ConCan's Divine Layout Can be Hellish

Web Posted: 09/04/2007 10:10 PM CDT

Richard Oliver
San Antonio Express-News

CONCAN — Tucked in the far back corner of ConCan Country Club, a hawk's flight from the clubhouse, the par-5 No. 13 looms like a waiting Goliath.
More than 600 yards from back tee to green, the stretch demands a healthy drive that navigates snagging trees and sentry fairway bunkers, a positioning approach and a muscled carry shot over a serpentine creek to reach an elevated, crowned green.

It's a little slice of hell in a whole lot of heaven.

For former City Councilman Chip Haass and myself, the closest we came to a birdie on a recent visit to this one was the roadrunner that exploded out of the native grass and across the Carrizo Zoysia stretched out before us.

Like most of the holes at the first-year club, established in the middle of Frio Canyon not far from the murmuring currents of the Frio River, the 13th combines the wondrous aesthetics of the Hill Country with plenty of pesky bedevilments.

It's a skills challenge that requires everything from strength to touch — and every club in the bag.

From start to finish, a span of 7,333 yards from the championship tees, ConCan Country Club exists as a hidden gem worth mining for discriminating players. A 90-mile drive northwest of San Antonio, nestled in the blazing green hills of Uvalde County, the course designed by noted Austin architects Roy Bechtol and Randy Russell is a remarkable test of golf in a remarkable, albeit remote, setting.

The realization of a dream shared for more than a decade by real estate developer Kenny Arthur and his wife, Barbara, the layout includes four separate tee boxes on each hole, catering to differing skill levels. But it's the journey from there to the greens that can present a surprisingly stout test for both novice and accomplished players.

Built on close to 275 acres near the intersection of State Highway 127 and U.S. Highway 83, not far from Sabinal and Leakey, the club provides the centerpiece for a sprawling complex that includes cabins, a housing subdivision and the celebrated House Pasture Cattle Company.

It is the golf course, however, that commands particular attention, holding its own with any in and around San Antonio.

The temptation is to spend the day admiring the 360-degree views of ConCan's legendary towering hills and escarpments. But to do so would be costly on the scorecard, already impacted by winding Zoysia fairways, punitive native-grass rough and hazard areas, pot bunkers and tiered greens.

Playing alongside the course's head pro, Chris Perkins, and facility consultant Bryan Gathright, director of instruction at Oak Hills Country Club, Haass and I discovered a traditional Hill Country layout that is at once demanding but fair. Far from tricked-up, it offers reward for risk at almost every turn.

On the front side, the par-4 No. 4 is a particular delight. At only 415 yards from the back, it can't be overpowered despite an accommodating, wide fairway. But to bid for birdie means a precise iron shot, carrying a creek to reach the flag.

It was the kickoff of a nifty three-hole stretch that can test nerves and shot-making ability.

The back nine provided the true gut check, however, with Nos. 12 through 15 one of the more enjoyable trials of golf I've experienced in this area.

The par-3 14th, which could well be the course's signature hole, calls for a dartboard approach from 177 yards, aiming at a long, horizontal oval green guarded in front by a steep, unforgiving creek bed.

Fittingly, like the course itself, it was a pretty poison for my game.

When we finished, we settled in on the covered patio next to the clubhouse and finally took in a horizon interrupted by the jagged hills in the distance.

It was, indeed, a whole lot of heaven.

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roliver@express-news.net
CONCAN COUNTRY CLUB AT A GLANCE

Address: 510 Mountain Valley, Concan

Par: 35-37—72

Course yardages: Championship (The Wall) — 7,333; Members (The Falls) — 6,798; Senior (White Water) — 6,157; Forward (Baby Falls) — 5,187.

Cost: Prices include green fee plus cart — Weekday ($49.99, plus tax); Weekend (Friday-Sunday, $59.99, plus tax); Specials (Stay-and-Play lodging packages from $150 per night and up October-April).

Phone: (830) 232-4471

Web: ConCanGolf.com

520 Mountain Valley Drive ConCan Texas 78838