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Category: Northern Arizona
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Chaparral Pines Golf Club
The Buzz: It was created, of course, as a golf club, but many visitors to this gem in Arizona’s high country prefer to view it as the endless photo op. They stand on a tee and wonder how a golf hole could be more beautiful, then get the answer when they reach the next one. Chaparral Pines is that stunning. Created by former design partners David Graham and Gary Panks, it’s set among the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the United States and is back-dropped by the sprawling Tonto National Forest and the wondrous Mogollon Rim and Granite Dells. Various magazines have rated it among the best private clubs in the country.
Panks and Graham took full advantage of the surroundings, adding some intrinsic man-made lakes, streams and washes, while preserving rock outcroppings and other natural landmarks. Chaparral Pines serves as an escape from the blistering heat for residents of the Phoenix and Tucson areas during summer months but offers year-round play. The club experienced lengthy financial troubles, which resulted in developers selling it to Buffalo Golf LLC in November, 2010. The new ownership group includes long-time member Steve Loy, the CEO of Gaylord Sports Management, whose primary client is Phil Mickelson. OB Sports, whose portfolio includes 40 courses, took over operation of the facility when the sale was completed. It remains a private club, but in 2011 began offering memberships to non-residents for the first time. Built in 1997, it has five sets of tees ranging from 5,197 to 7,019 yards, with a rating of 73.4 and slope of 142 from the back tees.
Among the many memorable holes is the par-5 seventh, the No. 1 handicap at 624 yards called “Canyon Creek,” which zigzags downhill like an elk descending from the Mogollon Rim, and those impressive, antlered creatures are commonly seen around this course. Ideally, you need to play three different shots to set up a birdie attempt – a fade off the tee, a draw on the second shot and a straight approach with a wedge or short iron. A winding creek protects the front of the green, so if there’s any question about club selection, pick the longer of the two.
Among the many scenic holes, the two most impressive might be the third and 12th, a pair of excellent par 4s. No. 3, called “Diamond Point,” is a great risk-reward hole with gorgeous views of pine forests and mountain peaks (including Diamond Peak) and surrounding wilderness. The 12th, called “Rim View,” offers one of the most dramatic tee shots in the state with a 150-foot drop to the fairway. The 475-yard hole also has a risk-reward element due to a collection area among pine trees around the green waiting for errant approach shots. Along with its impressive golf course, Chaparral Pines offers members myriad activities, including swimming, tennis and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Dining and clubhouse amenities also are first rate. The tough part, if you’re not a member, is landing an invitation to play, and groveling in this case is well worth the effort.
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Chaparral Country Club
Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: This is basic golf, with few frills, at the first course built in Bullhead City, Arizona, a sister city to the gambling town of Laughlin, located on the Nevada side of the Colorado River, about seven miles to the west.
Chaparral Golf and Country Club, designed by Jack Foster, is a nine-hole course that opened in 1970 and has two tees on each hole to help create more of an 18-hole feel. It’s a traditional design with water coming into play on two of the nine holes. With 2 loops, the course plays to par 64 for men at 4,626 yards with a rating of 62.1 and slope of 98. Women play to par 65 at 4,614 yards with a rating of 65.2 and slope of 103.
Menacing the first shot of the day is a lake, the rarest of hazards in this desert environment. It threatens the tee shot at the first, a 301-yard par 4, and then returns to demand a full carry to the green on the fourth hole, a 133-yard par 3.
The signature hole is the par-4 third, which also is the longest on the course at 388 yards. It features a sharp dogleg left, two large bunkers guarding each side of the fairway, and two more bunkers protecting each side of the green.
Chaparral has a short-game practice area and putting green, a clubhouse that includes full-service dining for breakfast and lunch, and a swimming pool adjacent to the clubhouse. Chaparral is a course that won’t put a big dent in your wallet as green fees here are among the lowest in the area.
Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.
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Cerbat Cliffs Golf Course
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.
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.
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.