Author: azga_allan

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Flagstaff Northern Arizona

Continental Country Club

Continential Country Club in Flagstaff

Arizona Golf Course Reviews: For public golfers seeking a place to tee it up in Flagstaff, Continental Country Club is the place to play. In fact, it is the only public course in that northern Arizona town. Formerly called Elden Hills, it is a scenic layout that isn’t particularly long at 6,014 yards, but its fast, small, undulating greens offer plenty of challenges. Nearby Elden Mountain is visible from pretty much every hole and the dramatic San Francisco Peaks in the background are visible from several.

Continential Country Club mountains in distance Flagstaff, Arizona
Continential Country Club in Flagstaff

Those mountains aren’t the only taste of nature that Continental golfers experience, not with a wildlife habitat nearby. Deer roam the property throughout the year and there are families of bald eagles, along with osprey, heron, geese and ducks that make their homes on an adjacent lake. In fact, Continental is listed nationally as a popular spot for bird-watching, with egret, stilt, gulls, warblers and red-tailed hawks among the vagrants during migration. One thing you probably won’t find at Continental is slow golfers. General manager John Malin said pace of play is a point of emphasis on the course and that shows on the scorecards, which advise golfers that they should complete each nine in two hours. They even show the time required to play each individual hole.

The scorecard offers a list of Tips for Faster Play, such as “Mark your scorecard at the next tee” and “Pick up and place your ball on the green once you have reached double par.” It also advises that course marshals “will have full discretion to help accomplish this pace” and that the unused portion of green fees will be refunded “should you choose not to abide by our pace of play policy.” Despite its snowy winters, Continental often is open for play during cold weather, and one of its most popular events is the “Polar Open,” which was played in 33 inches of snow in February, 2009, and drew 66 golfers.

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Kingman Northern Arizona

Cerbat Cliffs Golf Course

Cerbat Cliffs Golf Club in Kingman, Arizona
Cerbat Cliffs in Kingman, Arizona

Arizona Golf Courses: Kingman likes to boast that it is the “perfect launching point for Route 66 and beyond.” If that is the case, then visitors in search of a golf fix can get their kicks at Cerbat Cliffs. It is Kingman’s only municipal course, which means it is easy on the wallet, but the green fee isn’t the only thing golfers enjoy here. Cerbat Cliffs, which plays to par-71 at 6,502 yards, offers scenic views at 3,300 feet above sea level amidst its natural stone bluffs and terra cotta plateaus in the high desert. Cacti found in much of Arizona give way to chaparral and desert willows on this layout designed by PGA Tour legend Billy Casper and Phoenix course architect Greg Nash, and if you like a course that offers variety, this is the right place.

Cerbat Cliffs Golf Club in Kingman, Arizona
Cerbat Cliffs in Kingman, Arizona

Just when you think you have discovered its overall “feel,” the course changes course. The first five holes are short, picturesque par 4s set in the midst of windswept mesas. Next up are six tranquil parkland-style holes, followed by three holes flanking I-40 where strong winds whip across open terrain. Then comes the real meat of the course, a three-hole stretch known as the “Lava Loop,” which has caused its fair share of eruptions. It is a combination of blind shots, howling winds and treacherous bentgrass greens, which puts a high premium on accuracy, in an area adorned with volcanic remains and desert scrub. The 16th tee is not the best place to ponder how many strokes you are under par for the day. The par-4 is just 338 yards from the back tees but features a sharp dogleg left and a driver isn’t the smartest choice off the tee. From the dogleg, it plays directly into a strong prevailing wind with a shot that must carry a dry creek bed to a tiny, multi-tiered green. The round ends with another par 4, originally designed as a par 5, at 440 yards. At least this one plays downwind most of the time, but to a tight fairway and the approach must carry a desert chaparral to a shallow green.

You can relive your finish after the round with a cold drink and a “Trevino burger” at the Sand Trap Restaurant, and if you haven’t done the “beyond” part of your trip, head on over to the Historic Route 66 Museum Kingman, fully aware that the bright lights of Las Vegas beckon in the distance. Happy motoring.

Categories
Central Arizona Phoenix

Cave Creek Golf Course

Cave Creek Municipal - No. 13 - Par 3
Cave Creek Municipal – No. 13 – Par 3

AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: As much as any golf course in the Valley of the Sun, Cave Creek is a success story. From an environmental standpoint, it would be hard to top. It started in 1983 as a landfill reclamation project and emerged within a year as a championship golf course that has become the most popular among the eight owned by the city of Phoenix, with more than 60,000 rounds per year. Its’ men’s club, with more than 400 members, also is the largest and well worth the annual membership fee of 75 bucks. Arthur “Jack” Snyder, whose design work is well known throughout the state, created this layout which features a creek that winds its way through the property, leading to wide rolling fairways and presenting challenges on a course that generally is player friendly.

There are three sets of tees at 5,552, 6,207 and 6,732 yards and it is rated at 71.8 with a slope of 128 from the tips, which means it’s not exactly a brute. There are just 17 bunkers, but they are large and come into play prominently around the greens. The overall terrain is rolling with fairways bound by trees, and green complexes are slightly elevated, large and undulating. Several large water hazards bring water into play on six holes, all of them on the back nine in an eight-hole stretch.

The front nine provides a tough finish with a pair of straightaway par-4 holes. The eighth, at 437 yards, is the No. 1 handicap hole and the ninth, the No. 3 handicap, plays at 422. Things become much more interesting after you make the turn because of the water features at Nos. 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. The 13th and 17th are par-3 holes over water that play at 171 and 208 yards, respectively, but with far different challenges. The 13th is rated the easiest hole on the course and the 17th is the second hardest.

Green fees here are among the lowest in the Valley of the Sun because of its municipal-course status. Phoenix owns five 18-hole properties, which include Papago, Maryvale, Encanto Park, Aguila and Cave Creek courses. There also are three 9-hole layouts. Besides being affordable, the city sells annual discount cards that lower green fees even more at all of its courses. Because of that, tee times can be difficult to snag, so be advised that persistence might be in order.

Categories
Lake Havasu City Northern Arizona

Bridgewater Links Golf Course – London Bridge Resort

Arizona Golf Courses – Arizona Golf Authority Golf Course Guide

Bridgewater Links’ 9-hole executive layout isn’t the place for an all-day golf outing, but it’s perfect if you want to slip in a quick round, work on your short game or enjoy the view of the London Bridge, Thompson Bay and Lake Havasu from a golf cart.

Opened in 1986, you’ll find three sets of tees – 1,808, 1,567 and 1,330 yards. Bridgewater plays to par 30 and an 18-hole loop is rated at 58.7 with a slope of 91. Locals rely on the fine course conditioning provided here. It’s easy to walk and as the slope, rating and yardage suggest, provides and enjoyable player-friendly layout with plenty of birdie opportunities.

There are three par-4 holes on the course and all three are drivable at 217, 237 and 309 yards from the back tees. The shortest of those three, which is the third hole, also is the No. 1 handicap hole, mainly because of a lake and bunker that come into play.

The same lake is in play on the fifth hole, a 168-yard par 3, and is the only water hazard on the course. The par 3 holes range in yardage from 191 yards, which is the first, down to 132 yards at the ninth.

There is a putting green and chipping practice area, but no driving range, at Bridgewater and a snack shop, but no restaurant.

The course is part of the London Bridge Resort, which combines English Tudor with contemporary design and features studios, suites and hotel rooms next to Havasu Cove, a hotspot for fishing and boating activities. Green fees here are very reasonable and resort guests receive further discounts during the busy winter season.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Categories
Carefree Central Arizona Scottsdale

Boulders Golf Club – South Course

The beautiful hole #5 among the rocky boulders on the South Course of The Boulders in Scottsdale, Arizona
Hole #5 on Boulders - South Course

Arizona Golf Courses – Boulders Golf Club South Course

If you have to play one but not the other course at The Boulders, then the South better be your No. 1 choice. Spectacular beyond belief with magical million-year-old boulders — and loaded with signature holes – the South Course is full of the Kodak eye-candy you ogle in national golf magazines. There is one catch to playing The Boulders, however: You must stay at the world-class resort on the outskirts of Carefree (15 minute from Scottsdale) to get a tee time in peak season. Not necessarily a bad thing, considering The Boulders has earned a mountain of rewards ever since the first nine holes opened in 1969.

The beautiful hole #5 among the rocky boulders on the South Course of The Boulders in Scottsdale, Arizona
Hole #5 at The Boulders – South Course

Red Lawrence built the original nine and Phoenix architect Jack Snyder completed the first 18 a few years later. In 1984 Jay Morrish added 10 more holes as The Boulders played to three distinct nines up until 1992. That’s when Morrish returned to add the other eight holes, which were ultimately scrambled into the North and the South.

For some reason, the more fantastic offerings like the par-5 fifth hole, that gives you a choice between two fairways that lead to an incredible green setting snuggled into the rocks, as well as the par-3 seventh hole, where a seven-story-high boulder called “Rosie’’ awaits, turned up on the South Course. Even Morrish, a very honest gent who has since retired, was puzzled by the difference.

“As it turned out, I really like the South Course much more than the North,’’ he said. “I did those opening five holes, and the majority of the 18 on the South. Unfortunately, it’s kind of strung out and doesn’t tie together that well. But if you look at each hole individually, they’re pretty darn good.’’

Nobody at the club argues, nor do advertising production companies that seem to film TV commercial after TV commercial on the South. For convenience sake, the club reserves one course for the membership and the other course for resort play daily.

The Arizona Golf Authority AZGA “Local Hang” for the North and South Courses, following a libation on any of several Boulders patios, includes both the simple cowboy cheeseburgers and cold long-necks at Harold’s as well as the finest in fine-Foodie-dining at Binkley’s, both just up the road a piece in the Cave Creek – Carefree locale.

Click Boulders North Course to visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.