Making a Great Course Even Better |
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Alsatian Golf Club is ready to show off renovations – are you ready to take the test?
Now – thanks to eight months of renovation work on the course that has affected seven holes, eliminated another and changed a formerly troublesome and long par-four into two separate holes – players can experience an even better track at Alsatian. The Alsatian Golf Club is a mid-city staple in Castroville, and one of the prime drawing cards for a municipality that caters to tourists and those seeking to escape San Antonio’s hustle and bustle. The club’s scenic course was built on top of a hill, and because of that fact, the wind is a major factor in strategy and always a consideration. The terrain on Alsatian’s front nine is flat and the fairways are lined with young trees. On the other hand, the back nine has large oak trees that can affect your shots and has more mounding than the front nine. The greens are average, about 5,000 square feet in size, and they are firm, so precise shots will be rewarded. Water hazards come into play on five holes. The changes at Alsatian, began in September of 2007 when Southern Golf Properties was contracted as the management company to take Alsatian into a promising future. In November of 2007 golf course renovations began and the construction of a new clubhouse was underway. 
Done is the more prevalent reworking of the old No. 2, which has been separated into two holes. Formerly a 430-yard parfour that brought both water and heavy rough into play (and slowed play because of all the trouble), the hole now plays as a risk-reward 330-yarder from the back tees. There is a new peninsula green surrounded by water, so bite off only what you think you can chew. “The peninsula green on No. 2 has three tiers to it,” said Rudy Gonzales, Alsatian’s head golf professional. “Although it only plays 330 from the tips, it is very challenging from tee to green. It is probably one of the best holes under 400 yards, and has received rave reviews from many of the players who have been here since the change.” The old green at No. 2 is now the putting surface for a new hole, a 168-yard par-three. There is a new championship tee box on the first hole and 12 new bunkers throughout the golf course. In addition, the fourth hole sports a new, penal wastebunker. The other major renovations at Alsatian include the elimination of the former 12th hole, the changing of No. 13 (which still requires a tee shot from an elevated tee to a creek bottom, then an approach shot down a narrow fairway to an elevated green) from a par-five to a par-four, and the building of a new set of tee boxes on No. 17, which moves this hole from a par-four to a par-five. “Owners, Richard and Hazel Russell have done a wonderful job in the renovations of their golf course,” said CEO of Southern Golf Properties John Junker. “The course is really a lot fun to play and the course conditions are great.” 
The course at the Alsatian Golf Club features a slope of 127 and a rating of 72.3. The course, designed by Steve Mrak and opened for play in 1995, plays at 6,891 yards from the back set of four tees and to a par of 71. The greens are a smooth and fast Tifdwarf, which is durable in the Texas heat, and the Bermuda fairways always provide good lies for that clutch approach shot. Alsatian is now a great place to work on your game, with the addition of a new practice area, designed by Southern Golf Properties’ Bryan Gathright. The facility features a private teaching tee and a two-way sand bunker that allows up to five people to hit bunker shots to a green or turnaround and hit out into the driving range. We also have built a short-game range with a real green and a full-size driving range to accommodate all of our members and our daily fee traffi c. Also, we now have a “pre- round” putting green next to the starter and the No. 1 tee. And in the final stages of work is Alsatian’s unique, new clubhouse. The 3,800-square-foot structure includes a restaurant and beer/wine area, outdoor dining, a full-service pro shop and a conference/meeting room. “Our building is very unique in the sense it is designed around a silo or an old grain bin,” said owner Richard Russell. “It is truly very different from anything in the San Antonio area.”
Come on out and test your game at
the new Alsatian
Golf Club. You will be glad you did. |
For more than a dozen years, the course at the Alsatian Golf Club in this near-west suburb of San Antonio has stood the test of time, tempting golfers with a combination links and Hill Country challenges.
