The Buzz: Ironwood is one of two golf facilities in the IronOaks Community, which is one of five such enclaves in Sun Lakes, a master-planned development for active adults southeast of the Phoenix metro area. Its sister facility, Oakwood CC, offers three nine-hole layouts that are played in 18-hole combinations at championship length. Ironwood, on the other hand, is a “power executive” course with 18 holes, which plays to par 67. The two courses are owned by their members but public play is welcomed, mainly on weekends.
Courses here are known for a friendly atmosphere, which is a reflection of golf director Dennis Allan, a Scotsman who has been at IronOaks since 1998. Allan cut his golf teeth at famed Carnoustie Golf Links and later was a club pro at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. But if you ask him if he is a full-blooded Scotsman, he will tell you, “No, I’m half Scotch and half water.” You gotta love a club pro with a great sense of humor.
The round at Ironwood starts and ends with par-5 holes, at 515 and 508 yards from the tips, and has seven par 3s and nine par 4s sandwiched in between, giving it a little more kick than most executive layouts. Keith Foster designed this course, which opened in 1997, making it the newest of the Sun Lakes facilities, and it has become particularly popular with women’s leagues because of its playability. The traditional layout, with smallish greens, has three sets of tees at 5,163, 4,585 and 3,939 yards, with a rating of 64.1and slope of 99 from the back tees.
The highlights are the par-3 holes, which offer a nice variety and range in yardage from 134-198. “What I tell people is that if you play the par 3s well on this course, you’re in for a good round,” Allan said.
Water comes into play on three holes and they are among the best on the course. The ninth is a 333-yard par 4 with a shot over water to reach a small green that is partially surrounded by a lake. No. 10 is a par 3 at 151 yards with the same lake running along the right side. The 15th, another par 3, might be the signature hole at 178 yards with a shot across the corner of another lake.
Ironwood CC has a putting and chipping green, but shares other practice facilities with nearly Oakwood CC and, like Oakwood, offers annual and seasonal memberships, which are popular with winter visitors. Sun Lakes is an age-restricted development with more than 4,000 homes and each of its five communities offers a wide variety of activities and facilities, such as tennis courts, swimming pools, hiking and biking trails and fitness centers.
The Poolside Café is a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and socializing, and a handsome clubhouse offers dining, dancing, special entertainment and other social activities.