The Buzz: You don’t just get variety here, you get quality no matter how you mix and match. So forget the bad and the ugly. It’s all good at Gainey, which is open to play by its members and guests of the Hyatt Regency Resort at Gainey Ranch. It opened in 1986, making this one of the earlier golf resorts in the Phoenix metro area, and it has a traditional, parkland feel with three nine-hole courses played in several pairings. The Lakes course features varied terrain in a garden-like setting and plays around several water features, including a dual waterfall that backdrops the final hole. The Dunes course is set along dramatic terrain with a links feel reminiscent of Scottish courses, requiring a gentle touch on the greens. Arroyo is the longest and most open with a desert wash meandering throughout the nine, creating risk-reward scenarios. All three are distinctively different, yet they work together and that is the beauty of the layout created by Mike Poellot, the former chief architect for Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The Arroyo/Lakes combination is the favorite of the three but in any combination this is a fun place to play golf with plenty of room to hit drives, but challenging green complexes that place a premium on accuracy and strategy, and some tricky undulations that claim a fair share of three-putts.
From the back tees, yardages are 6,622 for Dunes/Arroyo, 6,614 for Lakes/Dunes and 6,800 for Arroyo/Lakes. That isn’t particularly long by today’s standards but it doesn’t make Gainey a pushover by any stretch. This facility has hosted several Monday qualifiers for PGA Tour events and other high-profile tournaments. What also is neat about the design is that all three courses have memorable par-5 finishing holes. The ninth on Arroyo is the longest of the three at 555 yards and extremely difficult to reach in two shots because it is a big-time gamble. A large lake runs along the left side and comes into play on the tee shot. From there, an approach to the green must clear the lake and a bunker guarding the front of a green that is not receptive to long-iron and fairway woods shots. From the layup area, the hole takes a sharp left turn to the green, which is surrounded by water and it is particularly difficult to hit it close if when the pin is back.
The ninth on Dunes, at 550 yards, is also tough to reach in two and features arroyos running along the right side and cutting across the fairway about 150 yards out from a heavily-bunkered, undulating green, with Camelback Mountain providing the backdrop. The Lakes ninth is Gainey’s signature hole and a pure risk-reward experience. The tee shot is uphill and if you clear the crest about 250 yards away, you’re looking down a fairway with water running along the right side and wrapping around the green with one of the best waterfalls you’ll find in the Phoenix area. Large mounds and bunkers guard the left side of the fairway, and going for the green in two on this hole is a big temptation (and often a watery one). Not surprisingly, that waterfall also has served as the setting for hundreds of wedding photos, and the facilities at Gainey make this resort one of the most popular wedding spots in the area.
The complex is in an urban area so homes sit adjacent to some fairways but mainly are unobtrusive. After the round, there’s plenty of room to relax in the clubhouse restaurant or the patio facing the course where you can grab a sandwich and a beverage. The overall resort is among the best in Arizona, including a hotel that is open, breezy and presents a tropical feel. There are myriad pools, interconnected and complete with waterfalls and a water slide, and even a sandy beach. Among the many amenities is the Spa Avania (the Greek word for “tranquil”), which is a $9 million oasis that opened in 2005. For dining, the SWB (southwestern bistro) offers regional favorites such as scrambled eggs and chorizo breakfast and seared chili marinated shrimp. Then there is the Alto ristorante e bar, with exquisite Italian fare. Adding a romantic touch, dinner guests receive a complimentary gondola ride, complete with a serenading gondolier, through the Gainey Ranch waterways.