FRONT 9 / BACK 9
ON THE FIRST TEE
San Antonio Express-News

Larry Farlow

• Age 69
• Occupation: Retired as the Public affairs director at Brooks City-Base
• Owner of Web sites sanantoniogolf.com and http://golfgulfcoast.com (under construction and looking for partners).
• Did you serve in the military? Four years in the Navy, that was from 1954-58. I've worked for the Air Force for 29 years.
• What is the best score you've shot at Brooks? I don't play Brooks that much.  I normally play Randolph, and probably about an 85 is al low as I've shot.  I've shot some low 80s but they've been on extremely easy courses. And since I recently had lower spine surgery I am playing from the forward tees.
• What are some of the best U,S. Military courses you've played? The Tyndall (AFB) golf Course in Panama City, Fla. For western courses, the course at Luke (AFB) in Arizona is a really nice course. The old Fort Ord course, which is now a privatized course in Monterey, Calif. Very tight with big, majestic firs. I played the Andrews (AFB) recently, the South Course, great course.
• How do you think San Antonio's military courses stack up against other military courses around the country? I think they're really, really good.   The Fort Sam courses are great.  Randolph has come a long ways, it's getting better very week. And Lackland is an absolutely wonderful course, and I play Lackland every chance I get.
• When and why did you start http://sanantoniogolf.com? I bought the domain names sanantoniogolf.com and golfsanantonio.com back in 1966. The reason that I started the site was twofold. I could not find detailed information about golf courses in San Antonio and I needed something to satisfy my creative instinct. I was a newspaper brat, calling in my first byline story at age 12 to the old Record-American when the sewers blew up in downtown Boston. I worked as a news reporter and photographer (and)... later I was an advertising photographer. At the end of the day, I could see what I had accomplished, either a news story or a photograph. And after I started working in public relations, I missed that.

• Through the Web site, you also are able to help out-of-towners with their golf plans? I work with an avid lady travel agent. She does all the arrangements with the golf courses, with the hotels, she takes care of all of that. I visit with the golf professionals and together we bring a lot of customer and business to the area golf courses.
• What kind of feedback are you currently getting on the San Antonio Courses? I'm hearing very, very good things right now. We've had great rains, the courses are just in terrific shape. I played Woodlake three weeks ago and it was in great shape. I played Olympia Hills (recently) and it's in terrific shape. I played SilverHorn -- and if I was to select one course that maybe is a true gem that people often don't think of, it's SilverHorn. I don't see any bad high-end course in San Antonio.
• You serve on the Tourism Council -- what kind of job do you think San Antonio does in promoting its golf?
  I think between the Tourism Council and, probably more importantly, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, they do a great job in getting the word out about San Antonio. I would like to see more partnering between the course on a national scale.
• What kind of impact do you think PGA Village could have on golf travel to San Antonio? It can't do anything but help. What a wonderful thing for San Antonio -- what a wonderful thing for the PGA. Look at the dynamics of the average traveling destination golfer. The are primarily male, 80 percent are married, 45-year old average, average household income is $72,000 a year.  That comes out of USA Today. They're going to be spending money and not just on golf. They come to San Antonio because of the really good food, and the River Walk and all the amenities. And it's all Texas Friendly Ya'all.
• What about the golf?  San Antonio offers more diversity in they types of different golf courses than anywhere else in the world, period !