It will probably be cold this weekend in Sedona.

Those are some great greens. I opened the restaurant in 2003 and was there a few years. Awesome course in a cool landscape. Too bad you don't need your driver that often. Did they ever build the clubhouse? There were two holes that wrapped around the temporary clubhouse that inspired quite of bit of gambling with the staff and members. The practice park is awesome too, especially when I had it to myself.

Long Live The Annual Red Meat Open!!! Tell Phil "Gary" says hi

they still haven't built the clubhouse, the land is all cleared but I think they are still waiting on funding.

we played this weekend and it was perfect. given there was still snow on the mountains above the course, it was in awesome shape. it warmed up to proably 65 so just a light under armor as it got cooler in the afternoon but I was never cold.

hit a few in the bushes and hacked around a 78 which is pretty bad for me at that course. greens are quick as hell so actually making the putts was quite a challenge after boozing the whole round!

It's kind of a shame if they ever get around to building the clubhouse at Seven Canyons that they plan to put it where they do. While the views are presumably going to be great, its current location is more ideal and maybe practical as it's on the pond with the ability to watch people play those two holes. Not to mention it's closer to the 1st tee than the other site is. I guess there probably isn't sufficient acreage on that spot to build the size of clubhouse they want, but with Four Seasons pulling out years ago and rumors of low membership who knows how long it will be until they'll get it done, if ever.

FWIW I think Phil quit the club earlier this year, citing a dues increase and maybe an assessment as reasons for leaving. He was one of the initial members so for awhile there his guests got to play for like $15 or so per round, cart included. I think that's correct, it was an unreal rate. Last time I went I think it was something like $120 for 36 holes.

Phil Mickelson???? My buddy who owns part of the villa and has the golf membership gets up comped everytime. We all used to work at Orange Tree together down in Scottsdale and the Head Pro is super cool and makes the call up there everytime and it's no problem. My old Head Pro at Orange Tree has got me off so many sick courses here in AZ it's a joke.

My favorite courses in Arizona are:

1) Forest Highlands (both courses are sick, but Canyon is the NUTS)
2) Seven Canyons
3) Quintero
4) Talking Rock
5) Phoenix CC
6) Legacy (always liked this course, in perfect shape everytime)
7) Kierland (just like going low)

I am also very fond of the little course in Munds Park as a place to play if you have a bunch of people and want a fun little round.

If you haven't already, have him call Chapparel Pines and The Rim and make a day trip to Payson. Both great courses, almost as good as Forest Highlands. I got out the golf biz and miss the luxury of playing great tracks. It's definately one of the few perks!

Hello.

I'm living in Allwhitetukee right now. I play a few courses for free out here because friends work at courses. Namely the the CC (lol), the Lakes (lol), and Foothills (cheapish). Any questions about courses down this way and in the Tempe area fire away. I haven't played much lately but I'll do my best.

I played Troon North ( monument), Eagle Mountain and Camel Back.

Troon and Eagle were a step above Camel Back.

MY fav of the three was Eagle Mountain.

Anyone played Red Mountain Ranch CC? Heard they opened up to public and see its under $50 after 2PM.

I played Red Mountain Ranch this past summer. I had played nine holes clear back in a high school match and didn't have much memory recall but this time went the whole way around.

There were 16 of us that played as we got a rate and reviews were very mixed. There is a lot of elevation change, which I like. There are some good holes, which I like. But there are, imo, also some pretty goofy holes that go a long way towards canceling these things out. The third hole comes to mind - it's a pretty long par-4 with essentially a blind tee shot. The 13th hole is similar - a blind shot to a fairway with a hidden water hazard to the left, then a shot way down the hill to a green that's pretty hard to hold.

Having said all of this, I'd definitely play it again for the right rate, and if it's in your budget $50 is the right rate this time of year. It's just the classic "give the housing development priority over the course itself" setup that has been so common here the last 25+ years.

This is a classic "one of these things is not like the others". Troon North is one of the best courses in the state (although after the reconfiguration I believe that what is now called Pinnacle is >> Monument), Eagle Mountain is a very solid and forgiving course with great views and Camelback is...a decent but dated resort course built back in an era where there was no restriction on grass acreage. Thus it is almost completely grassed, which is not really a complaint - playing desert course after desert course can get old. It's just not in the condition nor has the layout nor views of the other two.

As a separate post, played The Raven today for the first time in awhile. A forum member (EDIT: there is no easily searchable way with PMs that I know as I can't remember who it is) had gotten a winter membership there at my suggestion and seemed happy last I checked.

I had played this course a ton a few years ago, but it's been 1-2 years since I'd been out there. Can't tell if it's the new management company or a sign of the economic times but there were a lot of things that had been cut back: no more towels for golfers - unthinkable back in the day - no more yardage books for free, no more GPS system in the carts (I miss this one in particular), no more tees/scorecards near the first tee, and surprisingly despite an apparently full tee sheet the hot dog stand thing at the turn wasn't even open.

The course itself was generally in good shape - although noticeably the par 3's were pocked to hell with ball marks, it appears our winter visitors care not to clean up after themselves - but the greens were surprisingly slow and a couple of sand traps were a bit barren. I still really enjoy the course but hope the rate is a bit more competitive. I can't complain though...got a comp, heh.

Add'l edit: if it sounds like I'm hating on the course...I still like it a lot, and any sour grapes aren't because of my score. Played several strokes better than expectation.

Hi tuq, it was me. I thought it seemed kind of odd they didn't have GPS as well. The greens being slow is standard, I haven't played one day where I thought they rolled fast, and the lack of ballmark replacement is probably among the worst I've seen pretty much anywhere. There are only 1-2 bunkers on the entire golf course that are reasonable to play out of. I've talked to some people about it and it seems like it's a money issue. The deal I got ($1k down, $250/month) for a membership seems great, but playing the full price of $180 to play out there in peak season seems insane. Saying all that I feel the same as you, if the greens were smoother and faster, and it had sand in the traps it would be fantastic. I still enjoy it.

I think next winter I am going to join Raven @ Verrado, out of the way, but seems like less traffic, course is in better condition, and the driving range is full of beautiful, lush, green grass, ahhhhhh.

Playing golf in Phoenix is such a treat.

Ah, yeah, hah, nothing personal, I just couldn't remember your exact username and it's a gigantic PITA to go through the inbox cuz it's f'in huge (mostly just Cl.ark asking me to cyber with him though...).

I don't feel terrible about the recommendation but do wish things were more as I remember them. If Raven at Verrado isn't too far in the middle of nowhere for you then it seems like a good call, especially since that particular community is in brutal shape because it was built at the end of the housing boom and as such they are probably great deals to be had.

Is that where the "Nasty" part comes in?

Yo Tuq(or anyone else) ...where would u play out of these options on a Saturday next week
All players generally play vanilla courses like Starfire and Silverado and hit 90s, 100s.
Splurging on something new and interesting for holiday weekend...$50 or under though

Red Mountain Ranch CC -$45 2PM
Golf Club of Estrella -$50 1PM
The Duke at Rancho El Dorado -$39 1PM
Southern Dunes -$45 2PM
Papago -$45 1:30PM

not sure how fast or slow these courses play so thats why i put the start times
tnxs

I replied to this in PM already but FWIW I think there is not one obvious standout and they are all pretty good values and a sign of the economy and how it's affected the golf industry. The one I'm unsure on is The Duke, haven't played it but it seems like kind of a Coldwater/Camelback/Vistal tier course from what I have heard. Not bad but not spectacular. I advised that if he's gonna drive clear down to Maricopa to pay the extra $6 and play Southern Dunes, although with that tee time he may have a hard time finishing.

Jus moved to phoenix and jus started reading 2+2. Also am a professional golfer...playing pepsi and desert tour right now with 2 gateway events in the near future. Ive been priviledged with playing some sweet tracks thus far and ill toss out my top 5 jus incase anyone cares....

5...Silverleaf. would be higher if the greens werent in such bad shape but i really like the layout. toughest par 3s i have ever played and 18th hole is very memorable which i like

4...Camelback. the one right off hayden. first pepsi event i played was here and thought it was a extremely fun course. shot 71 with 8 birdies YIKES!

3...Mirabel. tough track from the back tees feels like u always have a 5 iron in ur hand to a tucked pin on the 4s and 3s are very well done lots of beauty in north scottsdale.

2...Anthem Ironwood course. jus a flatout good test tee to green. lots of demanding tee shots with great bunker work. the greens are massive and roll as true as any ive ever seen.

1...Desert Forest! amazing! if u get a chance to play it plz do! very tight off the tee but not very long so its playable. the greens are tiny and always super fast. its rumored mickelson goes there before the masters cus the greens putt like augustas...jus what i heard

Was supposed to play Sidewinder at Gold Canyon on Sat for $59 bucks....was raining so we called to cancel....guys says we still have to drive out there and cancel since its just lightly sprinkling or get charged...FU
We're about 2/3rds way there its pouring rain...call again pissed...get the manager...says we should have been able to cancel from home. Gives us free upgrade to Dinosaur for same $59 price anytime of day next time we play...sweeet.

I hear it is a sick sick course

yes, played dinosaur once, it's awesome

Interesting list, but Camelback being on there just doesn't fit. I mean, I like it - a few years ago I set a personal record with a 30 on the back nine at Indian Bend, six birdies and three pars, was out of my mind - but it's a tier or six below Silverleaf and Desert Forest. The latter of which was a very humbling experience for me...I played it for the first time when I was <1 HDCP and shot like an 85. Felt like I had the living crap beat out of me all day. I think the rating/slope are the toughest in the state. If you can play there, you can play anywhere.

How did u get on DF Tuq?

I have a friend who was a former member there and was hosting a 12 or 16-man golf outing (can't remember how many), we played Desert Forest in the morning then drove up to Sedona and played Seven Canyons the next day. Pretty sweet combo. I've played since with another member but like so many private courses out here I hear they are really having problems getting or retaining members so there may be ways to weasel your way on without too much trouble.

Desert Forest is particularly wonderful in that it's all about the golf. It's spent a lot of time on various golf top 100 lists but isn't pretentious at all. The clubhouse isn't much fancier than your average municipal course and they encourage you to drive carts on the fairway as opposed to the rough, so as to keep it from getting matted down. Well, I suppose they mostly endorse walking. There are no cart paths.

Basic Question: What is the optimal tee time for a round in Phoenix on a weekday in late April?


TL/DR Background: I'll be in from NYC and have time for one round on Wednesday April 28. Before NYC I played about 30x/year with a handicap of around 7.5. Since living here, I play about 3x or 4x/year and usually shoot 85-90. I only have time for one round, so--since I play so infrequently and therefore have some budgetary headroom--I figure I'll just play Troon North. I've got all day open, though, so I'm wondering if it would be better to play at 7:30am or 2:00pm (which is my estimate on the latest available time to be sure to get in all 18 with a ~7pm sunset at that time of year) or somewhere in between.

I figure the heat has got to play into this decision, but I've never played in the area so I'm not sure what's the best strategy. I grew up playing in North Texas, where I usually played in 100+ degree summer heat & high humidity. So if I can have the course to myself during a hot part of the day, vs play a 6-hour round during a cool part of the day, I'd much rather take the heat.

I can only make a tee time there 60-or-less days out, so I'm planning to call them this Saturday to book a time. It looks like golfnow.com is currently running fees at about 6% less than rack, so I figure I'll keep checking in with that site to see what deals may crop up. Otherwise, I'll just pay full freight.

tee times are gonna drop majorly once the calendar hits April 5th