The Quarry

Many mines have made for good golf courses later in life, but few have the historical heft of The Quarry Golf Course near San Antonio. The site once supplied the neighboring San Antonio Portland Cement company, and the individuals who worked at these sites lived nearby in the town of Cementville; your round at The Quarry will travel across all of this.

Keith Foster’s fate was somewhat predetermined in the routing of the course; the two parcels of property available would clearly house the opening and closing nines and — with no disrespect meant to the architect — it seems obvious that the southernmost of the two would house the back nine because of the thrilling opportunities offered by its dramatic terrain.

Nos. 12 and 13 are good warmups, playing around the water-filled pit that housed the mine, but the adrenaline really gets going at No. 17. This Cape-style hole opens with a forced carry from one point on the rim of the mine to a fairway on the other side, with a significant drop in-between. The precipice travels along the left of the hole, and you’ll be rewarded in a shorter approach depending on how much you choose to bite off here.