Canyon Springs Golf Club Review

Texas Outside Rating: 9.0

Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
San Antonio
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· Stay & Play

_6_fairway _1_green _18_with_waterfall

Canyon Springs Golf Club Review

What a fun track to play.  Canyon Springs was rated the "Best Overall Public Golf Club in San Antonio" as well as a 2009 Reader's Favorite and it's well deserving of it's accolades.  The front nine is a blast as it plays up and down the north San Antonio Hill Country and the back nine is more traditional with some very fun holes.  

Canyon Spring's facilities and grounds are impressive and loaded with history, some of which includes that it was the site of the last stagecoach out of town and a sabre tooth tiger's remains were found in a nearby cave.  The course is equally impressive and this is a must play if you're in the San Antonio area.

We loved the front nine and it's a nine that you will either love or hate because it can test your shot making and club selection skills and it requires a bit of guesswork the first time you play it.  Some might say that this nine is tricked up - we say its very fun! The front is short at 3493 yards from the tips but you'll encounter blind shots, sharp dog legs, risk reward opportunities, forced carries, sloping and contoured  fairways, challenging roughs, terraced fairways, and more.  Every hole on the front is different and unique with something to test your game.  For example:

  • #2 is a 520 yard dog leg right that requires an accurate shot of the tee to avoid the two long fairway bunkers on the left, the wishing well in the middle of the fairway, and the trees on the right - survive that and start planning your next shots to the downhill green with no room for error
  • here's a hint for #6 - ask the staff where the pin is placed because the answer will help you decide which of the split fairways to play to have an opportunity to par this beauty
  • #8 is a 480 yard downhill shot from an elevated tee box (with a lot of carry to the landing zone) to a sharp dog leg left with a terraced fairway leading to a sloping elevated green - club selection and course management are critical to par this baby

Survive the front and you'll enjoy a more traditional and relaxing back nine.  On a number of holes you can see the pin and what you're up against but the back still offers you plenty of challenges including pin placement that can be a par killer, dramatic elevation changes, thick roughs, water, dog legs, and some tough approaches. 

The fairways were in excellent condition and ample off the tee box.  The fairways vary from flat to gently rolling with both slope, terraces, and plenty of contour.   The first cut was thick and tough and if you miss it you're in the Live Oaks and native areas.  Some condos or apartments line one of the holes, but the rest of the course is beautiful with some beautiful homes set well back and out of play. 

The greens were also in excellent condition, about average size, and have both slope and undulation.  Pin placement can make the approach shots very challenging.  Some of the greens can be daunting and tough with speed ranging from 9.5 to 11.

The bunkers range in size and the sand is good. 

Bottom line:  great course, good conditions, fun to play, and a pretty good value. 

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Black 7,077 72.8 130
Blue 6,210 68.4 118
White 5,853 66.7 112
Gold 6,677 70.7 123
Red 5,234 70.0 115

Course Information

Course Architect:
Thomas Walker
Greens Type:
Bermuda
Greens Condition
9.0
Greens Difficulty
8.0
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Tough due to elevation changes
Scorecard
Course Map
Beware of water on 2 holes and the 56 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
9.0 out of 10
Beauty:
8.5
Difficulty:
8.5
Variety:
9.0
Fun to Play:
9.5
Value:
9.0
Condition:
9.0
Front Nine Rating:
9.3
Back Nine Rating:
8.8
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FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $39.00 to $79.00

Service is excellent and the grounds and facilities are very well done. The grill has some good food and an excellent tomato bisque soup. Practice facilities are good and the pro shop has all the necessities.

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Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard Rating

The Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this:  links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses! 
Texas Outside rates courses on the following:

  • Beauty – tall trees, rolling hills, beautiful houses, waterfalls, and similar stuff would score high; a 1 would be flat, bushes or cactus instead of trees, and some grass but mostly weeds
  • Difficulty – a straight, 300 yard par 4 with no traps or hazards, no out of bounds or water would probably get a 1; if it is a 460 yard par 4 over two ravines, with water along one side, natural hazards on the other, strategically placed traps or that dreaded tree right in the middle of the fairway, we are talking a 10. 
  • Variety – what would you give a course where all the holes looked and played exactly the same (“I thought we just played that hole!”); were side-by-side, which is good for finding or dodging other people’s balls, but not much fun; and you can see the flag from every tee box?  That’s right, it gets a 1.
  • Fun Scale – a 10 is where you walk off the course and say “now that was fun” and you can’t wait to get back, or you immediately turn around and play another 18 holes
  • Value – a 5 is $50 to $60, a 10 is $20 to $30, and 1 is $200 or so – of course all of this is dependent upon how you liked the course.  For example, if a run down, boring municipal course, with six players on each hole was only $10; it would still get a value rating of 1.
  • Condition – this one’s pretty easy – what condition are the fairways. A 10 commands very lush perfectly manicured fairways, compared to a 1, which has fire ants, weeds, and more dirt than grass!
  • Condition of Greens and Difficulty – very hard to read greens with lots of undulation and tough pin placement, rate very high on the difficulty scale.  Condition is self-explanatory.  

All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course.  In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40.  We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.