2021 Phoenix Area Course Conditions

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Are you playing the white tees?  Tips and Blacks are not GW - or your GW is wayyy different than mine. 🤣

 

Played the black tees. Middle pin on the 136 yd 7th, but the tees looked like they were moved up. It played 115 yds. 

 

The hole was in the front on the 133 yd 15th. I had it at 118 yds with a slight helping breeze. 

 

Of course the 17th was playing to a back left pin at 197 yds. 

 

[puttnforthe8]

48 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Played the black tees. Middle pin on the 136 yd 7th, but the tees looked like they were moved up. It played 115 yds. 

 

The hole was in the front on the 133 yd 15th. I had it at 118 yds with a slight helping breeze. 

 

Of course the 17th was playing to a back left pin at 197 yds. 

 

Wow, That sounds like up 2 boxes.  7th should be about 145 from the box tucked into the trees; the 15th is 160ish from the back box.

[lvlites]

I just got off the phone with the casino.  Apache Stronghold opens tomorrow 2/25

[azgolfer44]

3 hours ago, lvlites said:

I just got off the phone with the casino.  Apache Stronghold opens tomorrow 2/25

Any word on condition? 

[fore_life]

3 hours ago, lvlites said:

I just got off the phone with the casino.  Apache Stronghold opens tomorrow 2/25

 best birthday gift ever! mayble ill cancel my friday 36 and do that instead.

[Argonne69]

I played Apache Stronghold last March and the conditions were trash. Did they hire a new management company? If not I don't see how or why conditions would improve. Sad. 

[Argonne69]

Challenging, but fun day at Raven. The wind was ever present. The course was in great shape for the most part. There were a few man-made lakes in several bunkers. Not sure why. Others were thin on sand. Fairways were lush, and greens looked great. They were rolling 10 I'd say, definitely not as speedy as Legacy. The 4:15 pace felt glacial after yesterday's quick round.

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Argonne69

[fore_life]

21 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

I played Apache Stronghold last March and the conditions were trash. Did they hire a new management company? If not I don't see how or why conditions would improve. Sad. 

 

 

They have been closed due to covid, the native community had been hit especially hard.

 

I dont think theres much money to hire any management let alone someone new haha! The AGA kind of screwed them, much in the same way they screwed up Papago under their management.

 

Im starting a grass roots program in direct opposition to Zac Blair,  he can have the buck club and the tree farm, wait until you get a load of Geronimo's Revenge.

[Bonneville85308]

Early afternoon round at the 500 Club. Didn't really enjoy it as much as usual despite being a beautiful day as I seemed to hit every drive a foot off the fairway onto the bare hardpan rough. Ground was extremely firm throughout the fairways and rough. The greens held shots, though. Bunkers were a mess probably because they had no rakes out, which surprises me because they follow zero pandemic precautions otherwise. lol.

 

Finished in 4:05 which surprised me as I was prepared for the worst with a PM tee time. Had a group of bros ahead of us that were consistently a hole behind though.

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Bonneville85308

[AzSuperHack76]

Played Raven yesterday. Not the same take as Argonne though, thought the course was pretty beat up. Hard to find a flat lie on the tee boxes, grass divots were everywhere and not filled or even remotely fixed by the course on the tee boxes. Greens were littered with unrepaired ball marks. Bunkers were a mess. 4 hour and 40 minute round may have made me a bit more critical of the conditions as I had plenty of time to dwell on them. Teed off at 150 finished at 630, almost gave up after 12, parking lot and club house were right there, but I thought to myself, would I rather be sitting in traffic or on the course. 

[Argonne69]

Usual Friday morning round at Union Hills. 'Same old conditions. There was a slight frost delay, and they turned on the sprinklers. Many holes were a tad wet. Greens were rolling quick. Possibly close to 11. Pace was decent at 4 hours, but the clown in front of us should have let us play through. They were at least a hole behind. 'Love the youngins that play from the tips, but top their drives 75 yds. Two out of three of them chunked their tee shots into the water on the par 3 7th. Oy.

 

[Bonneville85308]

Papago this morning. Very difficult hole locations, almost every single one of them was like 5 feet from the edge of the green. Felt like I was hitting the ball great but scored average. Conditions were good, nothing to complain about.

[fore_life]

Just finished Aguila, why bother playing anywhere else 🤷‍♂️

[Bonneville85308]

On 2/26/2021 at 12:56 PM, fore_life said:

Just finished Aguila, why bother playing anywhere else 🤷‍♂️

 

...because you can't get a tee time there on a weekend morning so you have to go somewhere else, lol.

 

I got to play there this morning as I found an opening on the tee sheet last night after 8 days of checking and getting zilch. The foursome behind my group didn't even bother to show up.

 

Everything on the course was great except a lot of fresh unfixed ballmarks from the groups ahead.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Bonneville85308

[Mr. Clean]

On 2/15/2021 at 3:25 PM, AzSuperHack76 said:

Sup is a sadistic SOB.

Nope👍🏻  We had to figure out the number of quadrants for every green and 4 would not have worked on some greens and 6 was too much.  I am not a fan of 7 green, likely see that redesigned in the future.

 

All sprinklers were plotted with GPS, but if you have worked at a golf course, things are on “island time” you will get it when you get it time frame.  Golf is a game of feel anyway 😉
 

Rakes are now on the course, done Thursday.

Any questions let me know and no I am not the SUP, I just work there.

 

 

 

 

[AzSuperHack76]

1 hour ago, Mr. Clean said:

Nope👍🏻  We had to figure out the number of quadrants for every green and 4 would not have worked on some greens and 6 was too much.  I am not a fan of 7 green, likely see that redesigned in the future.

 

All sprinklers were plotted with GPS, but if you have worked at a golf course, things are on “island time” you will get it when you get it time frame.  Golf is a game of feel anyway 😉
 

Rakes are now on the course, done Thursday.

Any questions let me know and no I am not the SUP, I just work there.

 

 

 

 

 Love the course, was just talking smack about the pin placement on #7 the day we were out there, front right is just plain mean! 

 

SG is already in my rotation as one of the best courses in the west Valley. 

 

Thanks for the reply! 

[puttnforthe8]

30 minutes ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

 Love the course, was just talking smack about the pin placement on #7 the day we were out there, front right is just plain mean! 

 

SG is already in my rotation as one of the best courses in the west Valley. 

 

Thanks for the reply! 

Interesting.  I would have thought that the front green would be not bad because you can land it short, plus have a back stop. 

 

When we played it was back left- that is tough -   I hit a 6 iron front (direction of starter), landed short front and finished left fringe above the pin.   

 

Regardless - fantastic course... I will make the hour drive as much as I can.  

 

 

[azgolfer44]

8 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Interesting.  I would have thought that the front green would be not bad because you can land it short, plus have a back stop. 

 

When we played it was back left- that is tough -   I hit a 6 iron front (direction of starter), landed short front and finished left fringe above the pin.   

 

Regardless - fantastic course... I will make the hour drive as much as I can.  

 

 

I saw rates are going up. Is it worth $120? 

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, azgolfer44 said:

I saw rates are going up. Is it worth $120? 

 

Yeah, probably. Verrado is still $109, right? $120 is pushing it, but I bet the course will be close to $200 in no time.

[Mr. Clean]

8 hours ago, azgolfer44 said:

I saw rates are going up. Is it worth $120? 

 

Not seeing the $120 rate, seeing $109 and $113 in late March?

 

Is it worth it?  Some things to keep in mind:

Temporary bathrooms on the course #4 and #14, no restaurant/bar infrastructure or amenities, there is a food truck though. 

The pro shop, cart barn and locker rooms are complete, but It is an active construction site.   

Some of the fairways have over water issues but nothing can be done until summer and the bermuda is no longer dormant. 

Everyday the tee sheet is booked solid so expect groups in front and behind all day, but the views are Amazing.

They do have alcohol on the beverage cart, if that is a requirement. 

Fairways are tight and fast.

The greens roll true and fast, they are walk mowed every morning and hearing the mow heights may be lowered again.

All of the tees, fairways, and approaches are the same height as the collars, allowing for options around the greens. I would contend the collars are better than some greens at other mid level courses.

Sand in the bunkers are "sand" not like most courses which are rock hard.  

Range balls are included in the green/cart fees, so "unlimited."

The golf course is fantastic though and getting better.

 

All that being said when was the last time a new golf course was opened, only the new course at Verrado and SG in the last 10 years, and this course will go private when there are enough members, so that may justify spending $.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Mr. Clean

[azmx]

I look forward to to trying this course out but I’m a little bit surprised at the positive reviews. Two of the guys I play with regularly played it last week and thought it was just average. I’ll definitely judge for myself so no concern there. It was only surprising because they were so down on it. They didn’t hate it. Just thought it was blah. 
 

One of them is an idiot so I don’t pay much attention to him anyway but the other guy is usually dependable. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by azmx

[tcbringhurst]

20 hours ago, Mr. Clean said:

Nope👍🏻  We had to figure out the number of quadrants for every green and 4 would not have worked on some greens and 6 was too much.  I am not a fan of 7 green, likely see that redesigned in the future.

 

All sprinklers were plotted with GPS, but if you have worked at a golf course, things are on “island time” you will get it when you get it time frame.  Golf is a game of feel anyway 😉
 

Rakes are now on the course, done Thursday.

Any questions let me know and no I am not the SUP, I just work there.

 

 

 

 

Has your course requested an update to the satellite imagery through Google/Apple? I don't see the course mapped out yet on Arccos. I want to come play in a couple of weeks and would love to track my shots like I normally do.

[Argonne69]

31 minutes ago, tcbringhurst said:

Has your course requested an update to the satellite imagery through Google/Apple? I don't see the course mapped out yet on Arccos. I want to come play in a couple of weeks and would love to track my shots like I normally do.

 

Skygolf hasn't mapped it yet, either. 

[puttnforthe8]

10 hours ago, azgolfer44 said:

I saw rates are going up. Is it worth $120? 

 

This time of year, yes.   

 

Also, there's this, courtesy of @fore_life

 

And since it was mentioned, that food truck is damn good!  

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by puttnforthe8

[cbbaron]

17 minutes ago, puttnforthe8 said:

 

This time of year, yes.   

 

Also, there's this, courtesy of @fore_life

 

And since it was mentioned, that food truck is damn good!  

 

I don't think Id pay that for 4 rounds at Las Sendas

[Bonneville85308]

I played Sterling Grove this past week. Frankly, the greens were not my cup of tea whatsoever and I didn't enjoy the course.  Simple as that. I just thought they were goofy and even though you could putt from the aprons much of the time, a lot of them were just brutal in their rejection of approach shots from certain angles (like major false fronts), or had hole locations that due to the ridges/contours require a level of skill that most amateur golfers don't have.

 

Everything else was great; excellent conditions all around, friendly/helpful staff, great range setup/location, pace was good, course was walkable (but did have a couple transitions where playing partners in carts will need to wait on you for a minute or two to catch up to the tee), no hassle getting through the gate guard, etc. $89 was a fair deal given the great conditions and prime morning time I had. The food truck was Aioli burgers which is one of my favorite burger places.

 

I was a little surprised how wide the playing corridors were/how much turf there was for a brand new course in AZ, but I'd have to guess they are using (or will use) reclaimed water from the development's sewer system.

 

I walked, and yes, you need to bring a range finder if you are walking, since the sprinklers are only marked on hole #1 and there are no 100-150-200 yard plates in the fairways or yardage markers on the tees, and your GPS watch probably doesn't have the course mapped yet. I was able to ask someone in the group who was riding a cart for the yardage maybe 20% of the time (since the carts have GPS) but otherwise it is a guessing game. On the topic of walking, I did like that they had a bunch of walking paths off the tees mowed through the thick stuff.

 

I probably will not play it again, but I am always willing to try any course once, and I'd recommend anyone else give it a shot to draw their own conclusion. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Bonneville85308

[AzSuperHack76]

43 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

I played Sterling Grove this past week. Frankly, the greens were not my cup of tea whatsoever and I didn't enjoy the course.  Simple as that. I just thought they were goofy and even though you could putt from the aprons much of the time, a lot of them were just brutal in their rejection of approach shots from certain angles (like major false fronts), or had hole locations that due to the ridges/contours require a level of skill that most amateur golfers don't have.

 

Everything else was great; excellent conditions all around, friendly/helpful staff, great range setup/location, pace was good, course was walkable (but did have a couple transitions where playing partners in carts will need to wait on you for a minute or two to catch up to the tee), no hassle getting through the gate guard, etc. $89 was a fair deal given the great conditions and prime morning time I had. The food truck was Aioli burgers which is one of my favorite burger places.

 

I was a little surprised how wide the playing corridors were/how much turf there was for a brand new course in AZ, but I'd have to guess they are using (or will use) reclaimed water from the development's sewer system.

 

I walked, and yes, you need to bring a range finder if you are walking, since the sprinklers are only marked on hole #1 and there are no 100-150-200 yard plates in the fairways or yardage markers on the tees, and your GPS watch probably doesn't have the course mapped yet. I was able to ask someone in the group who was riding a cart for the yardage maybe 20% of the time (since the carts have GPS) but otherwise it is a guessing game. On the topic of walking, I did like that they had a bunch of walking paths off the tees mowed through the thick stuff.

 

I probably will not play it again, but I am always willing to try any course once, and I'd recommend anyone else give it a shot to draw their own conclusion. 

There are also a few greens where the only play is to land short and run it up. Over all it’s a very strategic course and I think you have to play it more than once to really take it in. 

[tcbringhurst]

2 hours ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

There are also a few greens where the only play is to land short and run it up. Over all it’s a very strategic course and I think you have to play it more than once to really take it in. 

Is this for front pins, or are there greens that slope backwards?

[rochestergolfer36]

I'm a few weeks late of writing up my thoughts on my last trip.

 

I played Sterling Grove twice in February (18th and 20th) on my second trip to AZ this winter.  I played 36 at Verrado Victory on Friday and then 18 at Vistancia that trip as well in the afternoon after SG morning round.  I was also not a fan of the green complexes.  It made for so many locations on the green unplayable and unusable.  The second round was somewhat more enjoyable in the sense of knowing what some of the greens had going on.  But there were too many greens that did not fit the approach shot in (long par 3s or 4s having severe slopes, etc).  And I don't think it had anything to do with new greens since they weren't overly firm.  It made me appreciate and enjoy Vistancia a lot more since the greens at Vistancia play so flat but have tough deep bunkers around the greens it keeps it challenging.  I felt like SG you just couldn't get rewarded hitting mid to long irons to 20'.

 

The course was in an overall great shape.  Greens were patchy in certain areas but had no affect on play.  It will be in pristine condition I imagine in a year or two.  Much nicer turf conditions than Verrado, greener and lusher.  Vistancia is just as green but just not nearly as tight as fairways or the same level of course.  I liked how it was mowed tight around the greens a lot which did give options.    

 

But not something I'd enjoy playing consistently or with any wind.  It's too far away from the mountains compared to Verrado that it doesn't add much visually.  Right now it's flat leveled dirt around much of the course so it's pretty ugly.  Almost enjoyed the few holes with houses more.  Shorter par 4s were fun.  Played tips and they had good bunkering off the tees on a few holes.  Especially a few par 5s that were reachable they placed them in perfect landing areas.  I liked the back nine layout much better but overall not a course I would tell anyone you need to go play.  I played it two mornings because at that time getting $85+tax for a first group out as a single was worth it.  Paired with other guys who were enjoyable and we played in 3.5 hours first day and 3.25 second day.   

 

I'm sure I'll play it again as it's close to my parents house and I'll have cheap access through my home club membership.  So hopefully as I play it more I'll know the green complexes more and that'll make the golf part better.  Still not a visually appealing course to me and that is something I enjoy most about golf.  Tough part about AZ golf is so many courses are surrounded by flat land filled with housing.   But you can't beat the weather.

[puttnforthe8]

12 hours ago, tcbringhurst said:

Is this for front pins, or are there greens that slope backwards?

 

My thought is that the greens are too firm (obviously due to being new).  I did notice that the back 9 greens were more receptive than the front.  The back was built first.