Arizona Golf Course Buzz: Cocopah Golf Resort: As the name might suggest, this isn’t a place that’s ever going to host a prominent championship, but Cocopah has more to offer than you will find at most golf courses of this ilk. Head pro Mark Croft takes pride in this place and it shows with amenities such as custom club-fitting, quality playing lessons and league play for both men and women.
Situated along the Colorado River near Yuma, this 300-acre facility was built in 2002 and annually receives the highest rating from Woodall’s Campground Directory for its amenities, services and accommodations. The course rests on a gentle lay of land with three sets of tees at 5,705, 5,462 and 5,310 yards, and its green fees are among the lowest in the area. The par-72 course is rated at 68 with a slope of 112 from the back tees.
The back nine is the most fun of the two, with a pair of finishing holes that can make or break the round. The front nine starts with the shortest par 3 on the course and ends with the shortest par 4 at 143 and 239 yards. That ninth hole is risk-reward, moving uphill with a bunker guarding the left-front of the green. Drive the green, as many players do, and there’s a great chance for birdie or even eagle to salvage your front nine.
No. 6, a 270-yard par 4, presents an even better risk-reward opportunity for golfers who can avoid a tree protecting the right side of the fairway. The par-5 fifth, at 459 yards, is rated as the toughest hole on the course, but the 18th, at 520 yards, is the longest. It is considered the signature hole and requires a long, accurate tee shot as water looms on the right side and out of bounds on the left.
Even tougher might be No. 17, a 353-yard par 4 where an accurate tee shot to a narrow fairway is crucial. There’s bailout area to the right, but that results in a blind approach shot over bushes and any shot that travels long or right is headed for trouble towards a wash or rugged fields.
The popularity of this little course is evidenced by the fact that its nine-hole women’s club averages about 140 players, the 18-hole women’s club has about 150 and the men’s club, open to golfers of all levels, grows annually. Cocopah also features a full-service clubhouse, complete practice facilities and some nice views of the Colorado River and distant mountain landscape.
There are about 450 home sites and 356 resort sites here, and the resort offers hiking areas, 6.8 miles of walking and biking trails, a swimming pool, horseback riding, shuffleboard courts, a fitness center, archery range, a picnic park and a hardwood-floor ballroom. So, if you don’t succeed on one dance floor, you can still tee it up on another.