SAN ANTONIO -- It's not often that a Pete Dye-designed golf course would be considered the kinder, gentler of two courses at a 36-hole resort, but that's the case with the new AT&T Canyons Course at the TPC San Antonio and JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
Perhaps it was because Bruce Lietzke was the player consultant on the par-72, 7,100-yard layout. Or more likely, it was because Dye waited until Greg Norman turned over his plans for the AT&T Oaks Course, which is the new home of the PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open, before he began his own work.
Many who have played TPC San Antonio's AT&T Canyons Course say it doesn't look like a Dye design, but upon closer inspection, you'll find plenty of the Scottish pot bunkers the architect is known for as well as a few other wrinkles, including some church pew-style bunkers on the par-4 ninth.
More than anything, the AT&T Canyons Course, as the name implies, provides great views of the Texas Hill Country. It's also more wide open than the AT&T Oaks Course and easier to play, providing the JW Marriott with a true resort course.
AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 16
The 224-yard, par-3 16th on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio plays over a gorge.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 17
The 17th on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio is a driveable par 4 for long hitters.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 18
The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa provides the backdrop for the finishing hole on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 6
The sixth on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio is a linksy-feeling, uphill par 4.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 2
The par-5 second on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio has a troublesome tree as well as a series of fairway bunkers.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 3
The third, a medium-length par 4 on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio features five bunkers.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 4
With a green that slopes toward the water, this 182-yard par 3 on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio is anything but a pushover.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 6
The par-5 sixth on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio is a good three-shot hole.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 8
The par-3 eighth on the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio plays uphill to an elevated green.
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AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio - No. 9
The fairway bunkering the ninth at the AT&T Canyons Course at TPC San Antonio is reminiscent of the church pews at Oakmont.
Mike Bailey/TravelGolf
(based on 5 reviews)