were spotty, slow, grainy and definitely not up to the standards this course is known for. Very bumpy and unpredictable. I visited with the golf shop attendant after my round and he acknowledged that they have struggled with the greens this year and new greens are being discussed. Given the current conditions, paying the normal green fee is not a good value - at least it was not when I played. Twilight rates drop substantially and it is worth the price even with the greens conditions.

Snack bar next to the pro shop could have a better menu but there are other options for resort guests.

It is a course that I enjoy playing and recommend. But be prepared for conditions - especially greens - that need much improvement.

The pace of play was extremely slow and the marshal felt he could not do anything about a group that slowing everyone down.

The restaurant service was supper slow. After waiting for their fastest options for 45 minutes we had to take them with us to the course.

The comment form the manager at the proshop was "Sorry that happened to you"

Staff at Hills go out of their way to make sure that your round of golf is enjoyable I every way!