Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Arizona Golf Course Buzz: The Sun City Lakes courses are just two of the eight courses operated by Recreation Centers of Sun City, Inc. (RCSC), a private, non-profit corporation that owns and operates approximately $80 million of recreational facilities in this retirement community northwest of Phoenix.
The Lakes are semi-private courses where members can book tee times five days out and the public three days out, with a limited number of carts available. The West Course, easily the more popular of the two, is a regulation 18-hole layout that opened in 1969. The East, an 18-hole executive course, came along a few years later. The routing of both courses is somewhat unusual in that, like many Scottish courses, opening holes run directly away from the clubhouse, and closing holes run directly back with parallel fairways.
The regulation-length Sun City Lakes West course is configured in a three-quarter circle looping around both sides of the clubhouse. It has three sets of tees at 5,640, 5,944 and 6,195 yards, with a slope of 69.1 and rating of 118 from the back tees. The most interesting stretch is holes 8-11, with water coming into play around the green on each. No. 8 is a 356-yard par 4, followed by a 488-yard par 5, a 386-yard par 4 and a 200-yard par 3. Water also comes into play on 17, a 340-yard par 4 that is a slight dogleg right and has bunkers guarding three sides of the green. Fairways are friendly enough, but five lakes, along with narrow creeks, add challenge to the layout.
The executive-length Sun City Lakes East course is free of water hazards and offers two sets of tees at 2,919 yards (55.1 rating, slope of 78) and 3,295 yards (56.6, 83). The two courses share full practice facilities and a clubhouse, which includes a snack bar. The courses are part of one of the most successful communities in history that were built for active adults.
Sun City celebrated its 50th birthday in 2010 and continues going strong. A large part of that success is RCSC, which operates seven recreational centers (Mountain View, Fairway, Oakmont, Lakeview, Sundial, Bell and Marinette), eight golf courses with five snack shops (South, Quail Run, North, Lakes East / West, Riverview, Willowbrook / Willowcreek), two bowling centers (Lakeview and Bell), two full-service restaurants and one amphitheater (Sun Bowl). The five regulation and three executive golf courses span 1,100 acres and are within six miles of each other.
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It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.