AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: As much as any golf course in the Valley of the Sun, Cave Creek is a success story. From an environmental standpoint, it would be hard to top. It started in 1983 as a landfill reclamation project and emerged within a year as a championship golf course that has become the most popular among the eight owned by the city of Phoenix, with more than 60,000 rounds per year. Its’ men’s club, with more than 400 members, also is the largest and well worth the annual membership fee of 75 bucks. Arthur “Jack” Snyder, whose design work is well known throughout the state, created this layout which features a creek that winds its way through the property, leading to wide rolling fairways and presenting challenges on a course that generally is player friendly.
There are three sets of tees at 5,552, 6,207 and 6,732 yards and it is rated at 71.8 with a slope of 128 from the tips, which means it’s not exactly a brute. There are just 17 bunkers, but they are large and come into play prominently around the greens. The overall terrain is rolling with fairways bound by trees, and green complexes are slightly elevated, large and undulating. Several large water hazards bring water into play on six holes, all of them on the back nine in an eight-hole stretch.
The front nine provides a tough finish with a pair of straightaway par-4 holes. The eighth, at 437 yards, is the No. 1 handicap hole and the ninth, the No. 3 handicap, plays at 422. Things become much more interesting after you make the turn because of the water features at Nos. 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. The 13th and 17th are par-3 holes over water that play at 171 and 208 yards, respectively, but with far different challenges. The 13th is rated the easiest hole on the course and the 17th is the second hardest.
Green fees here are among the lowest in the Valley of the Sun because of its municipal-course status. Phoenix owns five 18-hole properties, which include Papago, Maryvale, Encanto Park, Aguila and Cave Creek courses. There also are three 9-hole layouts. Besides being affordable, the city sells annual discount cards that lower green fees even more at all of its courses. Because of that, tee times can be difficult to snag, so be advised that persistence might be in order.