The Buzz: The South Course was the second of two wonderful tracks built at the Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which has received numerous honors from national magazines for course design and for golf community living. Former U.S. Amateur champion John Fought and former British Open champion Tom Lehman teamed up to design the first course, called the North, and Fought went solo on the South. His hope was to create a layout that would complement and contrast with the original, and he clearly accomplished his goal with a course that hosted the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2007-08 and the Pacific Coast Amateur in 2009.
“In both cases, we tried to create wide playing areas so golfers don’t feel handcuffed off the tee,” Fought said. “We wanted them to be different but arguably equal so players don’t all gravitate to one or the other.”
Set in the Tortolita Mountains, in an area once inhabited by Hohokam Indians, with elevations reaching 3,000 feet, both courses offer spectacular views of the Tortolita and Catalina ranges, and the influence of the mountains creates a difficult challenge in reading greens on the South layout. A 2,400-acre preserve along the south side heightens the feeling of seclusion offered by pure golf experiences, and unlike many desert layouts, it is walkable.
Five sets of tees allow the course to play from 5,215 to 7,468 yards, with a rating of 74.5 and slope of 145 from the back tees, and Fought added another distinct touch with those. Instead of simply placing them behind the other tees, he also moved them off to the side, where tee shots require longer forced carries.
Fought has always admired the work of Donald Ross and spent several days with the Gallery owner at Pinehurst No. 2 studying the classic design of that U.S. Open course. It shows, as the South Course features shallow bunkers with subtle edges and slightly elevated “turtle back” greens with false fronts. The green complexes present the greatest challenge on a course that offers plenty of room in the primary landing areas off the tee. The tightly-cropped areas around the bent-grass greens allow golfers the option of hitting putts instead of chip shots from well off the putting surface.
Strategy comes into play on many holes, which is why it worked so well for the Match Play events. A couple examples are the short par 4s – the 349-yard seventh and 362-yard 12th — where tees were moved up during the competition to tempt players to try and drive the greens. No. 7 is a dogleg left and No. 12 is a dogleg right, both slightly downhill with slopes and bunkers that can lead to frustrating results for those who gamble.
The Gallery is part of the 6,200-acre master-planned Dove Mountain golf community and is a non-equity club set in an area that has a rich history of cattle ranching. Amenities include a 28,000-square foot award-winning clubhouse, five-star restaurant and state-of-the-art sports club. In addition to its basic golf membership, The Gallery also offers a one-year trial membership and property ownership is not required for club membership.
Click on the link for the Gallery Golf Club – North Course to read the Buzz on the other must play course at The Gallery.