San Antonio already has a good reputation across the country as a great place to get away for vacations with theme parks, the Alamo, the River Walk, good golf courses and great weather, but the addition of the TPC San Antonio at the JW Marriott Resort in San Antonio will give visitors even more reasons to make the trip.

I'd highly recommend the AT&T Oaks Course, designed by Greg Norman with an assist from Sergio Garcia. Departing from the PGA Tour's modern tournament-style course with expansive grass areas and spectator mounding, the Oaks features a more natural look with tree-lined fairways, perched and undulating greens with run offs to closely mown chipping areas and massive bunkers with edges emulating the canopies of the native oak trees.

Take the advice of the starter and move up a set of tees. I played from the Club tees at 6,242 yards—course rating of 71.1 and slope of 138—and found there were narrow corridors between the trees, yet ample room off the tees in the landing areas. The true challenges were getting approach shots to the right sections of the undulating greens or being able to handle all the different chipping options if you missed the greens

I did notice that there was a 78.4 course rating and a slope of 143 for ladies who wanted to play those same green tees, but don't see many that will try it. Even ladies with double digit handicaps might find the forward tees at 5,514 yards with 74.1 and 132 numbers more then they want.

Playing from the Players at 6,624 yards (72.7 and 142) will probably be OK for long hitters, but the Tournament at 7.034 yards (74.7 and 145) should probably be only for single digit handicap amateurs.

The course can be stretched to 7,435 yards from the Tiburon tees for the Valero Texas Open in May and I don't see the red numbers going as low as they have in the past at the LaCantera Resort Course. Even the pros are going to have to be creative with their short games, trying to decide whether to use a putter or hybrid, a bump and run or to go with the usual flop shot with the wedge when they miss the greens—and they will more than usual because of the run offs around the green edges. Architects like to create indecision with the short game.

I especially liked the closing holes where the leader can not afford to coast at all. The 15th can be stretched to 464 yards and a par might make up a stroke. The 16th is a 183-yard par 3 from an elevated tee sitting on rocks and features a bunker in the middle of the green, like the 6th at Riveria Country Club. The 17th is a drivable par 4 for the long hitters, especially if Tour officials move the tees up, but avoiding a large bunker on the right side of the fairway may be difficult. Then the 18th is a risk-reward par 5 where a player might have to make a decision to go for it rather than laying up with his second shot. A stream comes into play about 150 yards out, narrowing the lay up area, and then cutting into the front and right side of the green where it will catch short or pushed approach shots.

I took a cart ride around the AT&T Canyons, designed by Pete Dye with an assist from Bruce Lietzke. Yes, the Dallas-based company bought the naming rights to both courses.

The Canyons just did not have the normal punitive characteristics of a Dye design and is probably going to be better for resort play as evident from the shorter yardages, course ratings and slopes—74.1, 136 from the Cibolo at 7,106 yards, 71.9 and 131 from the Tournament at 6,622 yards, 69.8 and 127 from the Players at 6,142 yards, 67.5 and 120 or 73.7 and 131 for ladies from the Club at 5,609 yards and 70.4 and 118 from the forward or ladies at 4,968 yards.

My friend Mike Sheridan played it as few days later and said that the putting surfaces were very good, but noted it was plain visually, no great holes, no views, no unique shaping features, no great trees, no water features and poor bunker shaping. Give it some time to mature.

The closing holes on the continuous-routed course (no return to the club after nine holes) are the best with a long par 3 over a canyon on the 16th, a drivable par 4 on the 17th and the par 4 that can be stretched to 482 yards on the 18th with lots of up and downs in the fairway.

Both courses will have closed-loop drainage and irrigation systems that will catch run off and recycle back onto the course that will ensure the protection of the Edwards Aquifer.

To play the golf courses, one option is to stay at the JW Marriott. I did notice one package at $595 per person that included two nights of lodging and a round of golf om each course plus a trip to the lesson tee. If given the choice, I would play the Oaks twice. Green fees were listed at $131 to $175. Golf packages are available by going on line at http://www.tpcsanantonio.com/ or calling 888-877-9193. Another option is to be a guest of a member. One nice thing is that your host does not actually have to play with you.