2021 Phoenix Area Course Conditions

[azgolfer44]

2021 is finally here.

 

I played Papago this morning. Greens were about perfect. Everything else was in great shape as well. Can’t get much better deal for the City Card right this time of year. Should be great all winter. 

[cbbaron]

Happy New Year to everyone hope to get out there soon

[jatrain]

GCU today. Generally good outside of some random wet spots in fairways.  Rough is really thin around the greens,

basically chipping off of hard pan. Green putted well, average speed. Slow, 12:50 tee time finished in the dark. 

[puttnforthe8]

Ambiente today - in just phenomenal shape tee to green.  A couple of muddy spots near the green that could cause certain shots to get 'stuck' but not many.

 

What A FLAWLESS DAY!  Happy new year all!

[MColin28]

I have a day lined up at Eagle Mountain, then Verse River. Any suggestions for replacing EM? I’ve been told it isn’t worth the price. Thanks!

[Argonne69]

Chilly morning at Union Hills yesterday. Conditions were a little better than when I played it the first week of December. The fairways were drier, and there was some rollout. Bunkers were playable. Greens still had a number of dead areas, and were rolling at 9 to 10. 'Not sure if they'll heal before spring. Pace was 4:00.

 

[AzSuperHack76]

12 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Ambiente today - in just phenomenal shape tee to green.  A couple of muddy spots near the green that could cause certain shots to get 'stuck' but not many.

 

What A FLAWLESS DAY!  Happy new year all!

Starting off 2021 with positivity from Puttnforthe8? Love it!! 

[Bonneville85308]

Cave Creek this morning. Frost delay of about 50 minutes. The fairways weren't quite as wet as they have been recently (but not firm whatsoever), and the ball still tended to stop dead if you landed short of many of the greens. They ran the sprinklers on a bunch of holes right before the first group went off, which they have been doing a lot recently. One theory I heard was they do this to get rid of the frost quicker. Who knows. Greens had probably the highest amount of unfixed ball marks I've ever seen on that course, and the majority of them were probably from the day before since we were one of the first few groups off. 18th fairway is still a mess but at least it was dry and not the mudhole it had been for the last month or so. Pace for us was 3:45 but I feel bad for anyone who played later, as the group that teed off behind us was on 12 green when we were on 16 tee, and I could see the backup forming behind them.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Bonneville85308

[MColin28]

Anyone have thoughts on Dinosaur Mountain instead of Eagle Mountain? Never played Dinosaur and wondered if we should try it. 

[puttnforthe8]

11 minutes ago, MColin28 said:

Anyone have thoughts on Dinosaur Mountain instead of Eagle Mountain? Never played Dinosaur and wondered if we should try it. 

 

Depends what you want in a course...DM has great views and some cool shots/holes for visitors, but is an average 'course' in the scheme of things.  EM is a very easy course with decent views, fun to play with good conditions.  

 

As a local, I would rather play EM; but would take a visitor to DM.

[MColin28]

Probably stick with EM as DM to Verde River is a drive and we’re trying to get 36 in. Unless you think I’m better with the DM/EM combo over Verde....?

[MColin28]

Delete

Edited January 3, 2021 by MColin28
Messed up quote

[MColin28]

13 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

 

Depends what you want in a course...DM has great views and some cool shots/holes for visitors, but is an average 'course' in the scheme of things.  EM is a very easy course with decent views, fun to play with good conditions.  

 

As a local, I would rather play EM; but would take a visitor to DM.

See the above. I messed up quoting. 

[puttnforthe8]

28 minutes ago, MColin28 said:

Probably stick with EM as DM to Verde River is a drive and we’re trying to get 36 in. Unless you think I’m better with the DM/EM combo over Verde....?

never would EM/DM be better.

[azmx]

26 minutes ago, MColin28 said:

Probably stick with EM as DM to Verde River is a drive and we’re trying to get 36 in. Unless you think I’m better with the DM/EM combo over Verde....?

OK, a couple of options.  I'd agree with @Argonne69that Troon North is your best option.  It is a short drive from Verde River. Option two, either Tonto Verde Peaks or Ranch. I think Peaks is slightly better but neither are awesome I'm not sure it matters much.  Third option is Sunridge Canyon which is a better course than Eagle Mountain but not significantly so.  Fourth option, if you have even minor contacts you should be able to get onto Firerock.  The course is actually pretty fun but, again, nothing special.  Any of the Fountain Hills courses will allow for a shortish drive to Verde River.  Troon North and Tonto Verde are both very close to Verde River. 

[Bonneville85308]

Papago this morning, everything was perfect, 'nuff said!

[puttnforthe8]

3 hours ago, azmx said:

OK, a couple of options.  I'd agree with @Argonne69that Troon North is your best option.  It is a short drive from Verde River. Option two, either Tonto Verde Peaks or Ranch. I think Peaks is slightly better but neither are awesome I'm not sure it matters much.  Third option is Sunridge Canyon which is a better course than Eagle Mountain but not significantly so.  Fourth option, if you have even minor contacts you should be able to get onto Firerock.  The course is actually pretty fun but, again, nothing special.  Any of the Fountain Hills courses will allow for a shortish drive to Verde River.  Troon North and Tonto Verde are both very close to Verde River. 

Sunridge is an ABSOLUTE DUMP right now!

[jayrod79]

I know Saguaro is walkable, and typically do walk when I play it. How about Cholla?  Playing there for the first time in 3-4 years, but don’t recall if it’s walkable. Thanks!

[azgolfer44]

13 minutes ago, jayrod79 said:

I know Saguaro is walkable, and typically do walk when I play it. How about Cholla?  Playing there for the first time in 3-4 years, but don’t recall if it’s walkable. Thanks!

You could walk it but lots of carries over desert which make it tough to walk. Probably stick with a cart on cholla.

[Bonneville85308]

24 minutes ago, azgolfer44 said:

You could walk it but lots of carries over desert which make it tough to walk. Probably stick with a cart on cholla.

 

I agree. I mean, if you put a gun to my head, I could walk it, but it doesn't seem like it would be an enjoyable walk. More of a chore, unlike Saguaro. If I recall correctly, the greens/tees are reasonably close, but on a lot of holes you pretty much have to walk on the cartpath from green to tee and from tee to fairway because of the desert/terrain, and the cartpath isn't always a direct route. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Bonneville85308

[jayrod79]

17 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

 

I agree. I mean, if you put a gun to my head, I could walk it, but it doesn't seem like it would be an enjoyable walk. More of a chore, unlike Saguaro. If I recall correctly, the greens/tees are reasonably close, but on a lot of holes you pretty much have to walk on the cartpath from green to tee and from tee to fairway because of the desert/terrain, and the cartpath isn't always a direct route. 

Thank you both. Cart it is. 

[azmx]

2 hours ago, jayrod79 said:

I know Saguaro is walkable, and typically do walk when I play it. How about Cholla?  Playing there for the first time in 3-4 years, but don’t recall if it’s walkable. Thanks!

Not really walkable and also a pretty terrible golf course IMO

[azmx]

2 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Sunridge is an ABSOLUTE DUMP right now!

A shame because it is a decent layout. 

[puttnforthe8]

3 minutes ago, azmx said:

A shame because it is a decent layout. 

Not really.

Edited January 4, 2021 by puttnforthe8

[azmx]

Just now, puttnforthe8 said:

Not really.

Decent. Not great. Easily better than Eagle Mountain IMO and only behind Firerock in Fountain Hills (We Ko Pa is not in Fountain Hills). 

[azgolfer44]

5 hours ago, Bonneville85308 said:

Papago this morning, everything was perfect, 'nuff said!

It was perfect today. Did you play in pmga event? Pins were tough. 

[Bonneville85308]

11 hours ago, azgolfer44 said:

It was perfect today. Did you play in pmga event? Pins were tough. 

 

No, I went off before the event. Trickiest part of the hole locations for me was that I didn't realize they were using "pin sheets" instead of the colored flag system until I got out on the course and realized all the flags were the same color regardless of location. Then I remembered there was a stack of the pin sheets at the check-in desk and I didn't take one...🙄

Edited January 4, 2021 by Bonneville85308

[ferrispgm]

Played Golf Club of Estrella on NYE...aside from freezing my arse off....grass was in great shape tee to green with greens rolling pretty quick....some fairways a little wet but nothing that bad.  Bunkers were pretty bad though...many had pooled water or mud in the middle.  

[Argonne69]

5 hours ago, ferrispgm said:

Played Golf Club of Estrella on NYE...aside from freezing my arse off....grass was in great shape tee to green with greens rolling pretty quick....some fairways a little wet but nothing that bad.  Bunkers were pretty bad though...many had pooled water or mud in the middle.  

 

Pooled water? From all the rain the area has gotten over the past two months? Lol.

 

[Argonne69]

 

Same ol conditions at Cave Creek. Overnight watering left the grass in front of the greens waterlogged. Basically impossible to land a ball short and roll it up. Fairways were getting some rollout. Greens rolling 10 at best. There was an hour frost delay this morning, but I had a mid-morning tee time, and wound up teeing off 20 minutes behind. Pace was 4:15.

 

Heading down to The Duke tomorrow morning for my first visit. 'Not expecting much, and certainly not Southern Dunes-like golf.