Las Sendas Golf Course = Brutal beat-down

[azturf24]

This course kicked my Word not allowed today!!! Who has playe

Ok, so I made a tee time with my buds earier in the week to play Las Sendas Golf Club in east mesa. I've heard it's extremey difficult (149 slope, 72.9 rating) from the Blues. I've been playing decent of lately, averaging in the high 70's over my last 8-10 rounds at some decent local courses (legacy, trilogy power ranch, southern dunes, karsten, kokopelli). So I decided to go out and get a practice round in on friday (out tee-time scheduled for saturday morning), I was expecting a challenge but I wasn't expecting this. I shot a true 46 on the front and decided to leave as I was extremely discouraged, but while I was out there I did take notes of the best route to take with my tee and approach shots on several of the tougher holes. I figured with this info I would play better the next day as this course is layed the most difficult I have ever seen, definitly the type of course you have know all the tricks and be playing exceptionally well to score at all.

Well, I was definitly wrong, as far as collecting info to lower my score. Overall, I felt I swung well today and played decent golf but this course is layed out to penalized even a well played shot with extremely narrow landing areas surrounded by dense desert foliage. I shot a 92 today and had several doubles, there were 2 short par fours (330 or so) that I launched drives onto the run-up to the green but I was unable to score on either as both pins were tucked and made it difficult to make a decent chip/pitch.

Anyways, maybe I'm not yet good enough to play a track this tough, but I do feel this course i just merciless. I'm curious to hear some stories from others who have been humbled by this track.

[Rohlio]

[quote name='azturf24' post='1857957' date='Aug 1 2009, 03:48 PM']Ok, so I made a tee time with my buds earier in the week to play Las Sendas Golf Club in east mesa. I've heard it's extremey difficult (149 slope, 72.9 rating) from the Blues. I've been playing decent of lately, averaging in the high 70's over my last 8-10 rounds at some decent local courses (legacy, trilogy power ranch, southern dunes, karsten, kokopelli). So I decided to go out and get a practice round in on friday (out tee-time scheduled for saturday morning), I was expecting a challenge but I wasn't expecting this. I shot a true 46 on the front and decided to leave as I was extremely discouraged, but while I was out there I did take notes of the best route to take with my tee and approach shots on several of the tougher holes. I figured with this info I would play better the next day as this course is layed the most difficult I have ever seen, definitly the type of course you have know all the tricks and be playing exceptionally well to score at all.

Well, I was definitly wrong, as far as collecting info to lower my score. Overall, I felt I swung well today and played decent golf but this course is layed out to penalized even a well played shot with extremely narrow landing areas surrounded by dense desert foliage. I shot a 92 today and had several doubles, there were 2 short par fours (330 or so) that I launched drives onto the run-up to the green but I was unable to score on either as both pins were tucked and made it difficult to make a decent chip/pitch.

Anyways, maybe I'm not yet good enough to play a track this tough, but I do feel this course i just merciless. I'm curious to hear some stories from others who have been humbled by this track.[/quote]

I used to play Las Sendas a couple times a week when I lived in the Valley. True it is sloped brutally, but for some reason it always fit my eye. Certainly a case of Horses for courses. If you aren't hitting em straight I can see making huge numbers, but driving the ball straight is probably my biggest strength.

By contrast, Karsten I can't seem to score on to save my life.

Either way you have to appreciate what a great hole #9 is. Keep mixing Las Sendas into your rotation unless you just hate it. When you do shoot a score on that track you will feel you earned every bit of it.

[teejaywhy]

True, Las Sendas is a stern test. Especially from the tips, where I usually have no business playing from - except when playing with my boss, who always insisted we play from back there. (when he's paying, who am I to argue?). Played it about three times within the first few years it was open back in the mid 90's. Which reminds me, mid-90's was pretty much what my best score was.

I keep planning to return and give it a fresh look - one of these days...

[Rohlio]

We should actually have a Golfwrx Meetup out there and have them set it up as hard as they can. I may fly down to do something like that depending on the time of year.

[azturf24]

[quote name='Rohlio' post='1857969' date='Aug 1 2009, 01:58 PM'][quote name='azturf24' post='1857957' date='Aug 1 2009, 03:48 PM']Ok, so I made a tee time with my buds earier in the week to play Las Sendas Golf Club in east mesa. I've heard it's extremey difficult (149 slope, 72.9 rating) from the Blues. I've been playing decent of lately, averaging in the high 70's over my last 8-10 rounds at some decent local courses (legacy, trilogy power ranch, southern dunes, karsten, kokopelli). So I decided to go out and get a practice round in on friday (out tee-time scheduled for saturday morning), I was expecting a challenge but I wasn't expecting this. I shot a true 46 on the front and decided to leave as I was extremely discouraged, but while I was out there I did take notes of the best route to take with my tee and approach shots on several of the tougher holes. I figured with this info I would play better the next day as this course is layed the most difficult I have ever seen, definitly the type of course you have know all the tricks and be playing exceptionally well to score at all.

Well, I was definitly wrong, as far as collecting info to lower my score. Overall, I felt I swung well today and played decent golf but this course is layed out to penalized even a well played shot with extremely narrow landing areas surrounded by dense desert foliage. I shot a 92 today and had several doubles, there were 2 short par fours (330 or so) that I launched drives onto the run-up to the green but I was unable to score on either as both pins were tucked and made it difficult to make a decent chip/pitch.

Anyways, maybe I'm not yet good enough to play a track this tough, but I do feel this course i just merciless. I'm curious to hear some stories from others who have been humbled by this track.[/quote]

I used to play Las Sendas a couple times a week when I lived in the Valley. True it is sloped brutally, but for some reason it always fit my eye. Certainly a case of Horses for courses. If you aren't hitting em straight I can see making huge numbers, but driving the ball straight is probably my biggest strength.

By contrast, Karsten I can't seem to score on to save my life.

Either way you have to appreciate what a great hole #9 is. Keep mixing Las Sendas into your rotation unless you just hate it. When you do shoot a score on that track you will feel you earned every bit of it.
[/quote]

Yeah, I wasn't driving the ball very straight that particular day but the thing I hate is instead of having a difficult approach shot like most courses I have to take a stroke penalty for a lost ball because I missed the fairway by 15 yards? Rediculous, but I believe playing this course several times will help as you have to know it well to score well, there seems to be little "tricks" on every hole. There are several holes that once I got to the landing area I realized I couldve probably put the driver away and still had a chance to score while have much less risk off the tee box. Also, I have myself to blame for such a horrible round as I mentally imploded from frustration, had I held it together and kept it cool I probably wouldve made smarter moves. This is definitly a thinkers course.

And I agree with the Horses for Courses thing, see I always score well at Karten, I just believe its really repetitive, its driver then wedge into every par 4.

[Rohlio]

[quote name='azturf24' post='1859272' date='Aug 2 2009, 11:36 AM']Yeah, I wasn't driving the ball very straight that particular day but the thing I hate is instead of having a difficult approach shot like most courses I have to take a stroke penalty for a lost ball because I missed the fairway by 15 yards? Rediculous, but I believe playing this course several times will help as you have to know it well to score well, there seems to be little "tricks" on every hole. There are several holes that once I got to the landing area I realized I couldve probably put the driver away and still had a chance to score while have much less risk off the tee box. Also, I have myself to blame for such a horrible round as I mentally imploded from frustration, had I held it together and kept it cool I probably wouldve made smarter moves. This is definitly a thinkers course.

And I agree with the Horses for Courses thing, see I always score well at Karten, I just believe its really repetitive, its driver then wedge into every par 4.[/quote]

For sure, even from the tips I left driver in the bag a LOT when I was playing Las Sendas regularly. One of the things I like about RTJ courses is the thinking mans nature of them. I enjoy courses that provide a reward for making real legitimate decisions about whether to take long iron off the tee. Or making a decision to lay up even though you could probably get there. I find courses like this engaging and I play better on them. Then I go to a course like Karsten and try to play driver/wedge ball and don't really lock in to each shot and really focus on each shot.

Golf is funny like that.

My buddy was the greens keeper for Phantom Horse (Arizona Grand now?) in the late 90's. I used to play that course with nothing longer than a 3 iron and would torch guys smacking drivers into the desert/houses. The looks I got when I showed up on the first tee with 3,5,7,9,SW and putter were pretty funny. Of course when I beat them by a stroke a hole the looks turned into understanding.