Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Oakwood Golf Club opened in 1985 and is one of two golf facilities at the IronOaks Community in Sun Lakes; the other is a power-executive layout called Ironwood Golf Club. Oakwood is comprised of three nine-hole layouts – Lakes, Palms and Sonoran – which are played in 18-hole combinations. Each of the three layouts offers four sets of tees. From the back tees, each combination plays at just over 6,500 yards with an average rating of 71.2 and slope of 128. Front tee yardages are 4,966 for Sonoran/Lakes – 5,110 for Palms/Sonoran – 5,300 for Lakes/Palms.
Lakes, as the name implies, is the “wettest” of the three courses with five lakes bringing water into play on eight holes. The No. 1-handicap is the seventh, a 517-yard par-5 with a slight dogleg left and a lake down the left side to dissuade you from cutting the corner. The ninth is a memorable finishing hole, a 357-yard par-4 with a large lake along the last half of the left side of the fairway and wrapping behind the green.
The toughest hole on Palms is the par-4 eighth at 394-yards, which is a slight dogleg left with water along the right side of the fairway. This nine finishes with another par-5 at 522-yards with a slight dogleg right. The Sonoran course features a fun par-3 at the third hole, with a 177-yard shot over a lake to the green. The finishing hole here also is strong and, at 559-yards, is the longest on any of the three layouts. It is the No. 1-handicap hole on Sonoran and features a small lake on the left side in the first half of the fairway, and a larger lake along the left side of the last portion and left side of the green.
Oakwood has a complete pro shop and large practice facility that includes a driving range, putting and chipping greens and practice bunkers. Members took over ownership of these courses in June of 2010, and they remain semi-private, with public play allowed primarily on weekends. Oakwood also has a social clubhouse that offers dining, dancing and special entertainment. The Poolside Café is a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and socializing and the community offers swimming pools, tennis courts, a fitness center and hiking and biking trails.
The IronOaks Community offers several memberships, including those for one or both courses, as well as a punch-card membership that has become popular with the winter visitors. IronOaks is just one of the five communities that comprise Sun Lakes, a master-planned, age-restricted development located southeast of downtown Phoenix.
Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Golf Course Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/.
It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.