LaCantera is primo place to stay

Just got back from one of my favorite places in the world to hang my hat and rest my weary body -- the incomparable Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio.

Despite the openings of other and bigger resorts in the San Antonio area, La Cantera remains pertinent because of the care taken at the property, the customer service and the continual feeling that you are top on the world -- which you really are since you are on the top of a hill in North SA.



Staying here never gets old, and the credit for that must go to Tony Cherone, La Cantera's general manager, and Greg Haugland, the resort's director of sales and marketing. Having Steve Shields of Troon Golf run the golf course operations at the resort is a huge plus as well.

These guys and their staff know how to book the right customers into the right rooms and stage the right events, three things that are crucial in today's hospitality market. La Cantera makes no pretense at being anything more than what it is -- a great place to stay, to eat, to relax and to play golf.

Golf business news in the Central Texas area

There has been plenty of things going on on the business side of golf in the Central Texas area the past few days.

Here's a few of the happenings:

1. The owner of the 1,618-acre Skywater Over Horseshoe Bay golf course and residential project filed for bankruptcy protection after its lender had moved to foreclose. The bankruptcy attorney for Skywater's owner said the filing would not alter plans for the development, including the completion of the almost-ready-to play Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. There's Jack on the right.

2. Williamson County developer Robert Wunsch has put more of his holdings into bankruptcy, including the Golf Club at Avery Ranch (below). The 18-hole public golf course, designed by former Nicklaus designer Andy Raugust, remains open. Wunsch's projects include the Avery Ranch residential community in Northwest Austin, Berry Creek in Georgetown and the Texas A&M Health Science Center in Round Rock.


3. Plum Creek Development Partners announced Wednesday the purchase of the Plum Creek Golf Course, which is located in the mixed-use, master-planned community of Plum Creek in Kyle.
The course was purchased from OneWest Bank in a foreclosure-related auction. The original owner of the course was Middleton Properties, Inc., a Missouri-based company. The 18-hole, approximately 200-acre Hill Country course has the distinction of having a layout where no two fairways touch. A new clubhouse, including a pro shop, locker rooms, a grill room and a banquet room accommodating up to 360 people, opened at the Plum Creek course in 2009. Golf course operations will continue under the management of General Manager David Curwen.

That's a lot of news for just a few days, but the good thing is that all three courses should survive.