Tonto Verde Golf Club – Peaks Course / Ranch Course
Tonto Verde Golf Club is the centerpiece of the private golf community of the same name, located just 15 miles east of Scottsdale in Rio Verde, Arizona. Instead of concrete freeways and skyscrapers, this upscale property is perched high above the Verde River Valley and is surrounded by the native desert splendor of the adjacent Tonto National Forest.
Tonto Verde may translate from Spanish as “green fool,” but “green with envy” is a better description of golfers who have seen the property’s spectacular 360-degree mountain vistas and enjoyed the first-class clubhouse, elegant country club amenities and two semi-private championship golf courses.
That’s right, each day Tonto Verde Golf Club reserves one course for membership play and welcomes public play on the other. It’s an open invitation worth accepting too.
The Peaks Course, which opened for play in 1993, is the original layout at Tonto Verde and is one of the last layouts built by the highly respected Gary Panks and David Graham design team. Its namesake, Four Peaks, is the distinctive mountain formation to the east, across the Verde River Valley, distracting your attention all day.
The Peaks is the shorter of the two courses, and a bit tighter, placing a greater premium on accuracy. You’ll be treated to gently rolling fairways laid across the arid desert canvas and well-manicured bentgrass putting surfaces that are subtly contoured; a perfect match for their smallish size.
The Peaks plays to par 72 at 6,737 yards from the back tees and man-made lakes come into play on three holes, particularly the fifth, which is the signature hole. This par-4 plays at just 351 yards and water threatens both sides of the fairway. The approach shot to a two-tiered green is complicated by water as well. The fifth is also the shortest par-4, the only one under 400 yards from the tips, on the front nine.
The back nine features a delightful par-4 at the 13th which is drivable for big hitters, at just 305 yards from the back tees. As is customary, the desert terrain presents a formidable hazard here and we see a lot more lay-up tee shot one-putt birdies than big-drive eagles or two-putt birdies, combined.
The Ranch Course was added in 1999 with Gary Panks going solo on the design here. Mr. Panks knows his way around the difficult issue of artfully pairing two contrasting golf courses. He made the 6,988-yard Ranch Course a tad longer, but a bit more forgiving, particularly in the fairway landing areas. The Ranch Course’s larger greens will help your G.I.R. statistics as well.
Named after the Box Bar Ranch, which began operation on these lands in 1919, the Ranch Course features one of the best finishing stretches in the Scottsdale / Phoenix locale.
It begins at the devilish 14th, the shortest par-4 on the course at 317 yards from the back tees (just 276 from the middle tees). The classic risk-reward hole tempts you to go for it, but a ball-grabbing brook haunts the entire right side of the fairway and multi-fingered bunkers threaten both the lay-up tee shot and the contoured green.
The 15th is a tough, but fair 202-yard par-3. Water and bunkers hug the entire right side of the green, while the left side is wide open. Just relax and play it smart here.
Set up on the left side of the green and play the fade. If the shot drifts right as intended, you’ll have a fair birdie putt; if it stays straight, you’ll have a low-stress chance to get it up and in for par.
The straightaway par-4 16th demands two proper golf shots to reach the green. Playing 430 yards from the tips, they must be solid and well-executed. But out of respect for the hole’s length, you won’t find a single fairway or greenside bunker here, just a desert arroyo crossing the fairway about 40 yards short of the green.
Then comes the entertaining par-5 17th, another risk-reward hole that plays to 531 yards from the back tees, but just 484 from the middle tees. The landing area is plentiful, and hugging the left side will allow you to go for the green in two shots, but the approach must carry over desert landscape. The safe play, away from cacti and desert creatures, is to lay-up in the second island of fairway Panks provided. It’s just a short iron to the island green-complex from there.
The 437-yard par-4 18th is a strong finishing hole that’s all about making sure you carry your tee ball over the desert transition area between your tee box and the wide, generous fairway. Bunkers guard both sides at the front of the green so club yourself to the middle yardage, no matter where the pin is cut.
Both Tonto Verde courses offer five sets of tees, as well as two additional “combo-tee” setups. So no matter what yardage you’re comfortable playing from, you’ll find one of these seven course yardage setups is just right for you.
The AZGA “Local Hang” for Tonto Verde is the luxurious 26,000-square foot clubhouse with exceptional dining and banquet facilities, a fitness center, swimming pool, spa, activity rooms and library.
And if you have bets to settle, head over to the 18-hole all-turf putting course Panks also designed. It’s a great way to play 36 and soak up a bit more of the scenic splendor served up by Tonto Verde Golf Club.
Click on our Arizona Golf Course Reviews and read the AZGA player review for every golf course in Arizona. It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.