The Buzz: The course says golf and the resort says baseball, with good reason. Francisco Grande was developed in the early 1960s by Horace Stoneham, the owner of the San Francisco Giants, as a spring training home for his baseball team. That’s why you will find a swimming pool in the shape of a bat, a wading pool resembling a baseball, a parking area in the shape of a baseball diamond, flower beds simulating bats and balls and an overhang on the main tower shaped like a ball cap. From the penthouse overlook, there is an observation tower which was used by coaches and media to observe practice and if you use some imagination you might still see outlines of four baseball diamonds around the tower. The California Angels also made it their spring home for four years, ending in 1982.
The entire resort, which once served as a vacation getaway for celebrities including John Wayne, Pat Boone and Dale Robertson, underwent an $8 million facelift in 2003. The resort offers extensive facilities, including a lounge adorned with historical photos of Willie Mays, Juan Marichal and other Giants stars, and The Duke bar, named after Wayne. As for the golf course, it is a handful. Playing at 7,545 yards from the tips, it is one of the longest in Arizona, and is rated at 75.3 with a slope of 130. The parkland-style layout features more than 1,500 mature trees and three lakes come into play on five holes. The fairways are wide and landing areas generous but the trees and desert transition areas stand ready to penalize errant shots. The signature hole is the par-3 third, which plays at 193 yards to a two-tiered, elevated, pear-shaped green guarded by water and bunkers.
To travelers, Francisco Grande stands as an oasis in the desert with a distinct Southwestern flair. For visitors who plan to spend the night, be advised: Rooms in the tower are far superior to those in the courtyard. Ratings give them four stars and three stars, respectively, but they are deceiving. It’s well worth the extra 20 bucks to upgrade to a room with a balcony overlooking the course and Sonoran Mountains in the distance.