The Buzz: Talk to those golfers who have teed it up at Johnson Ranch and they probably will tell you a tale of two golf courses, rolled into one. What you get at this 7,141-yard layout, which was built in 1997, is a relatively long, flat front nine set in the Sonoran desert and a back nine that winds through surrounding hills, offering beautiful vistas that climb into the San Tan Mountains and overlook the Valley of the Sun. It was designed as a centerpiece of the master-planned community named for Phoenix developer George Johnson, whose projects also include the well-regarded El Conquistador in Tucson and includes single-family homes, recreation facilities, shopping and a grade school that span 2,200 acres. Regulars know the course simply as “The JR” and have a particular appreciation for its varying topography and the fact that it offers generous landing areas. It was designed by Kenny Watkins, who worked closely with Arthur Hills and Bob Cupp, among other architects. The course grabs your attention right from the star with a 606-yard par 5. The par-4 13th is another monster at 481 yards. Two of the more memorable holes are the 15th, a 372-yard, par 4 with an uphill shot to a well-guarded green and the par-5 18th, where a water hazard stands guard. A clubhouse with a full-service restaurant that offers a wide variety of cuisine, built in 2005, replaces the trailer where cutouts of John Wayne and Hopalong Cassidy used to greet customers, but there remains a distinct Western flair in the surrounding area with plenty of horse property flanking The JR.
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