2017 Phoenix area course conditions

[az2au]

Played everyone's favorite, Lookout Mountain on Monday. My last couple of rounds have involved 2+ hour drives so it was nice being 10 minutes from the house. As most of you know, the course is... goofy.

 

They overseed in less than two weeks and it's definitely drying out. Not a bad option if you want fast and firm in central Phoenix. Fairways with some brown patches but mostly grassy. Bunkers were decent. Greens decent, a little slow but rolling fairly true. I think we paid around $20 each. Felt like a decent value.

Good to hear that you're playing again though even at that terrible course (goofy is way too kind!).

[dtm6582]

Played everyone's favorite, Lookout Mountain on Monday. My last couple of rounds have involved 2+ hour drives so it was nice being 10 minutes from the house. As most of you know, the course is... goofy.

 

They overseed in less than two weeks and it's definitely drying out. Not a bad option if you want fast and firm in central Phoenix. Fairways with some brown patches but mostly grassy. Bunkers were decent. Greens decent, a little slow but rolling fairly true. I think we paid around $20 each. Felt like a decent value.

Good to hear that you're playing again though even at that terrible course (goofy is way too kind!).

 

Thanks, it's good to BE playing again, or it will be in a few months. Playing once every 6 months or so hasn't done my game any favors.

 

Years ago I rented a condo from a guy who retired early and worked part time as a starter at Lookout Mountain. He had been a member somewhere in Fountain Hills (I want to say Fire Rock but don't quote me on that). He raved about LM, what a great course it was, how the conditioning was impeccable, etc. I was so confused once I actually played the course. I mean, the conditioning was pretty good, certainly not great. But the course itself... This was before I found this site and I thought maybe the heat just put me in a bad mood or something (which, full disclosure, that does happen from time to time). Then I played it again and again I walked off trying to figure out what the appeal was. Most of the people I played with there seemed to enjoy it but I just kept thinking it was...not good.

 

Then it popped up on a thread here and I felt much better to learn I'm not the only one who doesn't love it.

[DrSchteeve]

Goofy it is. Once every year or so, goofy is OK. Nice view at the turn.

[Sggolf]

Here for a mini vacation. Played Dove Valley Ranch Tuesday.

Tees, Fairways, and greens were in good codition. A few area's were spotty around some of the edges. Greens rolled smooth and fast. However, they did not hold very good. Was only in one trap, it seemed to be hard with a grainey type of sand.

Overall it was in good condition.

On to TPC tomorrow.

[jayrod79]

I played The Rim Club yesterday. I saw a "Day & Play" package advertised on Facebook recently through a realtor and The Rim Club. The course was fantastic. I've been kicking myself for never making it up there when they were open for public play during the recession.

 

It was $300 for 2 players ($150 each) and a $50 gift card for lunch in the clubhouse. The catch was a 20-30 minute tour of homesites, but no pressure to buy at all.

 

The greens are getting aerated on 9/18, but they are having a big interclub match on 9/25 so I think they are expecting them to bounce back quickly.

 

Phone number I called was 928-474-4532.

 

*I'm not affiliated with the course or realtor in anyway. I just wanted to share in case others wanted to take advantage of the offer.

 

 

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Mcdowell Mtn GC today.

 

Tee to green firming up nicely and was pretty solid. Greens were awful looked like they did a late season punch a few weeks ago bumpy not good. Bunkers inconsistent some really good some thin.

[DrSchteeve]

Boulders North yesterday. Greens in great condition; a consistent condition was that there was far less break on most putts than expected, very weird to me as I usually can figure out greens pretty quickly. Fairways were mostly good, though there were some mushy areas and also a few bare spots. Bunkers were fantastic.

 

It's been a while since I played it, but I was reminded that there are some borderline holes where there are overly tricked up bunker placements and hazards crossing fairways. Enjoyed it, wouldn't say the layout is bad, but it's not a course you leave thinking what a great course it was. You do leave thinking how nice the views are.

[azgolfer44]

We Ko Pa Saguaro this morning. Course was very lush. Greens had a lot of grass on them and were wet for the first 4-5 holes which made them slow for We Ko Pa standards. Still a really good course and fun to play.

[kadillackountry]

Played Quintero on Saturday. Best greens I have played this summer (in Phoenix). Rolling true and holding very well.

[Elliebarley1978]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

[Elliebarley1978]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

 

As far as conditions go , is it as good as it gets in the area?

[az2au]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

 

As far as conditions go , is it as good as it gets in the area?

No. They are usually in good shape but not at the top. They aren't significantly lower to make a difference where you should choose another course however.

[Elliebarley1978]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

 

As far as conditions go , is it as good as it gets in the area?

No. They are usually in good shape but not at the top. They aren't significantly lower to make a difference where you should choose another course however.

 

what are the top in terms of conditions?

[az2au]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

 

As far as conditions go , is it as good as it gets in the area?

No. They are usually in good shape but not at the top. They aren't significantly lower to make a difference where you should choose another course however.

 

what are the top in terms of conditions?

Assuming you mean Public only the following are likely better:

Quintero (I think it is a terrible course, posted my rationale here before but it is pretty)

Wickenburg Ranch (Fun course but way the F out there, makes We Ko Pa look like it is in the heart of the city)

Grayhawk (Courses aren't as good and they may not be 100% done with the bunker work on Raptor but that's a minor factor. That said, Saguaro > Raptor > Talon > Cholla and it is a better location)

 

 

Likely equal to in conditioning at least:

Troon North (Again, Saguaro > Pinnacle > Monument > Cholla)

Boulders (two mediocre courses and a ton of houses)

Talking Stick (not in the same class course wise)

Camelback (In this case I'd go Saguaro > Ambiente > Cholla > Padre)

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

 

As far as conditions go , is it as good as it gets in the area?

Depends on when you are heading here. Wekopa Late December to end of April is very very good and IMO rivals everything else except maybe the entire Wickenburg Ranch course and the fairways and greens at Quintero.

 

One word of warning the bunkers on Saguaro are borderline unplayable and that is going to be the big knock. Very thin lies and little sand in majority of them. Was a tad better my last round a few weeks ago but far from what you would expect at an elite course. Cholla got new bunker sand last year when they did some green work and course changes.

 

May-Oct it varies depending on summer transition periods and how much over watering is being done. Right now Wekopa is pretty good but that will change shortly with the start of overseed.

[ferrispgm]

Thinking of heading up to wekopa for a 3 night stay and play. want to get in 4 rounds or so. maybe 2 at each. thoughts? better place to play? seems like saguaro is the consensus #1 in the area.

 

Any info would be great

 

thanks

 

I'd prob do 3-1 Saguaro over Cholla. Cholla is worth playing once and might be one of those ones where if you enjoyed it but did not play well the first round a 2nd trip could be warranted to score better with a little local knowledge. As a whole Saguaro is a much better golf course and one where repeated plays reveal more and more of its character and ideal lines hence my original 3-1 choice.

 

As far as staying there even though you are still in the "metro area" you are a ways from anything. Want to head into old town for dinner 30-40 min drive etc

 

As far as conditions go , is it as good as it gets in the area?

Depends on when you are heading here. Wekopa Late December to end of April is very very good and IMO rivals everything else except maybe the entire Wickenburg Ranch course and the fairways and greens at Quintero.

 

One word of warning the bunkers on Saguaro are borderline unplayable and that is going to be the big knock. Very thin lies and little sand in majority of them. Was a tad better my last round a few weeks ago but far from what you would expect at an elite course. Cholla got new bunker sand last year when they did some green work and course changes.

 

May-Oct it varies depending on summer transition periods and how much over watering is being done. Right now Wekopa is pretty good but that will change shortly with the start of overseed.

 

I would personally say to play 2 or 3 at WeKoPa and throw in a round at Camelback-Ambiente or Grayhawk...or Wickenburg if you don't mind a hike (the drive is long but fairly scenic once off the freeway). I'm not a big fan of Cholla, too many awkward and blind shots for my liking but Saguaro is a solid course and I totally agree with OPB that you need to play it a few times to get the lines down. I slightly disagree with az2au in that in my opinion, I would rate Ambiente equal to or just a slight touch ahead of Saguaro, but it's pretty neck and neck to me....However, the practice facility at WeKoPa is pretty darn nice and I could easily spend all day there.

[Elliebarley1978]

I'm heading there within the next 2 weeks

[Sggolf]

Back from my trip. Played Dove Valley Tuesday, TPC Champions & Stadium Wednesday, Troon Pinnacle Thursday, both We-Ko-Pa Friday, and Las Sendas Saturday.

 

Best overall course condition was We-Ko-Pa Cholla.

Fastest greens-Las Sendas.

Troon greens were sanded the day before, they were soft and still pretty smooth even with the sand. Bunkers at Dove Valley and We-Ko-Pa Saguaro had a hard brownish sand, niether were very good.

 

Toughest rough was at TPC Champions. It was brutal.

 

Overall though, all the courses were in good shape. Las Sendas and TPC Champions had a few spotty areas around some greens.

 

It was another fine trip with some great Arizona weather again, hot and dry.

 

[youfromjoisey]

I'll be heading to Phoenix the week of 10/22 and would like to get out for a couple of rounds. I guess conditions will be determined by maintenance/overseeding, but any recommendations for a top course and a decent one for a hacker (~ 17 hcp)??

[One_Putt_Blunder]

I'll be heading to Phoenix the week of 10/22 and would like to get out for a couple of rounds. I guess conditions will be determined by maintenance/overseeding, but any recommendations for a top course and a decent one for a hacker (~ 17 hcp)??

 

10/22 cant give any real recommendations there everything will be either just out of overseed or still in it. your best bet is to find something on this list that started overseed earliest

 

https://www.azgolf.org/images/uploads/news/aga_news/2017/2017_overseed_schedule_8-31.pdf

[youfromjoisey]

Thanks OPP. That is a ridiculous amount of courses. I should be able to find something in pretty good shape.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Thanks OPP. That is a ridiculous amount of courses. I should be able to find something in pretty good shape.

Easier said than done the courses that started last weekend will be cart path only and still fairly shaggy. Greens running around 7

[toypor]

I'm heading there within the next 2 weeks

 

While a long haul from We Ko Pa... Verrado is in absolutely great shape right now. If you don't mind even more driving, combine with Wickenburg Ranch for a 36 hole day out west.

[dtm6582]

Played Wickenburg Ranch today. All I can say is WOW. That course is an absolute blast. Great condition all around, save for a few bunkers that need to be topped off. Nice wide fairways, great for a guy like me who hits driver too often (and...poorly). Greens were smooth and true.

 

The drive is tough, and if I was going to knock it for something it would be that the construction activity does detract from the experience somewhat. But if we're counting layout, condition, and views it definitely makes my top 3 for the area.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

If anyone looking to play sat afternoon I booked 12:45 PM Saturday 09/23 Wildfire Faldo. Overseed starts 10/16 so should be pretty pure still. If you book direct and use promo code autumn the rate was $44+ tax

[Elliebarley1978]

Played both courses multiple times at Wekopa over the weekend. Both courses in real nice shape . Fun to play to play and can play long. It blew on us every day but the last. Bunkers were low on saguaro and perfect at cholla as someone said on here but Was told that is how it was designed to be. The practice facility is great and the food at the turn was good. Staff was solid, attentive. Greens I found slightly slow probably but sped up through the weekend. fair and fast enough.

 

 

Nothing to do with golf but As a side not we ate at sapori d'italia in fountain hills and it was awesome. Mom and pa Italian. Awesome food and service.

[littleinjunp]

What's the general consensus on the following courses:

 

GC of Estrella

Legacy

Raven S Mtn

Red Mtn Ranch

Dobson Ranch

 

 

RMR in particular seems like a much better value than most courses in the area, especially given its reputed condition and its status as a Dye design. Why so cheap out there?

[az2au]

What's the general consensus on the following courses:

 

GC of Estrella

Legacy

Raven S Mtn

Red Mtn Ranch

Dobson Ranch

 

 

RMR in particular seems like a much better value than most courses in the area, especially given its reputed condition and its status as a Dye design. Why so cheap out there?

Mostly because it is a terrible golf course as noted earlier. Ranking the ones you listed to me:

 

1. GC of Estrella although the front is ho hum and so is part of the back

2. Legacy-Not great but fun

3. Raven-Considered putting it 4th as I like Dobson too but it is just a bit different for the area

4. Dobson but I consider 2-4 to be toss ups with Dobson dropping mostly due to being too crowded the times I've played there

5.

...

...

207. ASU Karsten

208. Red Mountain Ranch

 

;)

[toypor]

What's the general consensus on the following courses:

 

GC of Estrella

Legacy

Raven S Mtn

Red Mtn Ranch

Dobson Ranch

 

 

RMR in particular seems like a much better value than most courses in the area, especially given its reputed condition and its status as a Dye design. Why so cheap out there?

Mostly because it is a terrible golf course as noted earlier. Ranking the ones you listed to me:

 

1. GC of Estrella although the front is ho hum and so is part of the back

2. Legacy-Not great but fun

3. Raven-Considered putting it 4th as I like Dobson too but it is just a bit different for the area

4. Dobson but I consider 2-4 to be toss ups with Dobson dropping mostly due to being too crowded the times I've played there

5.

...

...

207. ASU Karsten

208. Red Mountain Ranch

 

;)

 

FWIW I would swap 207 and 208...