2023 Course Conditions- Phoenix Area

[puttnforthe8]

13 hours ago, AZ_JHWK said:

OK, that looks terrrible. They should just shut it down. I've seen courses look sketchy in June but by late August things have usually recovered. I've played it twice and always felt they were asking too much, even when it was in decent shape.

 

$6fn3 for it yesterday!!! 🤮

 

It feels like something is going on - maybe just me.  But they were shortstaffed, no maintenance, they put every/anything in the proshop 40% off, and the general property upkeep being so bad.

[cbbaron]

9 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

 

$6fn3 for it yesterday!!! 🤮

 

It feels like something is going on - maybe just me.  But they were shortstaffed, no maintenance, they put every/anything in the proshop 40% off, and the general property upkeep being so bad.

Charlie Beljan promotes that place a lot on Facebook and he is having a clinic there on wedge play

[Bonneville85308]

Ahwatukee CC just sold. I am amazed by the prices that some of the low end, run down courses have been selling for recently. 'Tukee CC could be nice if someone paid 1/3 of this price and put a million into it, but at $3.2 million they will probably do nothing and just charge more to play it.

 

https://clubandresortbusiness.com/arizona-club-sells-for-3-2m/

[AZ_JHWK]

46 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

Ahwatukee CC just sold. I am amazed by the prices that some of the low end, run down courses have been selling for recently. 'Tukee CC could be nice if someone paid 1/3 of this price and put a million into it, but at $3.2 million they will probably do nothing and just charge more to play it.

 

https://clubandresortbusiness.com/arizona-club-sells-for-3-2m/

The article says the group that bought it also owns Coldwater. I think Olson12 gave a less than glowing review recently. 🤪

[AzSuperHack76]

20 hours ago, AZ_JHWK said:

The article says the group that bought it also owns Coldwater. I think Olson12 gave a less than glowing review recently. 🤪

It's Kokopelli West...

[Bonneville85308]

Copper Canyon Vista/Lake nines early this morning. Still in great condition all around besides some thin/hard bunkers. Greens on Vista had a very light topdressing and were a little slower than Lake. Fairways and greens played soft but weren't really wet. Had a good random pairing and finished in about 3:30. Played worse than usual (just wasn't getting through the ball, bunch of weak high shots) but made a birdie on one of the par 4's and made a bunch of up-and-down pars assisted by the soft greens.

[AZ_JHWK]

Quintero today. This course was in fantastic shape. I haven't played Grayhawk or Troon this summer, but this was the best I've played this summer. I heard the starter say the greens were running around 11 and they were pure. Bentgrass tends to "ball mark" up more than Bermuda so you definitely see more of that here, but I saw the ball go in the hole a lot in this group. There are more than a few shots into greens that you can't see the surface of the green. If you don't hit high spinning shots, you'll find some good shots finish off the back of the green. That would be my only negative point. I try to get out here once each summer and I will be back next year.

[Bonneville85308]

Mid-day round at SCW-Trail Ridge. First thing I noticed is they are mowing the fairways narrower than usual. Greens are a few weeks out of aeriation, on the slower side but rolled smoothly, back nine greens seemed a bit softer/easier to check up short shots compared to the front. Fairways, tees, rough all in good condition. Greenside bunkers were all pretty crusty and firm. I had some trouble not skulling the ball out of them. The rest of the course wasn't playing firm, but it was fairly dry except for the last 175 yards of #9 which was saturated for some reason. $32 with cart, course was pretty much empty besides a few other singles. 

 

 

[robcha]

Anybody play Papago recently?

[azgolfer44]

On 8/28/2023 at 12:47 PM, robcha said:

Anybody play Papago recently?

Played Papago yesterday.  Everything is good shape. Greens are getting better every week. Should be pretty solid until overseed.

Edited September 3, 2023 by azgolfer44

[soregongolfer]

I just saw a few photos of Las Sendas on Facebook.  Lots of bare spots in the fairways.  Looks like a no-go until after reseeding.  

[puttnforthe8]

54 minutes ago, soregongolfer said:

I just saw a few photos of Las Sendas on Facebook.  Lots of bare spots in the fairways.  Looks like a no-go until after reseeding.  

ummm....ever.  I advise you to not even consider it.

 

 

[tcbringhurst]

Sidewinder today. First time playing it. Greens were a little slow but may have been due to some recent rain? If I lived out that way, I’d definitely play again. Fairways and greens were in good shape. Tee boxes were a little uneven and was difficult to find a flat lie when teeing off. 
 

It’s a weird setup with some short par 4s and 5s with forced carries that make them play longer. 

[puttnforthe8]

Poston Butte = Greens were slow and not smooth and the holes seemed like they were there for a week in the same place(really bad shape).

 

Fairways and rough were good.  Bunkers packed from the rains and some erosion causing for bunker unplayables.  I had one ball roll in and up the face and then stay in an erosion mark under the lip.  Tee boxes also looked liked they had not been moved in a week...pretty beaten up.

 

Still, it was decent POP, $35 and great weather.  

[soregongolfer]

14 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

ummm....ever.  I advise you to not even consider it.

 

 

That's what I saw on Facebook.  I've read good things about the course.  Is that photo typical of the course?

[chisag]

34 minutes ago, soregongolfer said:

That's what I saw on Facebook.  I've read good things about the course.  Is that photo typical of the course?

 

 

... I played Mystic Dunes, a course in Orlando that got mixed reviews but some really high praise. I was renting a unit on the course so a no brainer to play. I was paired up with a high index golfer and his wife that called it their favorite course in Florida. The greens were so tricked up with completely unnatural mounds and tiers it was basically unplayable for a score. Nothing I dislike worse than hitting a excellent approach shot 8 feet from the pin and then being lucky to 3 putt. I asked him why he loves the course and his reply was enlightening "I am not a very golfer and I suck at putting so it's fun for me to see good players 3 and 4 putt too".

.... Las Sendas reminds me of Mystic Dunes as being a completely tricked up unnatural lay out. I am not playing there for free and if someone offered to actually pay me to play there the first words out of my mouth would be "How much?" And that's considering the course was in pristine condition, which it never is.  

[puttnforthe8]

2 hours ago, soregongolfer said:

That's what I saw on Facebook.  I've read good things about the course.  Is that photo typical of the course?

Yes!  Not sure where you read "good things about the course".  It is a terrible course, even if the conditions were Shadow Creek like!  

 

After playing it recently - I have moved it to the bottom 5 of all courses in AZ.  There are very few worse.  Then when you factor that they want $65-100 to play it, you are basically burning your money!

 

[cbbaron]

That group on Facebook has Dino Mountain as the best course 

[SteelieD]

Just returned from 6 rounds in 5 days at We-Ko-Pa. Immaculate conditions. Cholla is probably one of the most fun golf courses I have ever played. 
 

[AzSuperHack76]

1 hour ago, cbbaron said:

That group on Facebook has Dino Mountain as the best course 

Most people in that group are clueless when it comes to course design. 
 

I just laugh when I see that Rancho Mañana and Lookout Mt. are “must plays”. 

[cbbaron]

45 minutes ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Most people in that group are clueless when it comes to course design. 
 

I just laugh when I see that Rancho Mañana and Lookout Mt. are “must plays”. 

I got laughed off that group when I had the audacity to say Southern Dunes is far superior to Quintero

[soregongolfer]

21 hours ago, chisag said:

 

 

... I played Mystic Dunes, a course in Orlando that got mixed reviews but some really high praise. I was renting a unit on the course so a no brainer to play. I was paired up with a high index golfer and his wife that called it their favorite course in Florida. The greens were so tricked up with completely unnatural mounds and tiers it was basically unplayable for a score. Nothing I dislike worse than hitting a excellent approach shot 8 feet from the pin and then being lucky to 3 putt. I asked him why he loves the course and his reply was enlightening "I am not a very golfer and I suck at putting so it's fun for me to see good players 3 and 4 putt too".

.... Las Sendas reminds me of Mystic Dunes as being a completely tricked up unnatural lay out. I am not playing there for free and if someone offered to actually pay me to play there the first words out of my mouth would be "How much?" And that's considering the course was in pristine condition, which it never is.  

There was a green at Copper Canyon much like that.  I purposely hit a putt 10 feet past the hole and came within two inches of making it "on the rebound." 

[soregongolfer]

18 hours ago, cbbaron said:

That group on Facebook has Dino Mountain as the best course 

Dino Mt. gets a lot of praise there.  I was attacked when I said the course conditions were terrible and people should stay away.  Quite a few folks, who had played it recently, supported me and one had photos.  I still can't believe they charged me $82 knowing the greens were unplayable.  I'm still shaking my head and it's been three weeks.  

Edited September 4, 2023 by soregongolfer

[soregongolfer]

15 hours ago, cbbaron said:

I got laughed off that group when I had the audacity to say Southern Dunes is far superior to Quintero

I really enjoyed Southern Dunes.  The views at Quintero were awesome, but I thought the course was tricked up.  

 

I like the facebook group overall, but the group definitely has its share of immature dipsticks.  There are definitely a few members whose opinions I pay attention to while completely ignoring others.  

Edited September 4, 2023 by soregongolfer

[soregongolfer]

17 hours ago, SteelieD said:

Just returned from 6 rounds in 5 days at We-Ko-Pa. Immaculate conditions. Cholla is probably one of the most fun golf courses I have ever played. 
 

I've played both of those courses now and you can bet your backside I'll play one or the other on every trip from here on out.  Same goes for Troon North.  

[Bonneville85308]

Southern Dunes early this morning, first time for me. Great layout. Had that perfect combination of challenge vs. fairness for a weakling like me. I think on a second round it would be easy for me to avoid a lot of the bunkers by using my head a bit more. Greens were pretty slow but firm, nobody was making ballmarks. Fairways in good condition and dry, many just mowed but they apparently didn't have time to blow off the clippings. Rough was cut low. Fairway bunkers were firm and crusty which made them easy to hit longer clubs out of, but a few of the steeper greenside bunkers were trash; hardpan bottoms and full of tree debris. Green aprons/approaches were firm and dry which was nice for a change. Mosquitoes were only an issue on the driving range.

 

Pace was frustrating. The first group of the day (which included a major a-hole who got in a heated argument with the starter before he even teed off) took about 4:30 so we couldn't go any faster than that, we waited on every shot, they showed no interest in letting us through, and the ranger wouldn't do anything because that group was technically within the pace requirement of 4:30 or whatever. 

 

$75 with tax, though I think I booked the tee time long before their dynamic pricing algorithm figured out today was Labor Day.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Bonneville85308

[AzSuperHack76]

3 hours ago, soregongolfer said:

Dino Mt. gets a lot of praise there.  I was attacked when I said the course conditions were terrible and people should stay away.  Quite a few folks, who had played it recently, supported me and one had photos.  I still can't believe they charged me $82 knowing the greens were unplayable.  I'm still shaking my head and it's been three weeks.  

Are you Rick?? You're one of the few that give honest reviews. If a course is in dog crap shape, it's in dog crap shape. Why would anyone want to play in those conditions?? A bunch of Simps are in that group. 

[AzSuperHack76]

Verrado Founders today, overall the course is in really good shape tee to green. The greens must have been punched within the last couple of weeks and were very bumpy and grainy. The first 6-7 greens were pretty rough then they seemed to get better throughout the round. 

 

The rough though, holy cow it is thick, especially on the back, I'm not exaggerating, US Open type of rough off a few of the fairways and especially lining the bunkers. Our group lost 4 balls off of the fairway. 

 

Pace was exactly 4 hours teeing off at 8, and that was behind a group of beginning golfers. We lost count at 10/11 stokres by a couple of them on the first hole. The starter/ranger put them on notice and they kept up after that. Kudos to staff doing a good job.

[AZ_JHWK]

Sterling Grove today.  I booked this a month ago for $64 and it was well worth it. Most courses have already doubled their prices Sept. 1st.

 

Another course in great shape. It's all about the greens here and they were running fast and smooth. I make a point to come out here once each summer and I always enjoy the course and atmosphere. Pace of play was 3:45. 

[soregongolfer]

4 hours ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Are you Rick?? You're one of the few that give honest reviews. If a course is in dog crap shape, it's in dog crap shape. Why would anyone want to play in those conditions?? A bunch of Simps are in that group. 

I am, and I agree with you.  If a course is in bad shape, report it so other folks don't waste their money.   I don't understand why anybody would be against that.

 

Somebody there reported that they played Dino Mountain today and the greens were in great shape.  I find that completely unbelievable.  They must have Harry Potter as a greenskeeper to fix those monstrosities.  There is no way they fixed them in three weeks.  

Edited September 5, 2023 by soregongolfer