Category: Sun City

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Arizona Golf Course Buzz: Sun City South is the longest of the eight courses run by Recreation Centers of Sun City, Inc. (RCSC), which is a private, non-profit corporation that owns and operates approximately $80 million of recreational facilities in this retirement community northwest of Phoenix. Designed by Milt Coggins, who was a prominent figure in Arizona golf, it opened in 1962 and is well-known in these parts for its walkability and smooth greens.

Sun City South has four sets of tees at 6,774, 6,503, 6,111 and 5,992 yards, with a rating of 71.2 and slope of 115 from the back tees. It recently received a needed facelift under the direction of architect Tripp Davis and his associate, Gary Brawley, and may well be the best “bang for the buck” championship golf course in the Phoenix locale.

Lined with mature native trees, the course features strategic bunkering and two lakes that bring water into play on the fifth and 17th holes. Both are par 3s, playing at 169 and 175 yards from the back tees. In both cases, water wraps around the front and ride side of the greens. The other par 3, at 205 yards, also demands a crisp tee shot.

Two of the more fun holes are the second and 12th, a pair of short par 4s where bunkers create risk-reward opportunities. South features full practice facilities a full-service snack shop that serves up breakfast and lunch, and offers some of the lowest green fees in the Valley of the Sun.

Sun City celebrated its 50th birthday in 2010 and continues going strong as one of the country’s foremost retirement communities. A large part of that success is RCSC, which operates seven recreational centers (Mountain View, Fairway, Oakmont, Lakeview, Sundial, Bell and Marinette), eight golf courses with five snack shops (South, Quail Run, North, Lakes East / West, Riverview, Willowbrook / Willowcreek), two bowling centers (Lakeview and Bell), two full-service restaurants and one amphitheater (Sun Bowl). The five regulation and three executive golf courses span 1,100 acres and are within six miles of each other.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Sun City Country Club is the first private country club Del Webb ever built and it forever changed the way this visionary ran his development business. His wildly successful Sun City active-adult community, located northwest of downtown Phoenix, quickly demonstrated one glaring flaw: too many golfers and not enough tee times.

This was the early 1960’s and many residents of the new community had enjoyed the nuances of a private club at home and wanted one here as well. In 1967, the Sun City Country Club was dedicated. Since then, every new Del Webb Sun City community included at least one private club.

Designed by Milton Coggins, the course has stood the test of time with good conditioning, a player-friendly traditional layout that challenges any player. It’s not particularly long, with the back tees set at 6,275 yards and the front tees at 5,183, but there are some twists and turns and plenty of mature trees to throw a few challenges into the equation. From the tips, the course is rated at 68.8 with a slope of 120 and there are two more sets of tees at 5,885 and 5,334 yards.

Water comes into play on just three holes and the third, a 525-yard par-5, is the longest on the course and also the No. 1 handicap hole. The signature hole is the par-3 seventh, which is the start of an enjoyable three-hole stretch. The tee shot from the back tee is 153 yards with a full carry over the largest lake on the course, which wraps the right side and back of the green. Greenside bunkers threaten as well, leaving virtually no bailout room.

Right behind it are two par 4s that offer good birdie opportunities. The eighth, at 292 yards, is the shortest par-4 on the course with a tee shot that must carry the same lake and a heavily bunkered green threatening those that have a go from the tee. The par-4 ninth plays 377 yards, straightaway, but trees guard both sides of the fairway and bunkers leave a narrow opening to the front of the green.

You won’t find any water on the back nine; you will find parallel fairways and a virtual forest of trees as well as two tough par-3s, the 182-yard 11th and the 153-yard 17th. Mature groves of trees and greenside bunkers demand extreme accuracy from the tee at both.

The club has full practice facilities and a restaurant. It is open to the public at reasonable rates with no age restrictions, but members receive preferred tee times and discount prices. Sun City Country Club offers a variety of memberships tailored to fit each golfer’s preference.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: This nine-hole executive course is one of eight golf facilities operated by the Recreation Centers of Sun City and remained intact after a failed attempt by some residents to have it converted to a dog park or walking park in the fall of 2010.

Quail Run, which opened in 1978, was designed by Greg Nash and Jeff Hardin, whose work is well known around Arizona. The layout features one par-5 hole, two par 4s and six par 3s. There are two sets of tees at 4,018 and 3,596 yards for 18-hole rounds, with a rating of 59 and slope of 90 from the back tees. Men play from different tees on each nine, giving the holes a little different look.

The second hole, for example, is a par 5 at 484 yards but also serves as the 11th hole at 513. The fourth hole is a 330-yard par 4 but also plays as the 13th hole at 393. The only water comes into play on the par 3 fifth/14th hole, where a lake runs along the entire left side.

The course is one of seven in Arizona designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by the educational division of Audubon International. While it is a private club, Quail Run allows limited public play when tee times are available. RCSC offers eight golf courses with resident cardholders receiving tee time preferences. Its five regulation and three executive courses span 1,100 acres and are located within six miles of each other.