Aguilla/Quintero/Wickenburg & Southern Dunes Trip

[bankkur74]

Just wanted to give a golf getaway update that a buddy and I just had over the extended weekend in Phoenix/Scottsdale. We arrived on late Thursday night and play 18 on Friday, 36 on Saturday, 36 Sunday and left on Monday. We had a rental place a couple of blocks from Banner University and only 5 minutes from Interstate 10 (perfectly centralized for our trip as are courses were all over).

For the Friday round, we played Aguilla, teeing off around 10:30 am. We were just looking for a cheap, warm up round to get us back in the routine of swinging the club since we both haven’t played in 6-8 weeks. I would say that for the price and it being a city course, we really enjoyed it. Easy to walk, fairways and greens in good enough shape (lot better than our city courses normally are) as well as the greens were pretty smooth and fast. 

For the first Saturday 18, we traveled up north to play Quintero. This course was hands down our favorite and one of the top 10 that either of us has ever played. We loved the desert setting and the holes not being right on one of another. The playing conditions could not have been better as the course seemed to me like it was in the best shape it could have been in. Fairways were perfectly manicured, and greens were near perfect and being extremely fast (something we had to get used to). It helped that we were the first group off the tee as we moved at a good steady pace with no delays.

Our second 18 for the day, was up at Wickenburg Ranch. Both of us thought the course was some-what gimmicky and thought it was just ok. Fairways were in good shape, with greens and tee boxers being so-so. You can tell from the ball marks on the greens that the course seems like it gets a lot of play; maybe this is because it appeared to be in a retirement community. Pace of play was a little slow as we thought there could have been a ranger or two to help move it along. We would not return to Wickenburg Ranch if given the chance.

For the final 36 on Sunday, we decided to play Southern Dunes for both rounds as they had a double play and breakfast package. At first, we just thought it was ok, but after the second 18, we determined that it was a little better than originally thought. Fairways were nice, and greens were in great shape as well as being fast (seemed to be a recurring pattern here). But after all the talk on the forums about how great the course is, we seemed to feel that is what somewhat a letdown. Would not replay again if returned, would rather play something new. We just didn’t quite understand why the course gets so much hype. It just seemed to me by the way everyone talked, it was hands down one of the best courses, but we don’t think that at all. Little difficult, but didn’t feel like it stood out as a must return course.

Of the courses played, our favorite was Quintero by far. We already are talking about returning next year to try We-Ko-Pa and maybe TPC, but we will definitely plan on 36 at Quintero!

Thanks everyone for helping us out plan the trip and give recommendations and guidance, it was much appreciated.  

[jjr]

Completely disagree with your take on Wickenburg and Southern Dunes, I'd play both of them again in a heartbeat. I've never played Quintero I've heard the exact opposite of what you said.

[fore_life]

thats a hot take on dunes

[cbbaron]

Quintero not gimmicky but Wickenburg Ranch is LOL

[teejaywhy]

@bankkur74 - We appreciate your reviews and glad you enjoyed your visit to Arizona.
You said Southern Dunes was better second play. IMO this is one sign of a better course. It gets better each time you play it.
On the other hand... when you return and play Quintero again, I'm betting your opinion will change. By the time you are making your third trip around, you will stand on the tee of the 9th hole and begin to feel the acid reflux bubbling up, just like it does to me when I see that picture you posted.
We-Ko-Pa Saguaro is one of my favorites, hope you get the chance to play it on your next visit.

[toypor]

Yeah 8 and 9 are back to back disasters.

[bankkur74]

My apologies as I didn't mean to offend anyone on my reviews. Don't get me wrong, the courses we played are a whole lot better than what I get here in my home town and would play any of them in a heartbeat over what I have here. I am just saying that when we go back next year, I will be looking to play other new courses instead of playing ones we had already played, except for Quintero. That course to us was just what we were looking for in regard to desert golf and would definitely play another 18 there if time permits.

Again, thanks for your comments and help in planning our trip, look forward to next year. Next time though, we are going to come a little later, maybe early March so we can fit in some preseason baseball. My vote is to stay at least a week. But, its not all up to me.

[SilverBullets]

You certainly generated some interesting responses LOL Sounds like you have a great trip and perfect weather to boot! Glad you enjoyed it. Like the other posters, I can't say I agree with any of your thoughts but I respect them. What's interesting is I have a buddy who comes in town every year for a golf trip. He's played most of big name public tracks in the valley. His thoughts were very similar to you at first. We played Southern Dunes after I talked up how great of a layout it is. We got done and he was like 'meh'... It's good but nothing overly notable.

He loved Quintero on his first trip because it was unlike anything else he had played. Kind of what he dreams about when he thinks desert golf. Well his second trip he wanted to play 36 on it... by hole 8 of the second round he realized why I reluctantly booked the 36 hole day and proclaimed 'Yeah, I get it... I'm never coming back here'.... Once you peel back the views and truly look at the layout it becomes pretty clear it's a poorly designed course. We also had 25+ mph winds all day, baked out/crusty greens and as a 3 index I couldn't even get a wedge to hold on any green... I think my biggest gripe with Quintero is the green complexes. It feel like every green requires an aerial attack and it has brutal bunkering to give it more protection. However, the greens themselves are then overly tiered and/or sloped which kind of works against using an aerial attack. I understand wanting greens which are heavily protected but it should be designed so the greens are receptive of that approach. Instead they have unreceptive greens with crazy tiers but there's no other way to play the hole than to fly one in there.

Wickenburg is my favorite course in the valley (if that's still considered the valley). It's typically pristine year round so im surprised to see conditions as a concerns but I haven't been there this winter. I can understand the gimmicky point on a couple of holes (like the uphill Par 5, I think #9). Some of the holes are more visually gimmicky than they actually are and take playing it once or twice to really understand why (like #14 the big par 5 with the elevated tee... there's a lot more room to land a ball than it looks and there are multiple ways to play the hole but from the tee it looks like there is nowhere to hit the ball)

WeKoPa is great. You will enjoy those tracks next time you're here. I think Saguaro is the better of the 2. Some people hate Cholla but I actually really enjoy many parts of the Cholla course. The Par 5's are downright bad for the most part but I think Cholla has better par 3's and more diverse par 4's than Saguaro. I'll be interested to hear your perspective once you get a chance to play them!

 

Oh and if you come in March, be prepared to pay the piper and book your times early... things are insane this time of year....

[MUNIGRIT]

Exactly. It is typical desert course where they intimidate you off the tee making it look like there is less landing room then there is and fairways slope into the bunkers. I actually hate Quintero because of the staff there. They treat you like a private CC and will ask you multiple times about outside food a d beverage. They are so arrogant and the starter always has this 5 min speech about random stuff you will never remember. I also hate courses where your good shots don't actually turn out that way. Half of the greens if you hit in the first 3rd of the green it rolls off the back. Once you have lived in AZ awhile you learn that all desert courses are about the same.

[gotem]

On 4/28/2020 at 9:11 AM, MUNIGRIT said:

Exactly. It is typical desert course where they intimidate you off the tee making it look like there is less landing room then there is and fairways slope into the bunkers. I actually hate Quintero because of the staff there. They treat you like a private CC and will ask you multiple times about outside food a d beverage. They are so arrogant and the starter always has this 5 min speech about random stuff you will never remember. I also hate courses where your good shots don't actually turn out that way. Half of the greens if you hit in the first 3rd of the green it rolls off the back. Once you have lived in AZ awhile you learn that all desert courses are about the same.

 

Geez.... Thats how we felt when we played Quintero... Not so much asking us about the outside drinks or booze but an arrogant feel to it.

 

We had fun amongst ourselves but the course itself was just okay.... Probably because there are courses like that for us back home in CA.

Edited October 5, 2022 by gotem

[lurkinghobbit]

Ok, so y'all got me talking about Quintero.  Love the visuals, hate the treatment I get there.  Been there several years in a row due to everyone loving the views, but have vowed to make someone else handle that tee times next time.

 

Booked 24 people one year.  Mis-communication led to us only having 22.  They charged me for the 2 'no shows', after bringing 22 people to their course on a Thursday in September.  They actually chased me down on the course to get the money.  I guess that is within their right, but it felt like a dick move.

 

They do not like 'outings' (even though that is not what we are) - and will not work with you.  They actually pat down the bags looking for outside alcohol.  They know NOTHING about customer service, and seemingly do not care about you.  Except the grill - they are nice there.

 

You better really love the views to put up with all that.  I only do to make others happy, and even then, after 6 years - I'm done.

 

[AzSuperHack76]

2 hours ago, lurkinghobbit said:

Ok, so y'all got me talking about Quintero.  Love the visuals, hate the treatment I get there.  Been there several years in a row due to everyone loving the views, but have vowed to make someone else handle that tee times next time.

 

Booked 24 people one year.  Mis-communication led to us only having 22.  They charged me for the 2 'no shows', after bringing 22 people to their course on a Thursday in September.  They actually chased me down on the course to get the money.  I guess that is within their right, but it felt like a dick move.

 

They do not like 'outings' (even though that is not what we are) - and will not work with you.  They actually pat down the bags looking for outside alcohol.  They know NOTHING about customer service, and seemingly do not care about you.  Except the grill - they are nice there.

 

You better really love the views to put up with all that.  I only do to make others happy, and even then, after 6 years - I'm done.

 

Booked for 24, had 22 guys. The cancelation policy is clear with these courses, cancel prior to 48 hours and you won’t be charged. 
 

Did your group bring in outside alcohol?? 

[soregongolfer]

How did I not see this post in the past?  The OP's post just goes to show that people are different.  I LOVED Wickenburg Ranch.  If it's not private next year, I'll happily play it again.  Of course, it helped that I played with two really good playing partners.  

 

I thought Quintero was gimmicky as hell.  I spent a ton of time in the sand on the front nine as did the guys I played with.  That was no fun at all, and the guys I played with were stiffs.  The par 3's on the front 9 are nice to look at, but they are so different (downhill) than anything I've played that I sat there wondering what to hit.  I was treated well by the staff there.  But the folks at Wickenburg were super nice and chatty.  I didn't want to leave.   

 

I enjoyed We-ko-pa Saguaro.  The course was pretty good, but the scenery was terrific.  It's what this guy from Oregon envisioned desert golf looking like.  I'd say the staff was the least friendly of the courses I played, but still friendly enough.  

[cbbaron]

Im going to say something must of happened to Quintero where they really check to see if you have alcohol after all if someone leaves there hammered and gets into an accident they're liable

[lurkinghobbit]

15 hours ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Booked for 24, had 22 guys. The cancelation policy is clear with these courses, cancel prior to 48 hours and you won’t be charged. 
 

Did your group bring in outside alcohol?? 

 

As I said, it was within their right.  But no other course did that to us (four others), only Quintero, so I stand by my comment.

No, we did not have outside alcohol.

 

[azgolfer44]

15 hours ago, cbbaron said:

Im going to say something must of happened to Quintero where they really check to see if you have alcohol after all if someone leaves there hammered and gets into an accident they're liable

This likely only applies if they served alcohol to someone obviously intoxicated. If someone brings their own alcohol, gets hammered, and drives off, the course is probably not liable.  That being said, they’d get sued anyways.  

[DrSchteeve]

2 hours ago, azgolfer44 said:

This likely only applies if they served alcohol to someone obviously intoxicated. If someone brings their own alcohol, gets hammered, and drives off, the course is probably not liable.  That being said, they’d get sued anyways.  

which would apply to any course, yet Quintero is the only one doing it

[chisag]

18 hours ago, soregongolfer said:

The OP's post just goes to show that people are different.

 

 

... Obviously opinions are subjective and thankfully we have so many courses here there is something for everyone. After 42 years in Chicago with basically flat or gently rolling golf curses, Quintero is a real treat. Like others I am not fond of the staff or some of the layout but the views are just spectacular. But I only play it once a year with someone that has never played there, which is more than enough. I didn't think Wickenburg Ranch lived up to the hype as so many told me it was the best course in the Phoenix area. If it were in Phoenix I would feel differently but the long drive and my surgically repaired back is not a good combination and there are just too many courses I enjoy much closer. 

... I also love Southern Dunes and one of my favorites in the area. Great staff, excellent practice facility and love the layout. The fact that there are no homes in sight and just golf holes is a big part of the charm. And I imagine everyone loves WeKoPa. 

[AzSuperHack76]

8 hours ago, lurkinghobbit said:

 

As I said, it was within their right.  But no other course did that to us (four others), only Quintero, so I stand by my comment.

No, we did not have outside alcohol.

 

If that’s the case I’d have told Quintero to shove it up their asses for checking bags. Just totally unacceptable. If I caught someone “shaking down” my bag that would be the last time he ever did that. They have absolutely zero right to go through your personal belongings. 

[cbbaron]

7 hours ago, azgolfer44 said:

This likely only applies if they served alcohol to someone obviously intoxicated. If someone brings their own alcohol, gets hammered, and drives off, the course is probably not liable.  That being said, they’d get sued anyways.  

Massachusetts would hold the golf course liable then again its anti business state anyways lol

[azgolfer44]

1 hour ago, cbbaron said:

Massachusetts would hold the golf course liable then again its anti business state anyways lol

in all reality, I have no idea how Arizona golf courses comply with the Arizona liquor service statutes.  Guys will buy a bunch of beers from the cart and then go in the clubhouse and buy more beer, with no communication between the outside and inside.  And from personal experience, they have no problem over-serving someone, and don't ask how you are getting home.  

[lurkinghobbit]

15 hours ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

If that’s the case I’d have told Quintero to shove it up their asses for checking bags. Just totally unacceptable. If I caught someone “shaking down” my bag that would be the last time he ever did that. They have absolutely zero right to go through your personal belongings. 

 

Could have been an overzealous attendant, as its usually just a 'visual' inspection (still more than most courses).  Only once was it a pat down - but that was enough for me.  They didn't get into the bags, but it still left a bad taste in our mouths from the experience.

 

Maybe they had trouble the day/week before and someone was dropping the hammer.  Dunno.

 

[cbbaron]

20 hours ago, azgolfer44 said:

in all reality, I have no idea how Arizona golf courses comply with the Arizona liquor service statutes.  Guys will buy a bunch of beers from the cart and then go in the clubhouse and buy more beer, with no communication between the outside and inside.  And from personal experience, they have no problem over-serving someone, and don't ask how you are getting home.  

I saw someone passed out in a cart in Scottsdale last summer Im not joking

[AzSuperHack76]

I’ve never brought outside alcohol on a course. I’ve see and know people that do it and think it’s just being cheap. Either way the thought of someone going through my stuff infuriates me. 

[StudentGolfer4]

What’s the current status of Wickenburg? I’ve been told it’s going private for the past couple years. 
 

I have a golfing acquaintance that belongs to a couple top 100 courses in the Midwest. He’s also a member at Silverleaf and claims Wick is the best course in the area behind Whisper Rock and Estancia. Like you guys said, interesting how everyone judges courses differently. 

[puttnforthe8]

2 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

What’s the current status of Wickenburg? I’ve been told it’s going private for the past couple years. 
 

I have a golfing acquaintance that belongs to a couple top 100 courses in the Midwest. He’s also a member at Silverleaf and claims Wick is the best course in the area behind Whisper Rock and Estancia. Like you guys said, interesting how everyone judges courses differently. 

Debatable on the claim.  

 

I half expected them to announce they would return from overseed private like other courses have; but I have not heard that as of yet.

 

But they have always planned to go private when they get the housing and membership numbers.  They are very close.

Edited October 28, 2022 by puttnforthe8

[Bonneville85308]

1 hour ago, puttnforthe8 said:

 

But they have always planned to go private when they get the housing and membership numbers.  They are very close.

 

Closer than ever and might be there now finally. This past summer they reduced the public tee time booking window, eliminated public play from certain times (weekday mornings?), and raised the public rates substantially. Right now I don't even see a public tee time booking option on their website, just a members-only option.

[chisag]

On 10/10/2022 at 9:03 PM, AzSuperHack76 said:

I’ve never brought outside alcohol on a course. I’ve see and know people that do it and think it’s just being cheap. Either way the thought of someone going through my stuff infuriates me. 

 

 

... I get it but it is always the few that ruin it for the many. Drinking on the course can really be a problem and those bringing large quantities from home are a big piece of the puzzle. Personally I would not mind a pat down since I don't drink at all and if it keeps the loud morons off the course I am OK with it. Nothing worse than the group in front or behind seemingly having a normal round that just gets louder and out of control by the back 9 as the drinking increases. Had a group a few weeks back that turned up their music so LOUD you couldn't get away from the base bumping Rap. The shouting during our swings was beyond obnoxious. While this is far from the norm, it happens more than should be acceptable. So patting down my bag is a price I am wiling to pay, but actually opening and rummaging through my bag is another story. 

[cbbaron]

Troon Card site list Wickenburg Ranch rates thru March of 2023

[soregongolfer]

I played at Wickenburg Ranch in August and loved it.  I had the first public tee time at 11 AM.  The last I heard, they planned on going private when they got 300 members.  In August, they had 220.