Adobe Dam Golf Course
This place bills itself as the “Best Little Golf Course by a Dam Site” and hey, who’s to argue? It’s not a golf course where you are going to spend your day, but one where you can spend an enjoyable part of a day while you take in the surroundings and activities of this area northwest of Phoenix.
This nine-hole executive course is located at the southern end of the Adobe Mountain Recreation Area, which is managed by Maricopa County Parks and Recreation and offers a host of family activities. The course, which most golfers walk, plays at 1,756 yards with one par-5 hole, two par 4’s and six par 3’s, which range in length from 97 to 168 yards. Played twice, it measures 3,512 yards at par 62 with a rating of 58.1 and slope of 87. It’s a good place for newcomers to learn the game and experienced players to work on their short game in a relaxed atmosphere but one that respects the traditions of the game and stresses etiquette.
Designed by Les Gullickson and head pro Pete Julsrud, it opened in 1993 and features arroyos and desert areas that can add to the challenge along with deep rough and small greens, and finishes with a tricky water hazard. The finishing par-3 holes, at 168 and 144 yards, both are testing and can make or break your round. Other amenities include a lighted, grass driving range, putting green, pitching green complete with bunkers, and the Phoenix Golf School. This facility is known for having a quality junior program.
Green fees are about as low as you can find in the Phoenix metro area at around 15 bucks or less. Because you can move around this course quickly, it leaves plenty of time for other activities and you will find lots of them in the nearby park that sets at the base of the Hedgepeth Hills and spans 1,526 acres.
Among other things, it is home to the Arizona Model Pilots Society, Maricopa Live Streamers and Arizona Model Railroading Society, two go-cart racing clubs and the Fort Adobe Paintball Complex. The Maricopa Live Steamers Railroad Heritage Preservation Society operates out of the park and offers free train rides on Sundays (excluding June-August).
There also are numerous athletic fields, hiking trails and the highly popular Wet ‘N Wild waterpark. It is also close to Cactus League spring training baseball complexes and the home arenas of the NFL Arizona Cardinals football team and NHL Phoenix Coyotes hockey club.
