Tag: arizona golf courses

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Central Arizona Phoenix

Arizona Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: History abounds at Arizona Country Club, a private facility that has more than 100 years of tradition, including hosting the Phoenix Open 10 times between 1955 and 1973 (Phoenix Country Club also hosted the event during that period). The course has been graced by some of the all-time greats in PGA Tour history, with Arnold Palmer winning the Phoenix Open title on this course three consecutive years.

The club actually began as the former Ingleside Golf Resort, a nine-hole layout which featured sand and oil greens just north of the current location. A new course was built in the late 1920s, and was re-designed by Willie Wansa and Ernest Suggs in 1946, when it re-opened as a private club. It has undergone four renovations over the years, with the most recent being a $15 million project that was completed in 2006. Legendary pro Johnny Bulla made the most significant design changes in 1964 and Gary Stevenson oversaw a modernization project in 1999 that included revamping tees, bunkers and putting surfaces.

Arizona Country Club’s setting, near the heart of Phoenix and Scottsdale historic districts, offers some splendid views of the landmark Camelback Mountain and Papago buttes. Water comes into play on five holes of the course that features smallish, undulating greens and are known as some of the “purest” in the Valley of the Sun.

The unusual layout has a combination of eight par-4 holes, five par 5s and five par 3s; three of each form the front nine. With 117 acres of irrigated turf, there is ample room to crank up the driver, and although errant shots don’t end up in desert ravines here, the 1,800 mature trees create plenty of challenges. There are three sets of tees at 6,756, 6,319 and 5,558 yards, and the course is rated at 72.2 with a slope of 130 from the back.

Arizona Country Club features its own version of “Amen Corner” at holes 10 through 12. The 10th is the longest par 5 at 600 yards and tough to reach in two shots. It features a fairway guarded by trees and two large fairway bunkers on the right, and a two-tiered green with a stone waterfall flowing into the water hazard that guards the front and two bunkers in back.

The 11th is the signature hole and the longest par 3 at 195 yards. A large lake protects the front and right of the green, a large bunker guards the left side and there are two more bunkers behind.

The trifecta is completed by the 12th hole, a 436-yard par 4 with a dogleg right guarded on both sides of the fairway by trees and a large, tiered green protected by four bunkers. Play this stretch in even par and you deserve an “Amen” from your playing partners.

The most recent renovation also included redesigning and expanding the two-story clubhouse, which spans 60,000 square feet in a project directed by award-winning architect Doug Fredrikson. Amenities at the club include swimming pools, tennis courts, a health and fitness center, spa and a separate “Kids Klubhouse”.

Arizona Country Club offers exclusive fine dining with an impressive wine cellar as well as casual dining at the bar and grill. Several memberships are available, including junior, sports and social, along with full golf memberships.

Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s “All Things Arizona Golf ” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

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Duncan Southern Arizona

Greenlee Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: When it comes to golf in Duncan, Arizona, Greenlee Country Club is the only game in town. With a population of less than 1,000, Duncan is located in Greenlee County near the southeast corner of Arizona, where the Gila River crosses the Arizona-New Mexico state border. Technically, the town lies on both sides of the river, although it is primarily located south of the Gila. Duncan was founded in the mid 19th century as land added to the United States through the Mexican Cession.

Greenlee Country Club, a public course built in 1950, has few frills and is a nine-hole layout that plays at 3,226 yards with about 25 bunkers. For 18 holes, it is rated at 68.1 with a slope of 110. The par 5s, which are the fifth and seventh, play at 474 and 556 yards and the two par 3s are set at 136 and 167. A lake guards the green on No. 5 and is the only water in play on the course. The first hole, at 454 yards, is the longest par 4, and the finishing par 4 plays at 397.

Amenities include a bar, snack shop, driving range and putting and chipping greens. After your round, it is worth taking some time to explore this region. Duncan lies in a popular outdoor recreation area that is well known for the Native American artifacts left behind by Anasazi and other pre-historic cultures.

The little town has suffered greatly during its history, being destroyed twice by floods and once by fire. Its most famous resident is former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who grew up on the Lazy B Ranch and wrote a book about her experiences there.

Read the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s the complete Arizona golf course directory.

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Central Arizona Northern Arizona Wickenburg

Wickenburg Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Golfers who are familiar with the “old” Wickenburg Country Club, but haven’t teed it up here in a few years, will be pleasantly surprised to discover how much things have changed, and all for the better. This was the first course built in Wickenburg, opening in 1949, and was designed by the father-son duo of William F. Bell and William P. Bell, who made a name for themselves in the Southwest by creating such gems as Torrey Pines in San Diego and Papago Municipal Golf Course in Phoenix.

Wickenburg CC was created as a private club, but in 2006, at a time when many courses were scaling back, it expanded, adding a second nine. One result is that it became a semi-private club that welcomes public play but still sells full memberships and, in 2011, waived the initiation fee.

Wickenburg CC is a desert-style layout with rolling hills that puts a premium on accuracy rather than length, with tight fairways lined by mature trees being common. The front is devoid of water but it comes into play on four holes of the new nine. The par-71 layout now has three sets of tees at 6,320, 5,562 and 4,674 yards with a rating of 70.5 and slope of 128 from the back tees.

The course serves up plenty of birdie opportunities for golfers who keep their shots under control, particularly on the par-5 holes, which play at 454, 509 and 513 yards. The latter is the finishing hole and the longest on the course. The fourth hole, a 373-yard par 4, remains the No. 1 handicap hole, but there are a couple challenging par 3s at 235 and 229 yards.

The design is a little unconventional because the front nine has just one par 3 and one par 5 and the back features three par-3 holes in a four-hole stretch. The expansion project also included a new clubhouse that has full dining facilities at Ringo’s Restaurant, a lounge bar, snack shop and an open patio with circular views of the course and surrounding mountains. Practice facilities include a driving range, putting green, practice green and practice bunker.

Click www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/ and read the Arizona Golf Course Buzz for every golf course in Arizona; it’s the complete Arizona golf course directory from the Arizona Golf Authority.

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Central Arizona Paradise Valley

Paradise Valley Country Club

Paradise Valley Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: To many locals, Paradise Valley Country Club represents the ultimate country club experience in the Scottsdale – Phoenix locale. Located in the affluent Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, PV Country Club, as it’s referred to by locals, has long has attracted the state’s rich and famous.

Paradise Valley Country Club

The club’s exacting membership requirements produce a long waiting list of prospective members, a very rare situation these days in the country club world. One former director of golf at the club probably described it best many years ago when he said, “It’s a bit of a contradiction; being so low-key and high-profile, all in the same breath.”

To a large degree, the club tends to its own business, but has hosted several state championship events, including the Arizona Amateur, whose champions include long-time PGA tour pro Tom Purtzer.

The club was formed in 1953 and Lawrence Hughes did the honors as course architect, with input from former tour pro Johnny Bulla, who remains an Arizona golf legend, and Keith Foster, whose specialty was bunkering.

The layout has undergone two renovations over the years under the direction of Geoffrey Cornish and Gary Panks, and course conditions are always immaculate. In the case of Paradise Valley Country Club, immaculate means manicuring the golf course with scissors – that statement is eye-witness testimony. The setting is picturesque with the 180-acre club surrounded by Camelback Mountain, Mummy Mountain and Marshmallow Hill.

Water isn’t a prominent factor on the course, but it isn’t needed on this layout featuring elevated greens, gently rolling fairways and strategic bunkering. The premium is placed on accuracy over length here. Four sets of tees are provided at Paradise Valley CC, stretching to 6,819 yards, with a rating of 72.8 and slope of 133 from the tips. The front tees play at 5,546 yards. The strength of the course is the par-3 holes, highlighted by the 12th, which plays at 191 yards to a postage-stamp size green.

The par-5s serve up enticing birdie opportunities, with the longest playing at 529 yards, but those birds can be quite elusive when it comes to capturing one on your card. The 15th, which plays at just 517 yards and downhill, might be the toughest to bag due to its distracting beauty, resting just below the metro-area’s distinctive landmark Camelback Mountain. The par-4s are difficult and dramatic, particularly at the picturesque three-hole stretch which finishes the front-9.

As you might guess, amenities at this club are elegant and extensive, including formal and casual dining, a cocktail lounge, hair salon, barber, swimming pool, grand ballroom, car wash and detailing service, tennis courts and fitness center. Golf and social memberships are offered and prospective members must be sponsored by existing members.

Paradise Valley rests comfortable atop the ladder of traditional country club experiences, and if you’re fortunate enough to land an invitation, graciously accept – then show up, shut up and keep up. You’ll be glad you did.

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA “Local Hang” for Paradise Valley Country Club includes Z’Tejas, located just north of the club on the northeast corner of Tatum Boulevard and Shea Boulevard, and Ernie’s Inn, located in the retail center on the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard.

Read the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz for every golf course in the State of Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/ ; it’s the complete Arizona golf course directory.

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Central Arizona Scottsdale

Troon Country Club

Troon Country Club - #15 "Troon Mountain" 139-Yard Par 3

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Troon Country Club is considered by many to be the finest golf course in Scottsdale’s stable of premiere golf offerings. As you make your way around Troon Country Club and ponder the accolades it has received, it might surprise you to know that it was the first design effort of former PGA Tour pro Tom Weiskopf and only the second for his former partner Jay Morrish, who had left Jack Nicklaus’ design team one year before the Troon project appeared.

Troon Country Club - #15 "Troon Mountain" 139-Yard Par 3

Before they went solo, Morrish and Weiskopf teamed up on 28 course designs, most of which have received rave reviews. That comes as no surprise considering Troon Country Club, their maiden voyage in Scottsdale, was named by Golf Digest as the best new private course in America for 1986.

The duo admittedly had a quality North Scottsdale canvas on which to create their masterpiece with a plot of land at 2,400 feet surrounded by the McDowell Mountains and Sonoran Desert, massive boulder formations, jagged rock outcroppings, and striking views of Pinnacle Peak, Troon Mountain and the Phoenix metro skyline.

Troon Country Club was purchased by its members in 1995 and remains financially sound. In Golf World magazine’s “reader’s choice awards,” it was named one of the top 50 private clubs in the country. It also was named “Best in State” by Golf Digest in 2007-08 and has been named “Best Private Club” in Arizona by Scottsdale Magazine.

Troon has six sets of tees and can be one tough nut if played from the tips, which are set at 7,041 yards with a rating of 73.9 and slope of 146; the Club frequently hosts serious tournament competition, including the Southwest Section of the PGA’s Championship.

Troon is a desert layout with gently rolling fairways that provide ample room, but the transition areas are rugged and can be penalizing for golfers who miss the short grass. Drivable par-4 holes are a Weiskopf trademark and this course has an excellent one with the fourth playing at 296 yards from the tips. What makes it a little different is that there are no bunkers or water in play, but the desert is a prominent hazard lurking for those who choose to gamble.

Troon Country Club - #14 "The Cliff" 440-Yard Par 4

The back nine, overall, is the stronger of the two, highlighted by a three-hole stretch starting at No. 14, a 440-yard par 4, named “The Cliff”. The fairway ends at the edge of a cliff some 275 yards from the tee. The deep and narrow green complex beckons from the valley below and is severely bunkered everywhere but in front of the green, that’s wide open, and due to the elevation change, the second shot plays about 15 yards short of the actual yardage. The dilemma here here is all about the tee ball; the tendency is to lay well back from the edge of the cliff, but for the most comfortable second shot, you need to knock it far enough up the fairway so you can see the green below. But no matter where you hit it at the 14th, the spectacular scenery wins the hole every time.

The 15th is named “Troon Mountain”, a 139-yard par 3 featuring a tee shot over a canyon to a deep and severely sloping green guarded by seven bunkers. The green is contoured into 3 distinct tiers and a shoulder-mound encroaches from the left side. When the pin is back-left, a 2-putt par from the middle of the green is the only sane play.

Troon Country Club - #16 "Gunsight" 347-Yard Par 4

To many, the signature hole is the 16th, a 347-yard downhill par 4. It is called “Gunsight” because the tee shot target line requires you to hit the cross-hairs and thread the tee ball between two natural rock outcropping directly in front of the tee. On your second, a long, narrow bunker guards the left side of the green. The severe swale in front of the green runs off at a sharp angle and has carried many a golf ball into the desert, left of the green complex.

Weiskopf won his British Open title at Royal Troon and was against naming the course Troon, which was the idea of developer Jerry Nelson. Turns out Jerry was right, Troon Country Club has been warmly embraced, is widely recognized and continues to stand the test of time in impressive fashion.

Amenities at Troon Country Club are first-rate elegant, including a 50,000-square-foot clubhouse that features architecture influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and amenities that reflect attention to every detail. Among other things, members enjoy tennis, swimming, fitness facilities, a massage and wellness service and social clubs. Golf is limited to members and their guests.

(Don’t confuse the exclusive Troon Country Club with the other outfits using the name; this club is not associated with Troon Golf or their Troon North public golf course which is located a few miles north of the club).

Visit the Arizona Golf Authority Course Directory and read the AZGA Arizona Golf Course Buzz for every golf course in Arizona, click www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/