The Buzz: Johnny Bulla, who died in 2003, was a legend in these parts, dominating golf in Arizona for many years. He was one of the world’s few ambidextrous golfers and a true pioneer of the game. And, as this layout shows, he also knew a little something about course design. Ahwatukee CC, which opened in 1974, mixes the beauty of its desert landscape with a fair but challenging layout along the edges of Phoenix South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in the world, spanning 16,000 acres.
The course presents wide fairways but several have out-of-bounds stakes on both sides of the house-lined layout. Terrain is fairly level with some modest mounding and the course winds through a residential community, offering a good test for mid- to high-handicappers and beginners. It also is female-friendly. The green complexes are medium in size and mostly flat, with open fronts that invite low running pitches and chip shots. Greens are well guarded by 32 bunkers and lakes bring water into play on six holes. The par-72 layout has three sets of tees at 5,506, 6,103 and 6,713 yards. From the back tees it is rated at 70.8 with a slope of 120. Ahwatukee CC is one of four courses that comprise Ahwatukee Golf Properties, which offers discount cards to golfers who play the quartet frequently. The adjacent Lakes at Ahwatukee course is considered one of the best executive courses in the state and annually hosts the Arizona Golf Association’s Short Course Championship.
This one is a tribute to Bulla, a former PGA Tour player who was known for having one of the sweetest swings in the game but one of the poorest putting strokes, which prevented him from winning more worldwide titles. He dominated in Arizona, however, winning the Arizona Open 14 times and 42 Southwest Section of the PGA events.
He was a natural left-hander who was taught to play right-handed since they were the only clubs available to him, but could shoot lights out from either side. At nearby Papago Golf Course, where Bulla played often, his best scores were 61 right-handed and 65 left-handed. He also was a pioneer in many ways and convinced the manager of the Tam O’Shanter tournament in Chicago to allow a black golfer to play in a PGA Tour event for the first time in 1944.
Ahwatukee’s signature hole is the fourth, a 184-yard par 3 with a tee shot over water. Water hazards also are a daunting obstacle on the sixth, a 406-yard par 4, and the 14th, a 192-yard par 3, which are among the more memorable holes. Ahwatukee CC has a comfortable clubhouse with a popular restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch, locker rooms for men and women, a full driving range and two putting greens. The club has daily happy hours and its all-you-can-eat fish fry is particularly popular.