Category: Phoenix

The Buzz: With its setting, you might not feel like you’re still in Phoenix but in a more remote location, where the Sonoran Desert prevails and nature, serenity and wildlife are prominently on display. That is part of the allure of The Foothills, a course designed by acclaimed architects Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. Before creating their own design firms, they also collaborated on the TPC Scottsdale, home of the Phoenix Open, and the Forest Highlands Canyon Course in Flagstaff, which has hosted U.S. Golf Association championships. Foothills offers subtle variations of both and appeals to the grip-and-rip contingent as well as the course-management-minded player.

This course is tucked away in the secluded ridges, craggy outcroppings and buttes on the south side of South Mountain in an area known as Ahwatukee. While some consider it a town unto itself, it has been annexed to the city of Phoenix and got its name from Miss Helen Brinton, who once owned much of this land. According to some historic accounts, she took the name from the Crow words awe chuuke, meaning “land on the other side of the hill” or “land in the next valley.”

You will find hills, valleys, mountain backdrops and a whole lot more if you tee it up on this course that stretches to 6,968 yards, has a links feel, fast-paced greens and, typical of Weiskopf designs, several risk-reward holes. Among them is the par-4 sixth, which is the favorite of many Foothills golfers. It plays at just 311 yards from the tips but requires a well-placed left-to-right shot to avoid bunkers and to reach the putting surface from the tee. Other memorable holes are the second, a 513-yard par-5 with a split fairway, and the eighth, another par-5 that winds downhill. It also is a risk-reward hole that can be reached in two shots and the second is tantalizing but to pull it off you need to avoid a large water hazard to the right of and behind the green. More fun is in store at the 14th and 15th holes, a pair of par-4s at 385 and 451 yards that play around the same lake in opposite directions. The fairways offer plenty of room in the landing areas but desert transitions lie in wait of errant shots on the course that has received 3 ½ stars from Golf Digest’s “Places to Play.”

Foothills also has an excellent 19th hole in the Double Eagle Grill, which is well known for its Sunday brunch.

The Buzz: Its heyday has passed, but not its relevance. Encanto, the first course in the Phoenix stable of eight municipals, is dripping with history as the one that made golf a public activity in the Valley of the Sun, broke the color barrier and hosted such legends as Harry “Light Horse” Cooper and “Titanic” Thompson. Created by William P. “Billy” Bell, whose other designs include Torrey Pines in San Diego, this course opened in 1936 near the heart of downtown Phoenix. It is regarded as the first public course in the state and third oldest overall. Local architect Gary Panks did some redesign in 1978 and the course remains a solid value play with nice views of the downtown skyline and landmarks such as Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak.

It is relatively flat with fairways lined by palm and salt cedar trees and limited hazards with water coming into play on just one hole unless you are incredibly wild off the tee. Greens vary in size and shape and feature several turtlebacks that can be difficult to read. The course gets far more interesting after you “cross the road” (the two nines are divided by 15th Avenue) because the closing stretch is the meat of the course. It starts at the 14th, a par 3 at 209 yards from the back tee with a monstrous bunker guarding the left side. The round finishes with four very good par 4s at 432, 400, 394 and 365 yards. The par-70 layout has three sets of tees at 6,361, 6,052 and 5,737 yards and is rated at 70.1 with a slope of 115 from the tips.

In case you want to take aim at the course record, that would be a 58, set by PGA Tour pro Jonathan Kaye in 1997. Kaye, who was known as the “Encanto Kid,” cut his golf teeth here and birdied the last eight holes of that record-setting round.

This course was built at a time when golf here was considered to be a game for the wealthy at private clubs, and opened its doors to the public, hosting as many as 100,000 rounds per year. It also was the first course in the state to allow Black golfers, and those who teed it up here included Joe Louis, Jesse Owens and the Mills Brothers. In 1946, it became home to the Desert Mashies, a predominantly Black organization that brought minorities to the game. The Mashies have introduced many kids to golf as something of a First Tee forerunner, and the group remains active, providing scholarships to minority kids.

Cooper was among famous pros of the day to play exhibitions here, and Thompson, the legendary hustler, set up shop at Encanto after he allegedly was “welcomed out” of Tucson. Being part of the city golf system, the green fees at Encanto are among the cheapest in the area, and so are the breakfasts and lunches at Mulligans Café, attached to the clubhouse.

A block away, Encanto offers a nine-hole course, also designed by Bell and his son, William F. Bell. It is especially suited to juniors, seniors and beginners, playing at 1,730 yards with three par-4 holes and six par 3s.

The Buzz: If you like memorable finishes to your golf round, this just might be your course. Club West features a four-hole finishing stretch – especially the par-3 17th – with plenty of “Wow” factor. Well-known Arizona architect Ken Cavanaugh and former PGA of America president Brian Whitcomb created the layout with the idea of offering a relaxed warm-up that would become increasingly demanding as the round progressed. That is exactly what Club West delivers on this desert-target style course, with shot values that increase as elevations come into play, fairways tighten, bunkers become testier and strategy becomes more exacting.

The signature 17th hole is unique in that the par-3 offers two greens to shoot at – 165 and 220 yards from the tee – and both options can make you twitch. From the tee there is a 100-foot elevation drop and virtually no bailout area. Hit it right and your ball is on the side of a mountain. Take it left, and the ball falls off into desert. Adding to the challenge is a prevailing left-to-right wind and the best approach to the green is with a right-to-left shot. Miss it on either side and you’re facing a downhill chip from rugged terrain to a hard, fast, small green with bunkers on both sides. The ideal play is to start the shot over a mountain with a 20-yard hook into a 15 mph wind. The good news is that before hitting you get to pick your pin … or your poison. While that might sound treacherous, Club West is a course that offers plenty of beauty and serenity on the sunny side of South Mountain.

Holes are distinctive and take advantage of elevation changes offered by the Estrella Mountain range, which provide excellent views from the Lakeside Grille and patio where al fresco service is available. And here’s a little story to impress your playing partners when you reach that diabolical 17th tee: In April of 2007, two Phoenix golf buddies aced the hole on back-go-back swings, a feat that has odds of 150 million-to-1, according to the National Hole In One Association. Making it even more improbable, they were playing in a tournament with a shotgun start and had started on No. 18, which means both swings produced walk-off aces. Memorable finishes, indeed.