Tag: arizona golf course list

Categories
Central Arizona Phoenix

Villa de Paz Golf Course

Villa de Paz Golf Course

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Arizona Golf Course Review: Villa de Paz is a favorite of local veteran players on the west side of Phoenix and has a well-deserved reputation as one of the area’s best value courses.

Villa de Paz Golf Course

Designed by Greg Nash, it opened in 1976 and received a makeover in 2002 that enhanced the traditional, parkland-style layout featuring fairways lined with mature eucalyptus trees. Fairways are fairly tight, greens are well bunkered and water features bring water into play on 10 holes.

Level par is 72 at Villa de Paz; three sets of tees are set at 6,641, 6,146 and 5,458 yards with a rating of 70.1 and slope of 123 from the tips. Birdie opportunities abound with four par-4s playing at less than 345 yards from the tips and a nice variety of par-3s at 160, 225, 172 and 236 yards. But with all the water in play here, precision is the key to scoring; leave the grip it and rip it in the trunk of your car.

The ninth hole, a 559-yard par 5 with a dogleg right, is difficult to reach in two because of its length and the green complex, sporting a small putting surface shaped like a lima bean with a large bunker guarding the front-right corner, is best approached with a short iron.

No. 12 is strong par-4 playing at just 370 yards, but cross bunkers in the primary landing area and a lake that starts near the end of the fairway and wraps around the left and behind the green produce a lot of bogeys here.

Villa de Paz saves what may be the toughest par on the course for last. The 4-par 18th is the signature hole and, from the back tee, the dogleg right is a handful at 470 yards. The tee shot must carry a fairway bunker and the approach needs to carry a lake to reach a three-tiered green guarded by a large bunker along the left side.

Villa de Paz offers full practice facilities with a grassed driving range, putting, chipping and bunker areas, and the clubhouse includes a restaurant that serves up breakfast and lunch. It’s not a country club or luxury resort course, but all things considered, Villa de Paz provides a solid layout with plenty of thrills for one of the most reasonable green fees in the Phoenix area.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Categories
Central Arizona Mesa

Viewpoint Golf Resort

Arizona Golf Course List - Viewpoint Golf Course - Arizona Golf Authority
Viewpoint Golf Course

Arizona Golf Course List – Arizona Golf Authority Golf Course Guide

Arizona Golf Course List - Viewpoint Golf Course - Arizona Golf Authority
Viewpoint Golf Course

Viewpoint golf course is part of an RV resort that happens to be the top rated in Arizona as well as in the US. It features two golf courses – a par-71 18-hole layout and a nine-hole executive, both of which were designed by Michael Rus and opened in 1996.

Both are player-friendly courses devoid of the extremes of desert-target golf and generally are well kept with tree-lined fairways and strategic bunkering. The complex is located in a golf-rich area near Usery Mountain Regional Park and offers nice views of the Superstition Mountains in the distance.

The 18-hole layout features three lakes and a winding stream that can bring water into play on 10 holes depending on the wetness of the season. It plays to par 71 and has four sets of tees that range from 4,774 to 6,324 yards with a rating of 69.2 and slope of 117 from the tips, which means there are plenty of birdie opportunities.

The course starts strong with water in play on four of the first five holes, which include par 4s of 421, 337 and 373 yards, a 174-yard par 3 and a 516-yard par 5. The ninth is a fun par 3 of 180 yards over water to a green surrounded by four bunkers, but the highlight of the round is the three-hole finish.

No. 16 is a slight dogleg left par 4 that plays at 382 yards, followed by the longest par 3 of 205 that has a stream running along the entire left side and wrapping behind the green. The finish is a 481-yard par 5 with a double dogleg that can be reached in two shots, but it’s a gamble because a large lake wraps around the left side of the green and two large bunkers guard the right side.

The executive course has two sets of men’s tees at 2,162 and 1,935 yards and plays at par 33 with an 18-hole rating of 60.7 and slope of 94. Women’s tees are set at 1,666 yards and play at par 34. It has nice variety with four par-3 and four par-4 holes and a par 5 of 484 yards.

The facility has a grass driving range and putting green and a comfortable bar-restaurant called Fat Willy’s Clubhouse Pub & Grill. Green fees are very reasonable, even during peak season.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Categories
Cornville Cottonwood Northern Arizona

Verde Santa Fe Golf Course

Arizona Golf Course List – Arizona Golf Authority Golf Course Guide

Even many local golf enthusiasts in Arizona haven’t heard of this place and that’s too bad because Verde Santa Fe offers up a fun and enjoyable day on the golf course with picturesque surroundings and reasonable rates.

Located about 90 minutes north of the Phoenix metro area, just 13 miles west of I-17, Verde Santa Fe is framed by the vast range of Black Hills with spectacular Mingus Mountain to the west and the captivating red rocks of Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon to the north.

The course is defined by lots of water, constant elevation changes and wonderful views at temperatures that sound heavenly to Phoenix area residents in the summer months.

Verde Santa Fe, the only design effort of Stanton McGaw, is situated at 3,800 feet above Phoenix, and nicely routed with Hogan’s Wash coming into play on three holes and several other natural arroyos providing additional challenges.

You’ll find nine water hazards on the course, in play on 11 holes, including a series of four lakes that separate the 10th and 18th holes. Verde Santa Fe has four sets of tees at 6,287, 5,895, 5,430 and 4,979 yards, with a rating of 69.3 and slope of 116 from the tips. It plays to par 71 with the back nine having three par-3 holes and two par 5s.

Length isn’t the primary issue here, evidenced by the fact that the par-5 holes measure 486, 549, 465 and 502 yards, and they play even shorter considering that the course is at altitude. The front nine ends with the longest hole on the course, a 549-yard par 5 that has a double dogleg with a wash running down the entire left side and sharp left turn from the end of the fairway to the green.

Most memorable are the adjacent 10th and 18th holes, with three small lakes separating the fairways and a larger lake between the two greens. Both are right doglegs with the par-4 10th playing at 354 yards and the par-5 18th at 502.

Verde Santa Fe has complete practice facilities and the Verde Grill serves up breakfast and lunch daily, plus dinner and live music on Friday nights. There are several nearby hotel choices that are affordable, including a Best Western, Budget Inn and Quality Inn. For those who have extra time, a side trip to historic Jerome and/or Sedona is time very well spent.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Categories
Central Arizona Sun City

Union Hills Country Club – Sun City

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Arizona Golf Course Review: Union Hills Country Club, formerly cotton fields and orange groves, gave way to a public golf course in 1974. The Club became private four years later when members took ownership and began adding an array of country club amenities.

Although located in Sun City, it’s a stand-alone property and not part of the Recreation Centers of Sun City, which has a stable of eight courses available to its residents.

Designed by Greg Nash and Jeff Hardin, designers of several courses for Arizona retirement communities, it is a player-friendly layout that is relatively flat, with narrow fairways, several elevated greens and four lakes and two creeks that bring water into play on eight holes.

Union Hills offers four sets of tees that play at 6,827, 6,293, 5,886 and 5,442 yards, with a rating of 70.7 and slope of 115 from the back tees. Virtually all of the holes run parallel to others with each nine designed in and out-and-back configuration.

The par-3 holes offer a nice variety and are the real scoring test here, playing at 210, 180, 150 and 220 yards. The signature hole is the 14th, a 375-yard par-4 that requires a carry over water to the green.

Gear up for the finishing stretch; the No. 1 handicap hole is the 16th, a dogleg 5-par stretching 540 yards. 17 and 18 are both par-4s, 400 and 445 yards, and make for a challenging finish to the round.

Union Hills has complete practice facilities with a driving range, chipping and putting greens, and other amenities include tennis courts and a swimming pool. Fine dining is available in the main dining room and members can enjoy casual fair in the Kachina Room and outdoor patio. The club has a busy social calendar and offers 10 golf and social membership options, including an unusual two-day membership.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

Categories
Benson Southern Arizona

Turquoise Hills Golf Course & RV Park

Arizona Golf Course List – Arizona Golf Authority Golf Course Guide

This little executive course isn’t going to challenge low-handicappers, but it is a popular place with all the golfers in the Benson area, just southeast of Tucson on I-10, not just those driving an RV who happen to be passing through.

Previously known as Coyote Hills Golf Course, it was originally designed by Gary Kay as a nine-hole regulation course and now is an 18-hole executive layout with some nice features including greens and tees that are slightly elevated. Water features include a five-tiered waterfall and it has Arizona’s only “triple green” with a single clover-shaped complex that serves as the green for three holes.

Three sets of tees are provided, 3,075, 2,740 and 2,176 yards, and resting at 3,600 feet of elevation, the golf course plays even shorter than the numbers suggest. Par is 58, with a rating of 56.5 and slope of 85.

You’ll find 14 par-3 holes and four par 4s, which measure 303, 270, 348 and 281 yards, the Par-3 holes range from 83 to 201 yards. Also on-site are a 5,000-square-foot putting green and a chipping green, but no driving range. The course also has banquet facilities and the Turquoise Bar, which is open evenings, and the Grill, which serves breakfast and lunch. Green fees are less than $30 throughout the year.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.