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The Club at ConCan
Splendid Isolation in the Frio River Valley
There is no quick or easy way to get to Concan, a no-stoplight town in south Texas near Garner State Park, north of Uvalde and hard on the glorious and frigid Frio River. That splendid isolation is part of the appeal.
Directions given by pro shop personnel at The Club at Concan—the area’s wonderful Roy Bechtol-Randy Russell designed golf course—or the folks who answer the phones in the office of Frio River Cabins, say they are about 1.5 hours from San Antonio. Really, the drive from that direction—through scrubbrush and mesquite, past craggy drop-offs and rounded hills at the edge of the Texas hill Country—will take upwards of two hours. But the experience that awaits is worlds apart and worth the effort.
For generations the area has earned whispered fame as a place to beat the Texas heat by swimming and tubing in the ice-cold, spring-fed Frio River. In 2007, the Arthur family unveiled the Club at Concan with its 7,333-yard, par- 72 jewel of a golf course, and the talk got a little louder.
Nestled in the valley formed by the Frio River and surrounded by hills with elevations of up to 1,500 feet, wildlife is a constant presence on the course as the deer, rabbit and armadillo populations far outnumber the humans. This one-of-a- kind setting, with its distant vistas from every green, makes Concan a substantially different, unique and refreshing stay-and-play option.
The course—which is routed via a traditional “loop inside an outer loop” layout— fits today’s players with a blend of modern and old-style design tenets. The sequencing of the holes works hand-in hand with nature to enhance the site’s majestic and natural setting.
“The environment was just crying out to be turned into a top-notch golf course,” Bechtol said. “When we first walked the site, we found a valley with gently rolling appearance and as the routing evolved, we were able to find subtle natural features that we could expand on and enhance.”
Your New Favorite Course
Concan is a big-shouldered golf course, bunkered mightily throughout, with radical contours on some greens. The par-3 holes are thoughtful, though not excessively long. The par- 5 holes—one on the front and three on the back—are demanding enough, though not excessively punitive. The 10 remaining holes, the sturdy and relentless par-4s, can make your ears ring.
“We were able to accentuate the natural features of the site’s environment and create a very special place,” Bechtol said. “The trained eye will see that we aimed shot lines at surrounding features to expand the visual golf experience. You feel on every hole that you are in your own little golf world.”
“Real golfers, those who have played on some of the most famous courses in the world, come back from Concan and tell me it is their new favorite course,” Bechtol said. “The golf at Concan is honest and challenging, and that’s one of the things that make it memorable.”
Frio Country Resort
The Arthur family controls more than 90 cabins and Frio River valley homes in their rental pool and still welcome guests at their Frio Country Store (just in case you forgot something) when they check into their cabins. The destination gets a little crowded in high season—which runs from Memorial Day to labor Day— then tapers off as bit as the weather cools in the fall.
Eighteen of those cabins (homes really) are within the Mountain valley subdivision that is also home to the golf course. The cabins, which can house up to 6 overnight guests, are modern and clean and include a full kitchen, but this is not a five-star hotel. Patrons are asked to bring their own sheets and towels and any toiletries they may need and all the food and libations they can consume.
Those who don’t wish to cook their own food can grab a lunch in the clubhouse grill, which sits on the covered back patio overlooking the course’s practice greens and driving range. Here one can dine while listening to the trickling Waters of a stream built into the property’s manicured grounds. Ask the folks in the kitchen for the recipe of that special sauce they put on their Southwestern chicken and vegetable wraps.
Let The Good Times Roll
In the evenings, good times and great food are on the menu at the nearby house Pasture Cattle Company Restaurant, which offers up a variety of chow ranging from burgers, salads and sandwiches to steaks and seafood.
And for those into Texas-style country music, the house Pasture plays host to some of the finest in the genre each weekend, featuring Saturday night concerts from the likes of Gary P. Nunn, Cory Morrow, Kevin Fowler and Reckless Kelly. Country legends John Conlee and Tanya Tucker have played the venue as well.
When not on the golf course, guests can go swimming and tubing in the Frio, head for their favorite leases when the hunt is in season, fish in the lake on the golf course grounds that is stocked with bass or go hiking in the nearby hills.
There’s even a boutique at Concan— the newly opened Maudie B’s—that features vintage-inspired clothing, home accents, gifts and accessories.
Pack the clubs, pack the kids, and head to The Club at Concan. It's an experience everyone will enjoy...and want to have again every year.