Tag: phoenix golf courses

Categories
Central Arizona Scottsdale

Pinnacle Peak Country Club

AZGA Golf Buzz: When it comes to quality golf courses in Arizona, Pinnacle Peak Country Club might be the most paradoxical – Virtually everyone in the Phoenix-area golf community has heard of it, yet hardly anyone knows much about it, and fewer yet, have played it.

It’s not easy to be well known and remain a well-kept secret, but that is the case with this gem that was designed by Dick Turner and opened in 1976, making it one of the earliest clubs to spring up in north Scottsdale. In fact, aerial photos of the course when it first opened show no homes or other structures in an area that now is nearly built-out.

Still, the course remains somewhat secluded due to surrounding mountains and a massive hedge that blocks viewing from Pinnacle Peak Road along its northern boundary. This private, member-owned club is limited to 325 members and offers seven different memberships, including social and prospective, for those who remain on the waiting list. Many of its members are residents of other states or countries, leaving local members with plenty of tee-time options on a beautiful layout nestled in the McDowell Mountain Range.

Pinnacle Peak, which is one of Scottsdale’s best-known landmarks, actually stands about five miles away but provides a backdrop for some holes on this course that has a traditional design with tree-lined fairways. Water comes into play on three holes and there are three sets of tees each for men and women, ranging from 4,952 to 7,030 yards, with a rating of 72.8 and slope of 130 from the back tees.

The course underwent an extensive renovation in 1996 that included installation of a new irrigation system, reconfiguration of the bunkering and rebuilding of all 18 greens, which have resulted in pristine conditions. The bent-grass greens, in particular, are among the best in the state.

The front nine is considered the harder of the two and features a delightful six-hole stretch starting at No. 3, a 188-yard uphill par 3 to a green that slopes front to back and is squeezed by bunkers. The seventh, a 450-yard par 4, is the No. 1 handicap hole where even a well-struck tee shot leaves a fairway wood or long iron shot to a green that slopes back to front.

The front nine ends with the signature hole, which at 170 yards is the shortest par 3. Water runs down the entire right side with a pond guarding the front and right of the green and a bunker wraps around the entire back side. A small waterfall and colorful flowers help make this one of the most scenic holes on the course.

The back nine is slightly longer but offers more birdie opportunities. Among them is the par-4 12th that plays downhill at 376 yards from the back tees, but features one of the toughest greens on the course to read and putt. Another is the 16th, a 369-yard par 4, but it features a tight, tree-lined fairway and a nasty pot bunker in front of the green.

The layout presents an excellent finishing hole – a 588-yard par 5 that requires three good shots to reach the green, with out of bounds along the right side, trees lining the left, a lake coming into play down the left side and a shallow green protected by three bunkers.

The clubhouse has undergone extensive remodeling and reopened in 2004 with rustic stone fireplaces, gabled roofs and a Spanish Colonial-style exterior. It houses fine and casual dining rooms, a grille room, locker rooms, a fitness center, golf shop, cocktail lounge and meeting rooms. Pinnacle Peak also features excellent practice facilities and a heated lap swimming pool and tennis courts, although golf is overwhelmingly the activity of choice here.

Categories
Central Arizona Scottsdale

Phoenician Golf Resort

phoenician-canyon-golf-course-5-photograph

phoenician-canyon-golf-course-5-photograph
Phoenician Golf Resort – Arizona Golf Courses
You might come here expecting to play desert golf but what you discover, and delightfully so, is tropical desert golf. The Phoenician golf experience might make you wonder if you veered off course and landed in Hawaii. This world-class resort combines playability with aesthetic beauty that belies its Sonoran Desert locale, with lush tropical scenery and impressive water features. There are three nine-hole layouts – Canyon, Desert and Oasis – which are played in combinations, and you can hardly go wrong with any of them. Photo ops seem to be everywhere you look.

There also is some history to this venue that covers 250 acres skirting Camelback Mountain and once was the site of Valley Country Club, which was razed to make way for the resort. Well-known Arizona architect Arthur “Jack” Snyder designed the new 18 holes, which opened in 1978. Homer Flynt redesigned them in the mid-1980s and Ted Robinson designed the final nine, the Canyon Course, about 10 years later. He also redesigned several of Flynt’s original holes. That’s a lot of input from architects with different design styles and yet it works, and does so splendidly.

Best known for its dramatic elevation changes and awe-inspiring views, the Desert is the most requested course due to its unique layout. Oasis is aptly named with its tree-lined fairways, tranquil water features and traditional layout. Canyon, defined by lush, landscaped terrain, is located on the southern slope of the mountain with sweeping views of the Valley of the Sun and is considered by golf purists to be the strongest nine. None of the courses are particularly long, but take a bit of advice and don’t try to overpower them. Accuracy is the key. Even from the back tees, yardages are 6,258 for Oasis/Canyon; 6,068 for Desert/Canyon and 6,310 for Oasis/Desert. One more tip: Everything breaks away from Camelback Mountain more than you think it will. As for the signature hole, make that plural.

There are enough for a week’s worth of golf, but the pars 3s are particularly impressive. They include a back-to-back pair at Nos. 7 and 8 on Canyon that measure 201 and 132 yards and both play over water to bunkered, picturesque greens. Desert has three strong par 3s, topped by No. 8, which is 120 yards but plays more like 80 because there is an 80-foot elevation drop from tee to green. Many a golfer has managed to air mail this putting surface. The highlight of Oasis is the finishing hole, a dynamic dogleg par 4 at 379 yards to a green that is fronted by water and backed by a palm forest. Another rare treat you will find on Oasis are comfort stations with marble-lined bathrooms and ceiling fans. That’s right, on the golf course.

But that’s nothing compared to the palatial resort, which has been named one of the top golf resorts in America by the Robb Report, Golf Digest and others. Amenities include 474 guest rooms, 73 luxury suites and 107 casitas, 10 restaurants and lounges, numerous retail shops, tennis courts, a spectacular cactus garden and an impressive art collection. Even if you don’t stay here, a tour of the facilities is a great way to cap off your day.

Categories
Central Arizona Phoenix

Maryvale Golf Course

Maryvale Municipal Golf Course
Maryvale Municipal Golf Course

Maryvale Golf Course – Arizona Golf Course Reviews: Maryvale is one of three Phoenix municipal golf course treasures designed by William Francis (Billy, Jr.) Bell, who collaborated with his father, William Park “Billy” Bell, who had his hands on the classic layouts at Riviera Country Club, Bel-Air Country Club and L.A. North Country Club.

At Maryvale, Mr. Bell provides 6,646 yards of classic tree-lined fairways that dogleg in both directions around a fair amount of water and his trademark flash-bunkers. Sure, it’s rough around the edges, it’s a muni. But be advised, it’s a complete examination of traditional golf skills that’s no pushover. Our advice? Be ready to play from the start and save something for the finish.

The 1st is a birdie hole that produces an awful lot of bogeys, a gently sweeping 492-yard 5-par dogleg-left. The treachery here lies in the fact it’s reachable in two for most. Just don’t be a little short right or you’re bunkered, a bit left and the putting surface runs away from you, and above the pin on the small contoured green is a false-positive. It looks makeable and you’ll try to. Remember, par’s a fine start anywhere.

The 2nd is a straightforward 213-yard par-3 with an enticing opening between two bunkers to allow you to run the ball onto the multi-tiered green; read it carefully – the large tier undulations tend to grab your attention, causing you to miss the subtleties of each individual tier around the cup.

The 3rd presents a 421-yard tree-lined 4-par, sweeping left to right to an elevated green, playing directly into the prevailing breeze. Congratulate yourself if you’re even par through 3, you’ve earned a pat on the back and the pals in your group aren’t going to say anything.

William F. “Billy” Bell Design – Grand Opening 1961

The finishing stretch is a test too, so save some game. The 438-yard par 4 16th bends right to left, off a lake, to a smallish contoured putting surface. Trees and a fairway bunker inside the dogleg protect the left side of the landing area; the green is bunkered front-left. Long is the play here, both off the tee and on the approach; the back of the green allows a straightforward up and in.

The par-3 17th plays 206 yards and any shot pushed right will find the lake. The hole plays longer than its yardage as the large sloping green is elevated above the level of the tee.

The dead-straight 18th brings you 410 yards back home between two fairway bunkers flanking the fairway landing area, and two more guarding each side of the green. The front of the green narrows between them and a front pin here is the most challenging.

It’s another subtle nuance, the drive at the 18th, one of the many you’ll find scattered throughout this golf course. Mr. Bell has had you shaping tee shots both ways, all day long starting at the first hole, and yet when you reach the 18th he demands what may be the most terrifying shot in golf, whether a drive or a putt: the dreaded straight shot.

Maryvale municipal offers a full assortment of pleasant practice facilities, instruction programs and league play. An on-site snack shop provides all the expected menu items for food and beverages at the course.

Maryvale can be fairly described as “a wolf of a golf course, in sheep’s clothing.” Although modest in appearance, when you total your scorecard for the day don’t be surprised if Mr. Bell’s traditional layout has you wondering just exactly how all those bogeys climbed aboard your card.

Assemble the complete Phoenix-rota of Mr. Bell’s municipal golf courses by playing Papago Municipal and Encanto Municipal as well, and revel in the enjoyable era of golf course design that today’s “bomb and gouge” layouts have lost.

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA “Local Hang” for Maryvale includes Max’s Sports Bar, just south of Glendale Avenue, on 47th Avenue, and TexAZ, located on the northeast corner of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road.

Categories
Central Arizona Glendale

Five Hundred 500 Club Golf Course

500 Five Hundred Club Golf Course - Arizona Golf Course Reviews from the Arizona Golf Authority
500 Five Hundred Club Par-5 18th

Arizona Golf Courses – Arizona Golf Authority Golf Course Reviews

The 500 Club is a terrific combination of fun golf holes in a lovely secluded setting for a greens fee golfers will find reasonable, especially during Arizona golf’s “peak season” winter months.

500 Five Hundred Club Golf Course - Arizona Golf Course Reviews from the Arizona Golf Authority
500 Five Hundred Club Par-5 18th

But no matter what season you play, the rate is always worth the rich payoff received when you literally play up to, around and over the protected mountain preserve of the Hedgpeth Hills. Brian Whitcomb used these rugged outcroppings, together with lakes and arroyos, to produce the fun and, depending on your tee selection, challenging par-72 500 Club layout.

From the tips, the course measures 6,867 yards with a rating of 71.5 and 121 slope. Tee markers are also provided at 6,203 and 5,601 yards; rating and slope are 68.5/119 and 69.8/112, respectively. Par for the course from the forward tees is 73.

This is one of those rare Phoenix golf courses that is not a series of house-lined fairways. Due to its location in the preserve, the only house you’ll see all day is the Clubhouse.

The challenge begins early at the 500 Club so stay focused; the lovely setting here can be distracting. The 553-yard par-5 2nd green is literally butted against the mountains – don’t be long. The 409-yard par-4 3rd doglegs left around them – don’t tug it left, and the 4th offering at the 500 Club is a 4-par 419-yard thrill ride down the hill which leaves you staring at an island green, death-gripping your carefully chosen second-shot club. A second, non-island green shares daily duty here from time to time.

Here’s more fun. The mountainside 161-yard par-3 11th plays 2-3 clubs uphill to a green surface too elevated to see, and the 12th tee is perched at the top of that mountain. The view of the preserve from the 12th tee-box is spectacular, as is the view of your drive on this 380-yard par-4 as it falls 80+ feet to the fairway and lake-hugging green complex below.

At the 500 Club, the native desert terrain is kept alongside the fairways and rarely crosses your direct path of play to the green. In the event that you stray a bit right or left, no worries, you’ll find your ball and likely be able to play it without too much trouble.

The lakes are kept alongside as well; you’ll have to hit it sideways to find them. The only forced carry over water on the course protects the 18th green, but along the right side of the green it shrinks in size to form a narrow creek you may step across if you wish.

The 500 Club is a terrific golf course and we recommend to all our avid club players. The facility is outfitted with all the amenities, including a very generous practice range and a separate 9-hole course named the Futures Course.

The Futures plays at 1,620-yards to par-28 and is the perfect spot to groom a veteran player’s iron-game, encourage a developing player’s full-game and sharpen everybody’s short game. Rest assured, the turf conditions here are maintained at the same high level as those on the championship course.

The 500 Club’s ambiance is “come as you are” and anyone who enjoys golf, at any skill level, will feel comfortable. The staff does an exemplary job of providing an entertaining round of golf for one of the fairest rates in town.

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA “Local Hang” for the 500 Club is Dillon’s, on the east side of 59th Avenue, just north of the 101 Loop; you’ll enjoy the drive through the preserve on the way.

Categories
Central Arizona Phoenix

Cave Creek Golf Course

Cave Creek Municipal - No. 13 - Par 3
Cave Creek Municipal – No. 13 – Par 3

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.