May 2022 buddies trip

[Nobbykat]

We have 8 coming in May of 2022 after being delayed by a couple years.  While I realize it is a long way away, 8 months, I like to have time to decide on course selection.

We are playing 6 rounds in 5 days and staying in a house near Orange tree golf course.  We have played the following courses on previous trips and look to add some new ones each time.

We-Ko-Pa 

Grayhawk 

Sunridge Canyon 

Legend Trail 

Troon North 

Eagle Mountain 

Qunitero 

Rancho Manana 

Boulders 

Verde River

Estrella 

Southern Dunes 

 

This time we will keep Grayhawk as the guys like the clubhouse atmosphere and its amenities before and after golf, but only for 18 holes.  We are looking for a new 36 hole course as well as 3 new 18 courses that are not further than 30 minutes from the house.  However Verrado could persuade us to go the extra distance if you feel it is worth the drive to play.  Below are some of our possible choices the guys have narrowed down to so far for us to play 18-36-18-18-18:

Camelback (8 minutes) 36 holes

Phoenician (14 minutes)

TPC Stadium/Champions (14 minutes) 36 holes

Lookout Mountain (16 minutes)

Wildfire (17 minutes) 36 holes

Papago (24 minutes)

Legacy (25 minutes)

Longbow (29 minutes)

Red Mountain Ranch (32 minutes)

Las Sendas (32 minutes)

Verrado (45 minutes) 36 holes

Gold Canyon – Desert Mountain course (45 minutes)

 

Any thoughts or advice on the list or ones we have totally missed would be greatly appreciated, hdcps of 9-18, thanks.

[puttnforthe8]

Make the drive to Wickenburg Ranch for sure!  You could do 36 and play Los Caballeros since you are out there!;  Both or either course at Verrado.

 

Sterling Grove is a new course in the area...it is a super fun course and I highly recommend.  Trilogy at Vistancia is a good option too - good course with lots of interesting holes and plays.  Great bar/restaurant too.

 

 

 

Camelback (8 minutes) 36 holes  OK...but not really great for visitors unless you just want to play golf; but they are good courses.

Phoenician (14 minutes)  HUGE NO...just played it and it is just junk!  I think it worse than when it was 3 9s.

TPC Stadium/Champions (14 minutes) 36 holes   Good...great for visitors who want to play a PGA course and play another solid design course

Lookout Mountain (16 minutes)   NOT Recommended....quirky golf with sketchy conditions.

Wildfire (17 minutes) 36 holes  OK...both are decent

Papago (24 minutes)  OK...rough on the edges, I would not put it on a visit list

Legacy (25 minutes)  OK...very easy and resorty with no views or desert anything about it; warmup round only

Longbow (29 minutes)  OK...good course, not great views; planes above.  But good holes.

Red Mountain Ranch (32 minutes)  NOT Recommended EVER!!

Las Sendas (32 minutes) NOT Recommended...just a bad design with a lot of bad holes; but some nice scenery.  

Verrado (45 minutes) 36 holes  Definitely...Play one, then eat at the restaurant at the old(Founder) course for good eats.

Gold Canyon – Desert Mountain course (45 minutes)  It's Dinosaur Mtn - the views are great and visitors love it; so sure; but not the best course design.

Edited September 12, 2021 by puttnforthe8

[AzSuperHack76]

I was going to recommend Sterling Grove and Wickenburg Ranch/Los Cab as well.

[Nobbykat]

As always thanks for the great feedback and info

[capking]

5 hours ago, Nobbykat said:

We have 8 coming in May of 2022 after being delayed by a couple years.  While I realize it is a long way away, 8 months, I like to have time to decide on course selection.

We are playing 6 rounds in 5 days and staying in a house near Orange tree golf course.  We have played the following courses on previous trips and look to add some new ones each time.

We-Ko-Pa 

Grayhawk 

Sunridge Canyon 

Legend Trail 

Troon North 

Eagle Mountain 

Qunitero 

Rancho Manana 

Boulders 

Verde River

Estrella 

Southern Dunes 

 

This time we will keep Grayhawk as the guys like the clubhouse atmosphere and its amenities before and after golf, but only for 18 holes.  We are looking for a new 36 hole course as well as 3 new 18 courses that are not further than 30 minutes from the house.  However Verrado could persuade us to go the extra distance if you feel it is worth the drive to play.  Below are some of our possible choices the guys have narrowed down to so far for us to play 18-36-18-18-18:

Camelback (8 minutes) 36 holes

Phoenician (14 minutes)

TPC Stadium/Champions (14 minutes) 36 holes

Lookout Mountain (16 minutes)

Wildfire (17 minutes) 36 holes

Papago (24 minutes)

Legacy (25 minutes)

Longbow (29 minutes)

Red Mountain Ranch (32 minutes)

Las Sendas (32 minutes)

Verrado (45 minutes) 36 holes

Gold Canyon – Desert Mountain course (45 minutes)

 

Any thoughts or advice on the list or ones we have totally missed would be greatly appreciated, hdcps of 9-18, thanks.

+1 for Papago and Aguila is also good and will probably be your best bang for your buck

[Nobbykat]

Given the info above and how we always like to play some new courses or line up is looking like this. 
Wickenburg Ranch 18

Verrado - Founders 18

TPC both 36

Camelback - Ambiente 18

Grayhawk 18

[azgolfer44]

16 minutes ago, Nobbykat said:

Given the info above and how we always like to play some new courses or line up is looking like this. 
Wickenburg Ranch 18

Verrado - Founders 18

TPC both 36

Camelback - Ambiente 18

Grayhawk 18

Solid lineup. There is a par 3 at WR that is a fun add one if you have time. 

[Yrrdead]

I really like Whirlwind courses. Facility is nice, especially the locker room for a little shower and kickback between rounds. The courses aren't as punitive as others but fun factor is there and no houses around is a nice change of pace. 

[Nobbykat]

30 minutes ago, azgolfer44 said:

Solid lineup. There is a par 3 at WR that is a fun add one if you have time. 

Thanks, this gives us 5 new courses to add to our played list as well. 

[Nobbykat]

Ok so the boys don't want to make the 75 minute drive there and back to Wickenberg, so our line up looks like this and we need to choose one last course, if anyone would like to let me know your opinion, thanks.

 

Verrado Founders 18

TPC Stadium/Champions 36

Camelback Ambiente 18

Undecided 18

GrayHawk 18

 

Papago/Dinosaur Mountain/Longbow/Whirlwind/Wildfire/Aguila (the guys narrowed it down to these due to proximity to the rental house near Orange Tree, so if we had to pick one of these 6)

We like to make our choices based on course design,  facility amenities and researching feedback on this site, more than scenery based decisions.  For course conditions we will make all final decisions prior to the 90 day booking policies for most next February, after reading the course conditions forum in this section.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Nobbykat

[puttnforthe8]

4 hours ago, Nobbykat said:

Ok so the boys don't want to make the 75 minute drive there and back to Wickenberg, so our line up looks like this and we need to choose one last course, if anyone would like to let me know your opinion, thanks.

 

Verrado Founders 18

TPC Stadium/Champions 36

Camelback Ambiente 18

Undecided 18

GrayHawk 18

 

Papago/Dinosaur Mountain/Longbow/Whirlwind/Wildfire/Aguila (the guys narrowed it down to these due to proximity to the rental house near Orange Tree, so if we had to pick one of these 6)

We like to make our choices based on course design,  facility amenities and researching feedback on this site, more than scenery based decisions.  For course conditions we will make all final decisions prior to the 90 day booking policies for most next February, after reading the course conditions forum in this section.

 

Hmm...well based on your ask, Whirlwind and Wildfire are the only one that meets it.  I would probably say play Whirlwind Devils Claw as the first choice.  Then Wildfire Palmer as the 2nd one.  The other courses don't quite have 'facility amenities" of the same quality.  Then maybe Dino Mtn - again, because of the views, not so much facilities - but it's certainly not 30 min from OT.  From a purely course perspective, I would choose Longbow..but the amenities part is low.  Papago has improved, but not that much and Aguila has even less.  

 

I still would consider Sterling Grove or Vistancia.  

 

[vallygolf]

4 hours ago, Nobbykat said:

Ok so the boys don't want to make the 75 minute drive there and back to Wickenberg, so our line up looks like this and we need to choose one last course, if anyone would like to let me know your opinion, thanks.

 

Verrado Founders 18

TPC Stadium/Champions 36

Camelback Ambiente 18

Undecided 18

GrayHawk 18

 

Papago/Dinosaur Mountain/Longbow/Whirlwind/Wildfire/Aguila (the guys narrowed it down to these due to proximity to the rental house near Orange Tree, so if we had to pick one of these 6)

We like to make our choices based on course design,  facility amenities and researching feedback on this site, more than scenery based decisions.  For course conditions we will make all final decisions prior to the 90 day booking policies for most next February, after reading the course conditions forum in this section.

Papago:  Solid course for a muni. Not WOW territory, but if you can get times for 2 foursomes it wont disappoint for the price

Dinosaur: Form over function for sure.  Quirky layout very polarizing.  Like Quintero most enjoy their first round there and out of towners love the views (design snobs in the group will loath it)

Longbow.  Solid course rough around the edges but I really enjoy my rounds there.  Upper mid level course.

Whirlwind.  Same level as Longbow.  Good courses well maintained (I prefer longbow if just slightly)

Wildfire.  Expensive for what it is, but not a terrible course  I would put it in the Whirlwind category, but it always seems to be more pricy.

Aguila:  Solid course.

 

For me it would be between Longbow, Whirlwind, and Aguila.  But Papago is much closer to Orange Tree.  It always humors me that people are willing to drive 1 hour for a poor Dinosaur mountain course, but are unwilling to drive and extra 15 minutes for Wikenberg Ranch.  To each their own.

[Nobbykat]

I appreciate the feedback. Yeah 15 minutes doesn’t seem much to me either, but being the DD, the faster I can get the boys who have been drinking on the course out of my ear and out of the van the better for everyone. 
 

Line up would look like this then with drive time times. 
 

Sat 18 Trilogy @ Vistancia 45min
Sun 18 Founders @ Verrado 45min
Mon 36 TPC both 15min
Tues 18 Camelback Ambiente 8min
Wed 18 Grayhawk 20min

 

This line up gives us 5 new courses to play.