San Antonio has long been known for its majestic Alamo and romantic Riverwalk. Now, over the past few years, golf has put the Alamo City on the minds of thousands of tourists. Visitors come in droves to play on some of the Southwest's finest golf courses. Such courses as Westin La Cantera Resort, the Quarry Golf Club, the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, Canyon Springs Golf Club, Silverhorn Golf Club and Pecan Valley are just some of the city's treasures.

"I believe within the next 20 years, there will be 60 destination golf courses or resorts in and around San Antonio," said Jack Parker, owner of Tapatio Springs Resort. "We have to remember that golf is more than just a game, it's an industry."

Mild winters and more than 300 sunny days a year make San Antonio a wonderful getaway. So, grab your golf bag and head to the nearest stretch of fairways, greens and sand traps to experience one of life's simple pleasures -- golf.

The Bandit Golf Course at Long Creek

East of New Braunfels, Texas on FM 725 (Lake McQueeney, I-35 Exit 187)
* 800-923-7846. This par-71, daily-fee course, which plays to 6,928 yards, will excite you with fabulous elevation changes of more than 100 feet. Architect Keith Foster, designer of the Quarry Golf Club, used all of his artistry in blending The Bandit's natural splendor of cliffs, draws, ridges and water.

Brackenridge Park Golf Course

2315 Avenue B in North Central San Antonio
* (210) 226-5612. Located within the city's scenic Brackenridge Park, Brackenridge Park Golf Course is an 18-hole, municipal course. Opened for play in 1916, the course welcomed the first Texas Open Golf Tournament in 1922 and remained host course for the competition until 1959. The course plays 6,490 yards from the championship tees, with a par-72 layout.

Canyon Springs Golf Club

150 Evans Road
* (888) 800-1511, (210) 497-1770. This 7,077-yard course is one of the Alamo City's newest gems. A par-72 championship, daily-fee course, Canyon Springs is uniquely placed amongst hundreds of live oak trees. The course also features six to seven sets of tees on each hole to accommodate all types of golfing skills. Canyon Springs is also Texas' first course with flora-dwarf grass on the greens. The course has its own grill and lounge area as well as an outdoor pavilion.

Cedar Creek Golf Course

8250 Vista Colina in Northwest San Antonio
* (210) 695-5050. Sculpted within the area's natural hill and dale terrain, Cedar Creek Golf Course shot onto the scene in 1989. Sprawled over 174.5 acres in the Hill Country, the municipal par-72 course stretches for 7,150 yards from championship tees. The clubhouse provides a spectacular view of this challenging course with an on-site driving range.

Flying L Guest Ranch

P.O. Box 1959, Bandera, Texas 78003
* (800) 292-5134. Located in the "Cowboy Capital of the World," this resort boasts a par-72, 6,635-yard golf course. The back nine is scenic with its hilly expanse and view of the Medina Valley.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort

9800 Hyatt Resort Drive in Northwest San Antonio
* (210) 647-1234. Nestled in the San Antonio Hill Country, this more than 170-acre resort course is a balanced and dramatic, 18-hole test appealing to the complete spectrum of golf enthusiasts. Designed by Arthur Hills and Associates, the 6,913-yard course traverses rolling meadows, steep hillsides, wooded ravines and tree-shaded plateaus and is studded by lakes and ponds. The luxurious clubhouse features a full-service pro shop and two restaurants.

La Cantera Golf Club

16641 La Cantera Blvd. in Northwest San Antonio
* (800) 4-GOLF US, (210) 558-GOLF. This 7,100-yard course is home to the famed Texas Open and features six natural water features, 70 bunkers, numerous signature holes and six holes with panoramic views of San Antonio and the surrounding Texas Hill Country. The course is lined with unique features, including rock outcroppings, swift running streams, breathtaking views and mature trees as well as holes that run through a stone quarry. The course features the La Cantera Golf Academy with state-of-the-art video, a 15-acre, double-ended practice range and a putting green.

Mission del Lago Golf Course

1250 Mission Grande in South San Antonio
* (210) 627-2522. Along the shores of Mitchell Lake lies Mission del Lago, a par-72, city-owned golf course that opened for play in 1989. With championship tee yardage of 7,285, the course features several water hazards and sand traps amid a beautifully landscaped terrain. An on-site driving range provides for convenient practice sessions.

Olmos Basin Golf Course

7022 McCullough in North Central San Antonio
* (210) 826-4041. For 30 years, city-owned Olmos Basin Golf Course has encouraged championship play from San Antonians and visiting golfers. The course is 6,894 yards from the back tees, a test to even the best of golfers. The par-72 course has entertained several tournaments, including the LPGA Tour and City Men's Amateur Championship.

Pecan Valley Golf Club

4700 Pecan Valley Drive in Southeast San Antonio
* (800) 336-3418. Winding along picturesque Salado Creek, the 18-hole course plays 7,163 yards from the championship tees. Site of the 50th Anniversary PGA Championship in 1968 and three Texas Opens, Pecan Valley has been rated by Golf Digest as "One of the Top 50 Public Golf Courses in America" every year since 1984. The course recently completed a $5 million renovation, including a new clubhouse and banquet facility. The course is the host to the 2001 USGA Amateur Public Links Championship.

The Quarry Golf Club

444 East Basse Road in Central San Antonio
* (210) 824-4500. With its back nine holes carved into the sprawling basin of a rock quarry, the Quarry is one of the nation's unique golf courses, having won several prestigious accolades from various golf publications. The course offers challenges to players of every skill level and will provide one of the more memorable rounds of golf that you will ever play. The clubhouse features a complete golf pro shop and full-service restaurant, as well as a private banquet/meeting facility featuring custom in-house catering.

Riverside Golf Course

203 McDonald Avenue in South San Antonio
* (210) 533-8371. Built in 1929 as a nine-hole, par-3 course, Riverside Golf Course was renovated by 1974 to include an 18-hole, par-72 golf course. The result is a fascinating, 18-hole layout that plays 6,602 yards from championship tees.

Silverhorn Golf Club of Texas

1100 W. Bitters Road in North San Antonio
* (210) 545-5300. One of San Antonio's newest daily-fee courses is a par-72 golf course encompassing 1,600 acres on the city's north side. It features a clubhouse, a restaurant, a pro shop, a driving range and a banquet facility.

Tapatio Springs Resort & Conference Center

West Johns Road, off IH-10 in Boerne, Texas
* (800) 999-3299. Ranked as one of Texas' top 10 golf resorts by The Dallas Morning News, Tapatio Springs boasts three different combinations of 27 championship holes --"The Lakes," "The Valley" and the newest course, "The Ridge." "The Ridge" course is literally built into the hills, and with the continual ascent and descent it gives you the feel of a roller-coaster ride through a valley of trees, cliffs and lakes. The recent addition of a 10,000-square-foot conference center offers an on-site kitchen and a 6,000 square-foot ballroom with high-tech, movable dividing walls to "custom fit" any group.

Willow Springs Golf Course

202 Coliseum Road in East San Antonio
* (210) 226-6721. Built as a private course in 1923, Willow Springs Golf Course winds a scenic route along Salado Creek. This course has been host to the Texas Open and plays 7,085 yards from championship tees.

Woodlake Country Club

6500 Woodlake Parkway in Northeast San Antonio
* (210) 661-6124. Designed into the rolling hills and jeweled lakes of Martinez Basin, Woodlake Country Club's 18-hole, 6,652-yard championship course challenges skilled golfers while appealing to those with more modest abilities. A product of Desmond Muirhead's ingenuity, the course was the site of the Texas Open from 1972 through 1976. Built in contemporary Moorish design, the clubhouse houses the restaurant, lounge and pro shop.