Category: Gold Canyon

The Buzz: What most recreational golfers are looking for is a good overall experience on a well-maintained course that isn’t tricked up with quirky holes, offers an affordable green fee, is player-friendly yet challenging and provides nice practice facilities before the round and a comfortable 19th hole after the round. Or to put it another way, they are looking for MountainBrook Golf Club. What was created as a semi-private club has essentially evolved into a public course in the far southeast corner of the Phoenix metro area that is framed by dramatic views of the desert foothills and sprawling Superstition Mountains. Designed by former PGA of America president Brian Whitcomb, MountainBrook is devoid of forced carries, features rolling fairways, undulating greens and mild desert transition areas, and its aesthetics are enhanced by white marble sand bunkers. The par-71 course has three sets of tees at 5,133, 6,080 and 6,620 yards, making it relatively short by today’s standards, and is rated at 69.4 with a slope of 120 from the back tees. The course, which opened in 1996, starts slow but becomes much more interesting after you make the turn.

After completing the par-5 ninth hole of 578 yards, another par 5 of 548 yards greets you at No. 10, followed by a stretch of three water holes. No. 11, a 378-yard par 4, is a slight dogleg right with a lake along the right side for the final 200 yards. Next up is a 170-yard par 3 with the same lake along the right side, bunkers left of the green and another lake poised to swallow up far-left tee shots. No. 13 is a classic risk-reward par 4 at 360 yards from the back tees. It is a sharp dogleg left that wraps around a lake, and big hitters are tempted to cut the corner, but that still requires a 320-yard carry over the water with tall cottonwood trees also blocking the way to a narrow fairway. The memorable stretch concludes with a 185-yard par 3 at No. 14 where a wash cuts across 15 yards short of the green, which is fronted by a steep rock wall. In other words, don’t be short.

This course features somewhat small greens, some elevated and some tiered, and putts break away from the Superstition Mountains, at times creating optical illusions. One thing golfers particularly like about MountainBrook is its extensive practice facilities, which were built with input from PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson. They span about 12 acres and feature a double-ended driving range, putting greens of 4,000 and 7,000 square feet and a short game area where you can practice shots from 115 yards in. In fact, along with its regular memberships, MountainBrook sells annual practice facility memberships, which have proven popular.

Its restaurant provides excellent mountain views that are particularly dramatic at sunset and offers a diverse menu. If you’re looking for fine dining and nightlife, this urban area isn’t the best place to start. There is plenty to be found a few miles west, however, closer to the Phoenix metro area.

The Buzz: If you’re looking for one of the great values in Arizona golf, here it is in the Sidewinder Course at Gold Canyon. Granted, it’s difficult to make much of a reputation when your big sister is the dramatic Dinosaur Course, but the Sidewinder has managed to snake out a loyal following. The course is a combination of architects Greg Nash and Ken Kavanaugh, as well as superintendent Stuart Penge; just don’t ask who built what because

the entire 18 looks as if they were done by the same guy. That’s a good thing, as the Sidewinder meanders for six holes through the arroyos of the Arizona desert, climbs up the mountain for the next six, and then returns with a rousing cheer as the closing stretch deals out everything a golfer can handle in the way of stiff yardage and gut-wrenching elevation shifts.

When you take into consideration that the Sidewinder is less than half the green fee than the Dinosaur, what savvy golf traveler wouldn’t want to play ‘em both at Gold Canyon!

To read “The Buzz” on Sidewinder’s sister course at Gold Canyon – the Dinosaur Course – please click here.

The Buzz: There is a good reason that Golf Magazine ranked Gold Canyon’s roller-coaster Dinosaur Course as the No. 8 “most underrated’’ golf course in America – this from a list that had Spy Glass Hill No. 1. The six par 3s are among the best in Arizona golf, and the other 12 holes are almost as good even if most of them don’t have the jaw-dropping elevation changes. Many say “The finest golf courses in Scottsdale have nothing on the Dinosaur Course at Gold Canyon, especially when it comes to dramatic views.’’

It’s oh-so true: Gold Canyon looks like it belongs in Scottsdale except it’s better than that. The rollicking ride starts right at the first hole as you have to dial it straight up the mountain. Then it’s up-down, up-down for the next six holes, which include the incredible par-5 third hole that features a green saddled between to hilltop peaks, and the equally mind-bending par-4 fourth, where the 180-degree view of the Superstition Mountains seem to run forever. Oh, yes, and didn’t we mention the par-3 fifth that drops about 100 feet from tee to green.

Our tip for the Dinosaur Course at Gold Canyon, a Ken Kavanaugh design: Buckle up and bring your Nikon.

To read “The Buzz” on Dinosaur’s sister course at Gold Canyon – the Sidewinder Course – please click here.