2021 Phoenix Area Course Conditions

[Bonneville85308]

Papago this morning. Green speeds are almost back to normal, they were oddly slow late last week when I played. Hole locations were very fair today. Other than a wet greenside bunker on #7, everything was in great condition. Beautiful morning for golf.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, Aaf09001 said:

Argo, coming to Scottsdale in April for my bachelor party. So far we have Quintero and Southern Dunes booked. How would you rank the two Verrado courses and Estrella? From what I have read it seems like Founders, Estrella, Victory in that order? Is there a wrong choice in the group? Hoping to get all 3 of these in but might only get 2 of the 3.

 

No, I don't think there's a wrong choice in the group. Victory is solid, but there's not much in the way of elevation change. Great views of the White Tank Mountains, but it routes along the base of the mountains, so not much up and down. Founders has more eye candy IMHO. Estrella is in the middle.

 

[Bob Cat]

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Southern Dunes bulk cart margs.

[Aaf09001]

5 hours ago, Bob Cat said:

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Southern Dunes bulk cart margs.

Does the cart person drive around with this and you can get Margs on the course?

[puttnforthe8]

19 minutes ago, Aaf09001 said:

Does the cart person drive around with this and you can get Margs on the course?

Yes...of course!!  

[Bob Cat]

2 hours ago, Aaf09001 said:

Does the cart person drive around with this and you can get Margs on the course?

 

Yessir.  I might add that the octane was more than sufficient and at a fair price.

Upon ordering, she would flip a pump switch and draw a cup from the tap.  Brilliant.

[Argonne69]

Talking Stick Piipaash today. The course was in great shape. Fairways were generally lush. Bunkers had plenty of sand. Greens were rolling 10 to 11. Pace was excellent at 3:50. Overall pleasant day. 

 

[Argonne69]

Aguila this morning. Course was in great shape. Fairways lush. Bunkers sandy. Greens rolling 10 to 11. Pace was 3:45. Can't ask for much more. 

 

[Argonne69]

Second time playing Sun City CC this wiinter. Meh. Conditions were very spotty. Fairways were thin or shaggy. No consistency. You could get a thin lie on wet mud, or a clump of grass behind your ball. The rough on the first few holes was brutal. Our group lost two balls on the first three holes. It got a little more manageable after that. Teeboxes were hit or miss. Bunkers were a mess, wet compacted sand. Greens were rolling a good 10, but there were a ton of poorly fixed ball marks. Surface of the Moon. The only saving grace was the pace. I joined a twosome, and we never caught the group in front of us. We finished in 3:15. 

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Argonne69

[Bonneville85308]

Encanto this morning. I think it is the first time I've played it since last winter. Fairways, tees, greenside aprons all in excellent condition, much better than I remember. Since last time they put down gravel on a lot of the cartpaths and have done some "detailing" around the tee boxes and greenside areas to make it look less ratty in general. A few of the greens on the front nine had problem areas that seemed to be in some stage of recovery; I believe I took this photo on the back left of #4; #1 had a similar area in the middle of the green. Pace 3:45.

 

 

[puttnforthe8]

Whirlwind Cattail is in below average condition.  I don't get the whole "let's have a different golf super for each course, and they don't talk to each other whatsoever"!   Devils Claw is in such good condition and Cattail is marginal at best.

 

Really patchy spots tee to green; the worst overall collection of bunkers (among the 'higher end' courses); Greens completely inconsistent - I'd say 3 different speeds/lengths; LOT'S of muddy spots; horribly thin and tight lies around the greens - chipping was a complete guess; dozens of different rough types/lengths/etc.; and half the tee boxes were a mess.  

[Argonne69]

Anybody interested in playing GC of Estrella next Thursday morning (2/18)? GolfNow has two openings for foursomes at 9:24 am and 9:33 am for $100.99. The regular rate appears to be $121. I assume the two slots will fill quickly.

 

Edit: Looks like a foursome grabbed the 9:24 am slot. I went ahead and booked as a single at 9:33 am. There are three more slots open at this time if anyone wants to join me.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Argonne69

[AzSuperHack76]

On 2/13/2021 at 8:31 AM, Argonne69 said:

Anybody interested in playing GC of Estrella next Thursday morning (2/18)? GolfNow has two openings for foursomes at 9:24 am and 9:33 am for $100.99. The regular rate appears to be $121. I assume the two slots will fill quickly.

 

Edit: Looks like a foursome grabbed the 9:24 am slot. I went ahead and booked as a single at 9:33 am. There are three more slots open at this time if anyone wants to join me.

 

Working, will have to get a round in soon with you! 
 

Not sure if they still have the deal but Estrella used to do 36 holes, lunch and a dozen Prov1’s for $139. 

[Bonneville85308]

Aguila early this morning. Conditions were pretty good all around. Course was dry and firm. I forgot our exact pace but it was well under 4 hours.

 

I was surprised how many open spots there were in groups ahead and behind us when the tee sheet was absolutely full on paper. The City course policy of basically no penalty for no-shows or last minute cancellations leaves a lot of spots open on the first tee that I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to fill. Slightly frustrating given how impossible it has been to get weekend morning tee times at the city courses this winter.

[Kuhndogg8]

8 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

Aguila early this morning. Conditions were pretty good all around. Course was dry and firm. I forgot our exact pace but it was well under 4 hours.

 

I was surprised how many open spots there were in groups ahead and behind us when the tee sheet was absolutely full on paper. The City course policy of basically no penalty for no-shows or last minute cancellations leaves a lot of spots open on the first tee that I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to fill. Slightly frustrating given how impossible it has been to get weekend morning tee times at the city courses this winter.

 

Likely many did not account for Valentine's Day when booking this weekend's tee times.

[AZ_JHWK]

33 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

Aguila early this morning. Conditions were pretty good all around. Course was dry and firm. I forgot our exact pace but it was well under 4 hours.

 

I was surprised how many open spots there were in groups ahead and behind us when the tee sheet was absolutely full on paper. The City course policy of basically no penalty for no-shows or last minute cancellations leaves a lot of spots open on the first tee that I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to fill. Slightly frustrating given how impossible it has been to get weekend morning tee times at the city courses this winter.

Played Aguila today too. Got lucky and found an 8:08 that had to be a cancellation. I booked it yesterday. Starter moved me up to 8:00 to make a threesome as they only had two players. Waited a little, nothing major, until the group ahead let us through on #7. We never saw anyone ahead of us the rest of the way. Finished in 3.5 hours walking. My first trip around Aguila. It lived up to the "hidden gem" reputation. 

[AzSuperHack76]

Sterling Grove today. Wow, is pretty much all I have to say. Very unique to the valley, you almost feel like you’re not in Arizona standing in some of the fairways.
 

It’s a course that is going to have to be played a few times in order to figure out where to be and what lines to take. 

 

For the most part it’s wide off the tees, but there are hidden dangers in a few fairways. Hidden water, hidden ravine/swamp/insane native grass that comes into play. Pay close attention to the Pro Tips that pop up on GPS, READ them. The ariels on the screen don’t show some of the features. 

The greens are just bananas. Typical Nicklaus greens, massive undulating and multiple greens within greens. Very firm since they are new but rolling fast and true. You have to play short and allow for rollout. There are a few holes where the play is landing a short of the green. 
 

Course was in near perfect shape except a few greens that need to fill in, really noticed it on 2 greens but overall it’s in really, really good shape. 
 

I can’t imagine how insane the greens are going to be when they dry out in the summer. It will be insane. 
 

Good mix of par threes, a couple drivable par 4’s, strong par 5’s. Just a good mix of holes. Just a fun course to play. I’ll leave the design stuff so some of the other guys as that’s not my forte but I believe it is a solid layout. 
 

I forgot to take pictures, here are the few I remembered. 

[Aaf09001]

16 hours ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Sterling Grove today. Wow, is pretty much all I have to say. Very unique to the valley, you almost feel like you’re not in Arizona standing in some of the fairways.
 

It’s a course that is going to have to be played a few times in order to figure out where to be and what lines to take. 

 

For the most part it’s wide off the tees, but there are hidden dangers in a few fairways. Hidden water, hidden ravine/swamp/insane native grass that comes into play. Pay close attention to the Pro Tips that pop up on GPS, READ them. The ariels on the screen don’t show some of the features. 

The greens are just bananas. Typical Nicklaus greens, massive undulating and multiple greens within greens. Very firm since they are new but rolling fast and true. You have to play short and allow for rollout. There are a few holes where the play is landing a short of the green. 
 

Course was in near perfect shape except a few greens that need to fill in, really noticed it on 2 greens but overall it’s in really, really good shape. 
 

I can’t imagine how insane the greens are going to be when they dry out in the summer. It will be insane. 
 

Good mix of par threes, a couple drivable par 4’s, strong par 5’s. Just a good mix of holes. Just a fun course to play. I’ll leave the design stuff so some of the other guys as that’s not my forte but I believe it is a solid layout. 
 

I forgot to take pictures, here are the few I remembered. 

Would this be worth playing over Founders? We are looking for a course to play the day we land (a Tuesday in April). There is a chance we might do the 36 hole deal at Verrado that Friday but if we don't end up doing that would we be disappointed playing this over Founders? Seems like this would be a good first round with the wider fairways. We have Southern Dunes Wednesday morning so looking for a fun warmup before that.

[Argonne69]

Aguila again this morning. No changes to the course conditions. If anything the greens were rolling a little fast. 11.5 perhaps? Pace was a little slower at 4:10, but for a holiday it was acceptable. I did notice an open hole on the back nine, but things were moving along fairly well for the most part.

 

There was a threesome in front of us, a twosome in front of them, and a twosome behind us. On a holiday? I totally agree that the course needs to start charging for no-shows and late cancellations. 

[jatrain]

Papago yesterday afternoon. I’d say green speeds pretty much back to normal (a little slower than the practice green though). Great conditions all around. On the slow side, 4:30, not unexpected for Sunday afternoon this time of year. 

[FlashNoonan]

Thanks for the write up about Sterling Grove @AzSuperHack76. I'm playing there this weekend and I'm definitely looking forward to it. 

[AzSuperHack76]

19 minutes ago, FlashNoonan said:

Thanks for the write up about Sterling Grove @AzSuperHack76. I'm playing there this weekend and I'm definitely looking forward to it. 

No problem, there are some really interesting holes on the course, lots of strategy involved. Yesterday was a birthday celebration with the boys so the focus wasn't on the architectural nuances, it was more just enjoying the course. It is a very enjoyable course with lots of options. I can see some people being very frustrated with the greens though.

 

Hole #1 green gives you a little peak of what is in store, then there are a couple turtleback greens, punch bowl greens, greens that look relatively benign but then putts break like crazy and an insane green in #7. #7 is a par 3 with a huge back portion of the green, a monster dip/bowl in the middle and then a 15 foot radius on the front green, they had the pin in the front yesterday, we saw 3 other old cups on that front portion and decided the course Sup is a sadistic SOB. When standing on the #6 tee box look to the east and you'll see #7 green and that will give you a idea of what you will be facing. 

 

Just in that first round there was so much out there to experience and learn about. I'll leave the rest up to you to discover for yourself! 

[puttnforthe8]

8 minutes ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

No problem, there are some really interesting holes on the course, lots of strategy involved. Yesterday was a birthday celebration with the boys so the focus wasn't on the architectural nuances, it was more just enjoying the course. It is a very enjoyable course with lots of options. I can see some people being very frustrated with the greens though.

 

Hole #1 green gives you a little peak of what is in store, then there are a couple turtleback greens, punch bowl greens, greens that look relatively benign but then putts break like crazy and an insane green in #7. #7 is a par 3 with a huge back portion of the green, a monster dip/bowl in the middle and then a 15 foot radius on the front green, they had the pin in the front yesterday, we saw 3 other old cups on that front portion and decided the course Sup is a sadistic SOB. When standing on the #6 tee box look to the east and you'll see #7 green and that will give you a idea of what you will be facing. 

 

Just in that first round there was so much out there to experience and learn about. I'll leave the rest up to you to discover for yourself! 

There Sat...so looking forward to it.

[azmx]

8 minutes ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

No problem, there are some really interesting holes on the course, lots of strategy involved. Yesterday was a birthday celebration with the boys so the focus wasn't on the architectural nuances, it was more just enjoying the course. It is a very enjoyable course with lots of options. I can see some people being very frustrated with the greens though.

 

Hole #1 green gives you a little peak of what is in store, then there are a couple turtleback greens, punch bowl greens, greens that look relatively benign but then putts break like crazy and an insane green in #7. #7 is a par 3 with a huge back portion of the green, a monster dip/bowl in the middle and then a 15 foot radius on the front green, they had the pin in the front yesterday, we saw 3 other old cups on that front portion and decided the course Sup is a sadistic SOB. When standing on the #6 tee box look to the east and you'll see #7 green and that will give you a idea of what you will be facing. 

 

Just in that first round there was so much out there to experience and learn about. I'll leave the rest up to you to discover for yourself! 

Biarritz green?

[AzSuperHack76]

1 minute ago, puttnforthe8 said:

There Sat...so looking forward to it.

Would love to see your thoughts on the course as well. I know you're a design nut. 

[puttnforthe8]

Sagauro at Wekopa today - in amazing shape tee to to green, even the bunkers.  The greens were flawless - you would get the ball rolling and they kept the line perfectly.

 

Dove Valley yesterday - pretty spotty conditions, greens were terrible (bouncing or not cared for at all) and slow.  Good thing we had preferred lies in the fairways because 50% of the spots I finished were either muddy or bare.  

[AzSuperHack76]

1 minute ago, azmx said:

Biarritz green?

Kind of, maybe, the back portion is large, the middle sunken portion is large as well and the front is just a tiny landing section. I wouldn't call it a true or classic Biarritz. 

[jayrod79]

Southern Dunes this morning. Absolutely great shape from tee to green. Greens were fast and firm. 

[Argonne69]

Sterling Grove this morning. Toto, I don't think we're in Arizona any more. Full report in a few hours, but definitely different. Would be nice if they had distances on the sprinkler heads for us walkers, as the course isn't in the Skygolf database yet. 

[Bob Cat]

Just now reconciling my CC statement with last months AZ golf trip receipts.  Came across one for The Peppercorn Cafe near the A/P and HAD to come on here and post how awesome it was.  Doesn't look like much but the food was great and plentiful.

One in our group had left his CC and she ran out to the vehicle to get it to him.  Would have been a real bummer.

Thank you, Jennifer!