2018 Phoenix Course Conditions

[DBill]

Played Trilogy Golf Club Power Ranch today. This is just my second round of golf since moving to the valley. The whole course was in pretty good condition. The course is really close to where I live, so that makes it convenient as well.

I really enjoy that course. I played it several times this summer and I like the layout and has good greens.

 

Playing Lone Tree Saturday. I live right next to it and prettty cheap late in the day.

 

How was Lone Tree? That one is on my short list of courses to try nearby the house.

[DrSchteeve]

Time to give some love to Verde River. Yes, 1 and 18 are poor additions, but the original 16 holes are still quite good, the housing is not intrusive, and today conditions were near perfect with a 4:15 pace and $90 resident rate.

 

Easily as good or better than Verrado, still belongs in top 10 public courses (I agree with most of Matt's rankings in the pinned topic, but would put Verde River above TPC Champions and Wekopa Cholla).

[puttnforthe8]

Whirlwind Devils Claw....virtually perfect tee 2 green...loved it. Greens were super fast...fairways a pleasure to hit from.

[pearls24]

My buddy just played Grayhawk Raptor and said the conditions were terrible. Can anyone confirm similar experience? I've played there several times and never had bad course conditions other then the course being a little over watered.

[OspreyCI]

Played Trilogy Golf Club Power Ranch today. This is just my second round of golf since moving to the valley. The whole course was in pretty good condition. The course is really close to where I live, so that makes it convenient as well.

I really enjoy that course. I played it several times this summer and I like the layout and has good greens.

 

Playing Lone Tree Saturday. I live right next to it and prettty cheap late in the day.

 

How was Lone Tree? That one is on my short list of courses to try nearby the house.

I am 667 yds sitting on my couch the the first green. I wil day it was well the $35 I paid teeing off at 3pm. Me and this young talented player tees off behind a women’s foursome and a fivesome in front of them. We got through the women’s group and got through the fivesome at the turn. We almost got 18 in.

 

Conditions were well worth the fee I paid. The greens were a little beat up but still rolled true and had great speed. The fairways were very good, very good. I enjoy the layout, but there is not much to look at. Overall, fun course with a good mix of par 3’s and a couple strategic short par 4’s.

 

With all that said I will be playing it every weekend all

Summer when it’s like $20 and getbrough in 2.5 hrs.

 

If you live close I do recommend it. FYI, the staff is VERY friendly and I like restaurant. My wife and go there and sit outside to have a drink and some food. Highly recommend it for a cold beer watching the sunset and some wings.

[jatrain]

Talking Stick North today. Course was pure. Good pace of play, course was packed yet we never had to wait and didn't have anyone pushing us. Marshall was around three different times giving a gentle push (we played right on pace). Great afternoon.

[DBill]

Bear creek today on the bear course. It was a pretty big let down. I wasn't going into the round expecting awesome conditions, but was very under whelmed. The tee boxes and fairways were in decent condition but that was about it. The rough was hard pan and the greens had bare spots all over them and topped with so much sand. I paid right at $50 for the tee time this morning and feel like it's only worth about $25 or $30 in the condition it is in. Will not be coming back to this one.

[AzSuperHack76]

Verrado Victory today, good shape. Last played in April before they had shut down to finish up construction.

 

Greens have defiantly softened up, but speeded up as well. Cart paths are completed. Bunkers are perfect, nice white fluffy sand. Fairways are super green and lush, perfectly manicured, good roll out on close mowed winter rye. Rough is dormant Bermuda, matted down pretty well so not too many fluffy or weird lies.

 

Pro-Shop is completed, very small but adequate. The bar/outside patio/restaurant is completed, great views of the course. Didn't order anything so I cant speak on the food, had a small selection of craft brews on tap.

 

Fun course, played from the silvers, 1 up from the tips, 6800+ yards. Tips are 7200+, one of those courses that you have to play a couple times in order to get the lines. Quite a few holes are blind, or appear to be blind shots but for the most part it's wide open. Very visually deceptive.

 

Pictured is #18 par 5 playing over the water, and uphill towards the pro shop/restaurant.

[AzSuperHack76]

Unsure how to get the logo off the picture. Big boulder on the R is about a 260/270 carry, a good 260 to clear that middle open section from the silvers.

[puttnforthe8]

Verrado Victory today, good shape. Last played in April before they had shut down to finish up construction.

 

Greens have defiantly softened up, but speeded up as well. Cart paths are completed. Bunkers are perfect, nice white fluffy sand. Fairways are super green and lush, perfectly manicured, good roll out on close mowed winter rye. Rough is dormant Bermuda, matted down pretty well so not too many fluffy or weird lies.

 

Pro-Shop is completed, very small but adequate. The bar/outside patio/restaurant is completed, great views of the course. Didn't order anything so I cant speak on the food, had a small selection of craft brews on tap.

 

Fun course, played from the silvers, 1 up from the tips, 6800+ yards. Tips are 7200+, one of those courses that you have to play a couple times in order to get the lines. Quite a few holes are blind, or appear to be blind shots but for the most part it's wide open. Very visually deceptive.

 

Pictured is #18 par 5 playing over the water, and uphill towards the pro shop/restaurant.

 

How much was the fee? I have not seen a single decent deal...that is why I haven't gone out there yet

[AzSuperHack76]

$69 today. When they first opened it was rather affordable. I’m guessing they got a lot of exposure with the low rate, but of course when they re-opened this winter it was prime snow-bird season. I think the regular rate is $149. Wait till the summer, I was happy to pay $70, wouldn’t even think about paying their regular rate.

[ferrispgm]

Verrado had a lot of $70 rates for morning times through the fall and early winter months. I played out there a bunch as I now live closer. Victory has a great set up with the clubhouse being on top of the hill and the range is solid too. Very scenic and I would say maybe even more scenic than Founders. Both courses are great but I think I prefer Founders slightly over Victory as I don't like blind shots, even though, as was stated, the landing areas are generous. On a side note....very hard to find your ball if you do miss the fairway at Victory with the white/silver granite everywhere...and if you do, good luck not taking a huge gouge out of your club should you play the ball.

[azgolfer44]

Papago this morning. It was pretty wet out there from the rain and irrigation. A few mud balls. Course is good shape, but not as good as prior winters. Seems to be a little shaggy.

 

Clubhouse and ASU practice facility are coming along great. The driving range shuts down March 11. The range is not great anyway right now - balls are pretty chewed up.

[DrSchteeve]

Eagle Mountain in decent shape. I don't think I've ever played Eagle Mountain in really great shape, always seem to be some fairway issues, a few bare collars, but greens were fine if just a little slow.

[Sun Devil]

Played Talking Stick (formerly North) course last weekend. I find the speed and slope of the greens to be very difficult to read. Probably me. They're also removing a lot of the desert scrub. Not sure what to make of it. Making it into more of a resort course I guess.

[puttnforthe8]

Mcdowell Mtn today...horrible shape, dead patches with inconsistent rough length; green just pelted with very few pitch marks fixed. Fairways with divots everywhere...almost none fixed. Even funnier, is not one of the 4 sand jars had sand/seed. Worst I have seen it is a while...too much play maybe.

[Hokie_Golfer]

Played 9 at biltmore adobe course today. That place was completely mobbed.

 

Very basic course, but golfnow for $30. If it was empty it would be o.k. I’ve heard the links are slightly better.

[az2au]

Played 9 at biltmore adobe course today. That place was completely mobbed.

 

Very basic course, but golfnow for $30. If it was empty it would be o.k. I’ve heard the links are slightly better.

They’re both terrible. $30 seems way too high. I have to pay corporate events there twice a year and it is like a shooting gallery with all of the occasional players on those days :)

[ferrispgm]

Played in a work outing at Wickenburg Ranch on Friday. Started off on Little Wick which was actually a lot of fun. I'm not a big fan of Par 3 courses but the set up there is great and the holes run from 110 yards to 186 yards. Very scenic and would be perfect to settle up bets after a round or a great and fun way to warm up.

 

The course itself was in amazing shape of course. Fairways not firm but not soft either. Unfortunately we had to play the white tees so I literally hit iron off of every tee but I was still getting a small bounce and probably 10 or so yards of roll. Greens were immaculate and again in that not soft not firm category. My only complaint (and I use that term loosely here) is the starter said the greens were at an 11...Par 3 course that seemed maybe true...the actual course though was slower...probably closer to 9.5 or 10. Still in great shape just not what we were told.

 

On a side note....bummer to hear about McDowell Mtn. I like that course quite a bit and though I haven't played it in a year, it was always in great shape and one of the better values imo. I hope the conditioning gets rectified soon...though I'm sure they got hammered with play around the open and auto shows.

[puttnforthe8]

 

On a side note....bummer to hear about McDowell Mtn. I like that course quite a bit and though I haven't played it in a year, it was always in great shape and one of the better values imo. I hope the conditioning gets rectified soon...though I'm sure they got hammered with play around the open and auto shows.

 

This is my guess too...just way too much traffic. I played it 2x early in the year and it was good. This time not so much. I was most disappointed with the fairways and the total lack of divot repair/replace by players and the course and the inconsistency near the greens (mud, hard pan, thick rough or fine)

[azgolfer44]

Played We-Ko-Pa Saguaro on Monday in the windy conditions (gusts up to 40 mph). Toughest conditions I have seen out there.

 

Conditions were just average. Tees and fairways were great. Traps were filled with rocks and very hard. Consequently, lots of stones on the greens on almost every hole. Greens were not as quick, but probably didn't get mowed because of anticipated high winds.

 

Hardest hole of the day was #9, which was playing 125 with pin up front. 25 mph wind which was 40% into you and 60% from left to right. Almost impossible to hit tee shot within 15 feet of pin, and likewise impossible to two putt from anywhere above the hole.

 

After playing each course a couple times in the last 6 months, I think I prefer Cholla over Sagauro. Since the re-do, Cholla's condition are much superior to Saguaro. Yes, holes #2 and #8 are a little odd, but I still like them.

[OspreyCI]

Bear creek today on the bear course. It was a pretty big let down. I wasn't going into the round expecting awesome conditions, but was very under whelmed. The tee boxes and fairways were in decent condition but that was about it. The rough was hard pan and the greens had bare spots all over them and topped with so much sand. I paid right at $50 for the tee time this morning and feel like it's only worth about $25 or $30 in the condition it is in. Will not be coming back to this one.

Yea, $50 is too much for “Bare” creek. Last time I played the greens were horrendous. I was pretty mad.

[DBill]

Lone Tree this afternoon.  $29 for 3:00 tee time, was paired up with a 2 some who only played 9.  Got a full 18 in.  I really like this course layout.  The greens are very quick and a little beat up with ball marks, but they roll true.  

 

Definitely coming back out here. 

[az2au]

Last minute jaunt out to Verrado Victory today. Great shape, fun course. Think I like Founders better but close enough. Definitely moved into a spot I’d recommend a visitor play 36.

[puttnforthe8]

Champions course was muy excellente today!

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Dobson Sunday morning. Completely shocked they sent us out on a frozen course. Should have been at least an hour frost delay Prob two. Once it thawed out thought the greens were rolling as smooth as I ever remember at Dobson, Overall pretty solid for $38 to walk

 

 

[lvlites]

Encanto yesterday. They may as well fill in the bunkers with concrete. Needed a 90 degree chisel to get the ball out of the hardest surfaces I've seen. I've noticed since the city leased Maryvale to GCU the conditions at Encanto have reverted to the way Maryvale used to be.

[FlashNoonan]

I played Hillcrest Golf Club with a buddy of mine yesterday. Pretty average course. Greens seemed pretty fast and were in good shape. Pace of play was terrible. 5 hours, waited on every hole after the 3rd hole. The course allowed 5 somes, so next time I play here I'll get a first off tee time.

 

Also played Willow Creek in Sun City on Saturday. Started at 130 and finished right before 515. I feel the course layout is very similar to Union Hills CC but I really enjoyed this course over UH. Fairways and greens were in good shape. Definitely looking forward to playing there again.

[wybrh]

Anyone been to Ahwatukee lately? $34 on teeoff.

[jamesons]

My buddy just played Grayhawk Raptor and said the conditions were terrible. Can anyone confirm similar experience? I've played there several times and never had bad course conditions other then the course being a little over watered.

 

What's up with Grayhawk? I am heading out April 7th and have a tee time that I am considering changing. No sense paying for Grayhawk and having really poor conditions. I was surprised to read this. Still have time for things to improve depending what the problems are.