Category: Central Arizona

Categories
Central Arizona Phoenix

Arizona Biltmore Country Club – Links Course

The Buzz: The idea of this project was to create a course that would contrast that of the Adobe Course, built 51 years earlier, but fit with its surrounds just like its big sister at the Arizona Biltmore Resort. Architect Bill Johnston accomplished that with a design that has been alternately described as “wild, fresh, enjoyable, unconventional and a bit quirky.” Unlike the classic, parkland design of Adobe, the Links Course presents rolling fairways, desert ravines, scenic elevation drops, five lakes and deep bunkers set close to the greens. Those aren’t characteristics you might expect to find on a course in the heart of the fifth largest city in the United States, but it is part of what makes the Biltmore property the “Jewel of the Desert.”

Johnston’s design is a combination of desert golf mixed with more traditional landscape with grass running from tees to greens, but few rugged transition areas and plenty of variety built in. No two holes are alike and each day they seem to play different, placing a premium on strategy and shot-making with accuracy on a course with challenging fairways and large, undulating greens, where avoiding three-putts is at a premium. Although it plays nearly 200 yards shorter from the tips than Adobe, many golfers consider Links to be the harder of the two.

The par-71 course has three sets of tees at 6,300, 5,726 and 4,747 yards and from the back tee is rated at 69.5 with a slope of 125. It wraps around the outer edges of the 39-acre property and is tucked under Piestewa Peak with Camelback Mountain in the distance, both which provide picturesque backdrops for various holes. Johnston built some fun, in the form of risk-reward holes, into the layout, including three par-5 holes that all are reachable in two shots. It might best be described as “enjoyably quirky,” with some very sharp doglegs, including one on a short par-3 where you can’t see the green from the tee, and surprises waiting around the bends.

The signature hole is the 15th, a par 3 with a teeing area at the highest point on the property. It plays at 183 yards from the tips, with a drop of 75 feet from tee to a bunkered green, and offers excellent views of the Phoenix metro skyline and distant mountains. Another scenic viewpoint awaits at the tee on 17, which is the longest par 4 on the course at 451 yards.

A well-adorned clubhouse serves both courses and includes the Adobe Restaurant, which prepares traditional southwest cuisine that is served inside or on a veranda that overlooks an 18-hole putting green. Arizona Biltmore, created by the Wrigley chewing gum family, might be the most famous resort in the state. It offers uncommon amenities and a stately hotel inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, which has hosted many U.S. presidents and celebrities, from Fred Astaire to Bob Hope to Marilyn Monroe to Steven Spielberg. Many were repeat guests and, in that regard, the Links Course fits right in. Unlike the Adobe Course, where you have a good idea of the challenge at first glance, the Links is one that should become much friendlier on the second visit.

Categories
Central Arizona Phoenix

Arizona Biltmore Country Club – Adobe Course

The Buzz: In a word, “timeless” might be the one that best describes this classic course that opened in 1928 and was designed by the highly regarded architect William P. Bell. Located in the heart of Phoenix, yet secluded in a valley of craggy hillside and desert landscape, the Adobe Course at the Arizona Biltmore Resort is one of Arizona’s oldest courses and truly one of the state’s golf treasures. It sets in the shadows of Piestewa Peak, which provides distant backdrops for several holes on a course that is relatively flat but offers numerous challenges created by its strategic bunkering, mature citrus and three formidable water hazards.

Bell might be best known for his work on California’s Riviera and Bel-Air Country Clubs and that approach is reflected on several holes of Adobe, which underwent a major renovation project in 2003 under the direction of Phoenix architect Forrest Richardson, who is well-versed in Bell’s design techniques. Due to new construction on the Biltmore resort property, some holes had to be re-routed, but much of Richardson’s focus was on restoring what Bell had created, and the bunkering in particular. “The course is not only being given new life, but to me it’s being given what’s most appropriate and that is something that truly pays homage to its roots,” Richardson said after starting the project. “We’re not trying to do things that golf course architects do in 2003. We’re trying to do things that would be indicative of what was done when this course was first built.”

It is a course defined by wide fairways and classic cross bunkers that force the golfer to take the gamble of hitting over them or negotiating around them. Plenty of birdie opportunities await for golfers who think their way around this course and choose their gambles wisely.

The par-71 layout has three sets of tees at 6,478, 6,075 and 5,417 yards. There is another course at the resort, the Links Course, which opened in 1979 and wraps around the outside of the 39-acre property. A well-adorned clubhouse serves both courses and includes the Adobe Restaurant, which prepares traditional southwest cuisine that is served inside or on a veranda that overlooks an 18-hole putting green designed by David Graham and Gary Panks.

Arizona Biltmore, created by the Wrigley chewing gum family, might be the most famous resort in the state. Known as the “Jewel of the Desert,” it offers uncommon amenities and a stately hotel inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, who consulted on its masonry, using indigenous materials that led to the creation of the “Biltmore Block,” which has the look of a freshly cut palm tree. The hotel hosted every American president during its existence up to George W. Bush, and it is the venue where Sen. John McCain made his concession speech to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race. Celebrities who stayed here include Fred Astaire, Irving Berlin, James Cagney, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Spencer Tracy and Steven Spielberg. Berlin, in fact, penned “White Christmas” and several other songs while sitting at the Biltmore swimming pool.

Not surprisingly, several celebrities are among the owners of the eye-catching mansions around the outer edges of the Adobe Course. Combine those elegant homes and landscape with the classic, parkland-style course design, and you might feel like you’re playing golf where time stood still. Knickers and argyle socks could be in order.

Categories
Central Arizona Mesa

Arizona Golf Resort

The Buzz: If you’re looking for an affordable resort course that won’t wear you out, beat you up and pillage your golf ball supply, this Arthur “Jack” Snyder layout, which opened in 1960, is the track you’re looking for. That doesn’t mean it is without challenges, just that they are manageable as long as you use your head and choose your gambles wisely. This is a traditional layout with expansive fairways lined by massive cottonwood and eucalyptus trees, mature vegetation and gently sloping greens that generally are well maintained. Lakes come into play on four holes and the Superstition Mountains provide distant backdrops for several holes.

It is a course known for having difficult par 3s but easy par 5s. There are four par-5 holes, ranging from 488 to 494 yards from the back tees, meaning all of them are reachable in two shots, provided that you avoid the trouble. Of the six par-3 holes, four are longer than 200 yards from the tips, with the longest at 224, and the shortest plays at 173. How well you play them will go a long way in determining your final score.

Arizona Golf Resort has four sets of tees, ranging from 5,161 to 6,574 yards and plays at par 71 with a rating of 71 and slope of 119 from the back tees. The signature hole, not surprisingly, is one of those par 3s, the 14th, which plays at 175 yards from the back tee, with a tee shot that must go between large cottonwood trees and clear a water hazard to a green with bunkers on the front left and front right of the green.

Its player-friendly design makes this a popular course with senior golfers and it draws plenty of repeat customers. It offers extensive practice facilities, GPS-equipped carts and a variety of stay-and-play packages. Along with spacious guest rooms that include kitchenettes and outdoor barbecue grills, the resort has two swimming pools and Jacuzzis.

After your round, check out Anna’s Grill and Lounge, which features casual dining and entertainment by local artists, or the Sunrise Café, overlooking practice facilities and the first and 10th tees. You can also place an order at the Sunrise Café from your golf cart and pick it up when you make the turn. Fine dining is available at Annabelle’s restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also overlooks the course. The menu includes a wide variety of salads, appetizers, a soup-and-salad bar, pastas, seafood, poultry and beef entrees. The Sunday brunch is particularly popular.

Categories
Central Arizona Mesa

Apache Wells Country Club

The Buzz: This short, private course was built specifically for senior golfers who live within Apache Wells, a master-planned community for active adults. Designed by Jack Snyder, whose work is well known around Arizona, it is an unusual layout that has just seven par-4 holes, water in play on six holes and plays to par 71. There are three sets of tees at 6,038, 5,746 and 5,252 yards with a rating of 67.5 and slope of 110 from the back tees.

It is a playable, walkable course that offers sweeping vistas of the Superstition Mountain range. The back nine is unique in that it has four par-5 holes, three par 3s and just two par 4s. The par 54s range from 453 to 511 yards from the back tees and the par 3s vary in length from 159 to 228 yards.

The par-4 third hole, at 392 yards, is the No. 1 handicap hole and the round ends with another par 5 at 498. In what might seem like an unusual pairing, Valley rock star Alice Cooper holds his annual “Blood Bath” tournament on this course. It also is home to Shriner’s tournaments, the semi-annual “Snowbird Scramble” and the Wingspan Air Heritage Foundation annual outing.

Membership here is limited to 485 and members, who pay an initiation fee and annual dues, must be residents and must be 55 or older. The club has a bar and grill and full-service restaurant that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, are open to the public and offer daily specials, with seating inside and on an outdoor patio. There also is a multi-purpose room and a banquet hall that seats up to 500 people. Apache Wells has a driving range and other practice facilities available.

Categories
Central Arizona Queen Creek

Apache Sun Golf Course

The Buzz: If grip-and-rip describes your golf game, this might not be the place you want to tee it up. But if you already have throttled back, or simply want to work on your short game in a friendly setting that goes easy on the wallet, then Apache Sun is one course to consider. Open from October through May, this nine-hole layout southeast of Phoenix plays to par 34 at 2,550 yards. It might not seem like an executive course when you reach the first tee and find a par-5 at 480 yards waiting for you. But relax, it’s the only par-5 on a course that has three par-3s ranging from 118-167 yards and five par-4s from 271-384 yards.

It was designed by Leo Johnson, who specialized in smaller courses mainly in the upper Midwest, but also created Tempe’s Pepperwood Golf Course. It opened in 1985 and over the years, about 800 trees have been planted around the property. That, combined with its wall-to-wall turf, gives the course a traditional, Midwest feel, which appeals to its regulars, many of whom are winter visitors from other parts of North America. “I’ve been here since 1988,” general manager Rory Van Pouche said, “and what I hear from our golfers is that they appreciate the traditional experience on a course that has plenty of grass and lots of mature trees. It’s a course they can walk and is very playable but they can still be challenged.” The most fun part of the course is a three-hole stretch where an irrigation pond brings water into play on all three holes. It starts at No. 5, a 170-yard par-3 where the pond runs down the left side. The sixth, a par-4 at 320 yards, has a left dogleg that wraps around the pond. No. 7 is considered the signature hole and is another 170-yard par-3 with water wrapping around the left, back and right side of the green and has a stand of trees also guarding the left side. Apache Sun has a short driving range, putting and chipping areas, and the clubhouse offers a snack bar.

For more substantial dining and other activities, check out the nearby San Tan Village, Queen Creek Marketplace and Cornerstone at Queen Creek, all of which have sprung up in recent years in one of the Valley’s fastest-growing areas. The San Tan outdoor mall offers shopping and a terrific restaurant lineup that includes Blue Burrito Grille, Gelato Dolce Vita, Sbarro, Kona Grill, Gordon Biersch Brewery and Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar. The other two developments are more shopping oriented but also serve up some tasty treats at the likes of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Paradise Bakery (Marketplace) and Big Dog Bar & Grill (Cornerstone).