”You only have one chance to make a great first impression.”
The limestone cliffs and rock formations immediately capture your attention the moment you pull into the parking lot. The drive and urban setting never hint that an abandoned cement quarry lies just beyond the upscale shops that make up the neighborhood. Keith Foster did a great job reimagining this into a unique, fun golf course.
(The 388/361 yard opening hole stops at the end of the fairway before dropping down to a green next to the water. The putting surface slopes severely towards the hazard and punishes the player who bails too far left. Par is a good score.)
(The 168/136 yard par three third plays diagonally across a creek to a green filled with little slopes and ridges. Note the lack of sand fronting it thus allowing weaker players a chance to run it on…
…peering over from the fourth tee, one notices that anything left has a chance to find the hazard. I really like how the water is slowed down as it flows into the creek creating a slow relaxing atmosphere on the third tee.)
(The 158/142 yard eighth is a lovely downhill par three that pokes out into the water with a giant trap fronting. There’s nowhere to bailout. It’s a shot that demands absolute precision. A three is a fine score.)
Keith Foster is one of the more interesting modern architects. He began his career working with Art Hills before venturing out on his own. He produced several original designs in the ‘90s that were well received and won Best New awards including The Quarry and The Harvester in Iowa. At the end of that decade, he started doing renovations and restorations, and decided to focus strictly on that side of golf architecture. This leaves The Quarry as one of the few places one can see his design style.
(The Alamo smokestacks rise high above the ninth green reminding all of the property’s previous life. This limestone quarry produced much of the cement that built San Antonio. The halfway house is called “Cementville” honoring the worker town that housed many of the quarry workers.)
(The 205/164 yard par three twelth brings the quarry walls into view. The natural vegetation and mounding by the green gives this hole a classic look…
…this view from eleven confirms the day’s pin position but also reveals several spots that are safe misses. Look at the limestone wall! It gives the entire back nine a surreal backdrop.)
(The 442/410 yard par four fourteenth is the number one handicap hole on the course. It begins in the bowl and plays uphill to this green. Check out the leveling of the cliffs. The housing sits atop the outer wall with an inner cliff revealing exposed white limestone.)
(The 528/495 yard par five fifteenth is reachable in two shots but is well defended by traps and the limestone wall…
…those going long can find themselves at the base of the cliff with no shot. There’s also other features like the scrub and loose rocks. It should be a good birdie opportunity.)
Keith Foster’s routing makes The Quarry really stand out. The front nine is across the street with a tunnel connecting the two sides. The acreage over here is not as big as the back so Foster squares off the first four holes around the perimeter and then works the other five inside. Two lakes and two streams give this nine all the character they need. The holes are also not as long and three short par fours give one a chance to post a strong outward score.
The back nine is obviously why we play here but it’s also where the course shows its teeth and is nearly 500 yards longer. There’s two quarry walls, one that forms the pit setting, and one that we’ll be tackling with our shots. The back starts off with two decent holes, but the 12-18 stretch is really good! The standout holes are thirteen and seventeen, both short to mid length par fours where you’ll have to challenge the limestone walls to have a good chance at birdie. I guess one can play conservatively on both holes, but the shots are so cool that it’s hard to resist giving them a go. Both par threes are in terrific settings with sixteen at the base of the limestone wall. From the tips it plays over 240 yards. The last two holes play on the rim of the quarry and demand accurate tee shots to score well. Are they too narrow? That is an honest critique but driver is not required on either. Regardless of score, The Quarry is a special experience and one that I highly recommend. Many consider it the best public course in San Antonio. I give it a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play).
(The 242/201 yard par three sixteenth plays to this beautiful green below the quarry wall. Note the lack of bunkering short. I like Foster’s judicious use of sand which allows multiple ways of attack.)
(The 386/357 yard par four seventeenth is a real cracker of a hole! Driving lines don’t get much more intimidating than this. Take the club you trust the most and swing it!)
(The 564/509 yard par five eighteenth plays uphill with quarry rock lining the left side. The hole gets skinny in the middle making your second shot seem tougher than it really is. A wide variety of scores can be found here so play confidently.)
(“Are you from Cleveland?” the starter asked me. “You write a golf blog?” I was thinking maybe he was a reader and recognized my name but instead found out Jeff Vieira from my Saturday golf league had said something. Talk about random! Not only were we both in San Antonio at the same time but we were actually paired together! My daughter told me that’s karma’s way of saying you exactly where you’re supposed to be!)
(Eighteen holes with a cart was $160. It goes up during peak season and down in the summer.)
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