At this San Antonio area New Home Inspection the ground rod was not visible. The ground rod should be visible slightly above ground level at the electric service, main panel, meter area. In many cases the ground round has been covered by landscaping, etc. and can not be verified.
 A ground rod
when installed (buried) should be 8' in length,
can be of a ferrous or non ferrous material & 
is usually 1/2" to 3/4" thick. A copper coated ground rod  is most commanly used in the San Antonio area.
The above image shows the ground round installed vertically, straight down, but realistically it will be installed at an angle and should not be at more than at a 45 degree angle and the top connection area should be left exposed.

For more info on ground rods go to:  http://www.jwkhomeinspections.com/Grounding/Rods/Ground/Rod/Blog


Photo by JWK  Inspections                 
Image by InterNachi