Moon Valley CC

teejaywhy · December 28, 2011

Add Moon Valley Country Club to the list of privates now offering public play on GolfNow.

silentcmh · December 30, 2011

Anyone played the course? I can't pay in-season money for it, but I'll probably check it out in summer.

Thrillhouse · December 30, 2011

I have, its a very pleasant tree lined track. It isnt very long and isnt overly difficult but its a nice place to play a round of golf. It is very similar to pinnacle peak CC or Camelback, although I like it much more than Camelback. Hope you guys enjoy it!

edit: i should clarify my "not very long" statement, most of the yardage is on the back nine and it comes from a very long par three and a very long par 4 as well as some reasonably lengthed par 5's, the yardage really isnt a killer, it doesnt play all that long.

jshel · December 30, 2011

Posted this on my blog http://www.onlygolfmatters.com the other day after playing at Moon Valley while visiting my parents. There are pictures on the blog.

Course: Moon Valley Country Club

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Course stats: Black tees — 7,216 yards, par 72. Blue tees — 6,584 yards.

Overview/Thoughts: I kind of have a love/hate relationship with golf in Phoenix. The weather is pretty solid over the winter — it is going to be warm enough to play and you don’t have a great chance of rain — and that’s great. But the golf courses can be lacking.

While there are plenty of golf courses in the Phoenix area, too many of them fall into one of four categories.

1. Courses that are boring because of pancake greens and cookie-cutter design.

2. Courses that have houses that are way too close to the playing corridors and aren’t all that much fun.

3. Courses that have greens that stimp at about 6.

4. Courses that have good conditions or are interesting, but are way too expensive. The similar courses are the one that simply overpriced for what they are or for the condition or are expensive and have horrible pace of play.

There are certainly some good options in the Phoenix area where there is a combination of interesting holes, good conditions and a fair price (fair is subjective as I think you can pay $150 and have it be a good value or you can pay $50 and feel ripped off). I like Raven at Verrado, Trilogy at Vistancia and Wigwam Gold. I’ve heard only good things about Southern Dunes and Vista Verde. I’ve had good experiences at Talking Stick and We-Ko-Pa, but I do realize those fees can get a little steep.

I now have a new option: Moon Valley Country Club. Moon Valley is a private club in Phoenix. It was designed by Dick Wilson and Bob Cupp did some work out there. And the club is now putting tee times on GolfNow with rates of less than $100 (this could change as we get into January and February). The club previously hosted an annual LPGA event and it is the course that Annika Sorenstam lit up for a smooth 59.

On a recent trip to Phoenix, I had a very nice day at Moon Valley, and it isn’t just because I played well. There are some interesting holes and the greens were the smoothest and fastest I played in four rounds.

Because the club was built as a private club — and it is my understanding that the membership is working hard to keep it that way despite issues with the city over water — there are more interesting holes. This was meant to be a solid test of golf for people who play on a regular basis rather than a public course where features (greens, bunkering, forced carries) are softened to ensure that not-so-avid golfers get around in a decent amount of time. Because of that, there is more slope in the greens, there are some elevated greens and players can’t just run the ball onto the green on every hole.

The course, which stretches to 7,216 yards (I played it at 6,584), is certainly worth a look. Because it was initially built in the 50s or 60s, this is much more of a parkland course than a desert layout. That said, it isn’t over treed. There are holes that turn both directions, there’s a par 5 that’s reachable in two, there are beefy par 4s, there are par 4s where placement is more important than power. Throw in the fact that the course is very walkable (there are a couple of green-to-tee walks of maybe 200-300 yards) and it is a wonderful way to spend a day. I played with a husband and wife. I walked, they rode. We hardly waited and played in 3 hours, 45 minutes.

If there’s a weakness of this course, it is the 17th. With a big pond left and a tee box that doesn’t really aim the golfer at the fairway, it is an awkward hole, especially that late in the round. I probably would like it more if I played there again, but it didn’t seem to fit.