Category: Surprise

The Buzz: Golf is one of the primary activities you will find around most adult communities and their residents would be thrilled to have facilities matching what Granite Falls has to offer with its combination of challenges, playability and visual appeal. The South Course, which opened in 1997, was the first of two designed here by former PGA Tour pro Billy Casper and partner Greg Nash, who has had a hand in several designs around the Valley. The semi-private courses both feature traditional style layouts that are similar in feel, yardage and challenge, with generous fairways, pleasant water features and distant mountain backdrops. There are four sets of tees at 6,839, 6,401, 5,831 and 5,214 yards, with a rating of 71.4 and slope of 121 from the tips. There also is an executive course option of 4,124 yards.

Numbers, just like looks, can be deceiving and that is the case here. The eighth and 15th holes are good examples. No. 8 is a par 3 that might seem like a brute at 223 yards from the back tee, but it is ranked as the 15th handicap hole. The 15th on the other hand, is a popgun par 4 at 315 yards from the tips but is the No. 2 handicap. It also happens to be the signature hole of the entire complex, playing to an island green with a large bunker guarding the entire right side.

The par-5 third hole is the No. 1 handicap and the longest on the course at 543 yards. As is the case on the North Course, the finishing hole here is a strong. The 540-yard par 5 plays to a green with a lake wrapping around three sides, large bunkers guarding the left and right and a fountain and waterfall providing the visuals. Granite Falls is one of four golf facilities in the Sun City Grand community. All are open to public play but residents receive tee-time preference. Practice facilities here, which include a driving range, putting green, chipping and bunker area, and the clubhouse, with a snack bar, are shared by the North and South courses.

Sun City Grand is an active adult (55 and older) community northwest of Phoenix that also offers five swimming pools, two fitness centers, three onsite restaurants and resort-style living in nearly 10,000 homes. A variety of clubs and interest groups give residents the opportunity to experience a full range of activities.

The Buzz: This is the second of two semi-private courses created by Billy Casper and Greg Nash at Granite Falls in the active adult community of Sun City Grand. There are three other golf facilities in Grand’s recreation program, which allow public play but provide preferred tee times for members. The North course, which opened in 1999, features a traditional layout with generous, player-friendly fairways and greens, lakes that come into play throughout the course and other appealing water features. There are four sets of tees at 6,720, 6,375, 5,808 and 5,214 yards, and an optional executive layout at 4,186. It is rated at 71.6 with a slope of 122 and is considered slightly more difficult than the South, with the two courses receiving an equal amount of play.

The most demanding portion of the course is a three-hole stretch that starts with No. 9, a 540-yard par 5 that is the No. 3 handicap hole. Right behind it is another par 5 at 560 that is ranked the No. 6 handicap, and a 400-yard par 4 rated as the second handicap. The par-5 holes are particularly challenging with handicap rankings of 1, 3, 4 and 6 and there is a nice variety of par 3s, which range from 155-215 yards.

The signature hole is the 18th, which is one of those par 5s, at 505 yards to a green with a lake that wraps around two-thirds of its circumference and features a waterfall and fountain, and a mammoth bunker that curls around the entire back half of the putting surface. Practice facilities, which include a driving range, putting green, chipping and bunker area and the clubhouse, with a snack bar, are shared with the South Course. There also is a Coco’s Restaurant next to the facility.

Sun City Grand is an active adult (55 and older) community northwest of Phoenix with four championship golf courses, five swimming pools, two fitness centers, three onsite restaurants and resort-style living in nearly 10,000 homes. A variety of clubs and interest groups give residents the opportunity to experience a full range of activities, with golf being one of the most popular.

The Buzz: This is the first of the four courses built in Sun City Grand, it’s the longest course in that adult community and remains the favorite of many of its residents. The semi-private course allows public play, with booking five days in advance, which occurs mainly on weekends because residents fill weekday tee sheets. The course, which opened in 1998, was designed by Hall of Fame tour pro Billy Casper and renowned architect Greg Nash, who lives in the Phoenix area. They have teamed to design many courses, including the acclaimed Revere Golf Club in the Las Vegas foothills and Terravita Golf and Country Club in north Scottsdale.

Casper and Nash are known for their multiple use of tees, wide landing areas, expansive greens, strategically placed hazards and high risk-reward potential, providing plenty of flexibility to players of all levels, which also has made them popular designers of adult-community courses. One unique feature of Desert Springs is that it can be played as a championship and an executive course, with the shorter tees being added in recent years to accommodate golfers who no longer care to drive for show. Something else that separates it from most courses in the Valley of the Sun is that Desert Springs has 16 lakes, covering 28 acres of land. Water comes into play on 11 holes, including some holes that have two lakes among the hazards. With that in mind, if you play it from the tips at 7,002 yards, this is no pitch-and-putt but a challenge.

“What people like about it is that it’s a player-friendly course,” golf director Jeff Hochman said. “There is plenty of room in the fairways, provided that you play the correct tees, so you don’t get beat up by the course. Sure, there are hazards and challenges, but there are plenty of chances for pars and birdies.” Course yardages are well marked, a driving range and other practice facilities are available and the location, near the White Tank mountains, provides some excellent views and backdrops of holes.

Along with a pro shop, which specializes in equipment sales, the course features Dillon’s Barbecue, a restaurant “mini-chain” that has several locations around the Valley of the Sun. Cimarron Golf Course and Granite Falls, with North and South courses, also are part of the Sun City Grand development and offer similar golf experiences and pricing, which qualifies as “affordable” for most budgets.