Arizona Getaway!

In an effort to post more frequently I'm trying to publish small write-ups as often as there are any new developments in my golfing endeavors. My recent news includes a 4 day trip, 2 weeks ago, to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, in which I played 3 courses from golf.com's "Top 100 You Can Play [in the United States]".

Following an early morning flight and late-morning arrival in Phoenix, I headed directly to Troon North for an afternoon tee time on the Monument course. I had played Troon North a hundred times on Tiger Woods PGA Tour for Xbox as a teenager, so I was somewhat familiar with the course. As one of the top public courses in AZ I knew I was in for a treat! There were far too many postcard-caliber holes for me to include pictures of them all, so I'll just throw in this memorable one:

A Canadian kid (yours truly), next to the famous 'monument' in the middle of the 3rd fairway 

The course was in awesome shape, and the day was made even more enjoyable by surprisingly good shot-making (despite a 7 month break from the game). My 6 birdies, including all four par 5s, was the most I've had in 1 round in recent memory. The round was made even better by great company and a lot of belly laughs. It certainly was a memorable round!

I only had the one round booked when arriving in Phoenix, and was planning to pick up a last minute deal on one of the other noteworthy courses in the area. Everything went as planned. Late in the evening I was able to pick up an early tee time the next morning at the Boulder's Club's South course, another Jay Morrish layout. The South course narrowly found its way onto the latest 'Top 100 You Can Play' at #100 (far behind Troon North Monument), so my expectations were set accordingly.

My expectations were blown out of the water as soon as I reached the first tee the next morning. The first thing I noticed was the stark contrast between the dormant bermuda rough and the bentgrass fairways. Having lived in the Palm Springs area for 2 years I grew to appreciate a well over-seeded course with great contrast... The Boulders was the best I've seen yet. While the back 9 wasn't as outstanding as the front side, the whole course was much better than I had expected. Like Troon North, I have far too many great pictures to post, so I'll just post one:

The signature par 5 fifth at the Boulders South

Despite my fears before the round, this (the only hole I had seen) was not the only dramatic hole on the course. Although I can't show all of the holes in this post, I can reassure you that its worth going to see for yourself - particularly in December-February when the contrast is the greatest! As with my round at the Monument course, the company added immensely to the experience of the round. Another great day for the Golfing Canuck! 2 for 2!

I was planning to pack up the clubs after 2 great rounds; however, another course was dangling in front of my nose. With one day remaining, I picked up one more early morning deal at Southern Dunes in nearby Maricopa. I knew the course wouldn't be as scenic as Troon North or The Boulders, but still had high hopes for the layout.

The course was also in great shape, and was surprisingly empty when I arrived. Golfing alone, I was able to comfortably play a 3:15 round. While I often feel as though the company is part of what makes each experience memorable, it was a nice change to play the course quickly without waiting for others. Not surprisingly, Fred Couple's Southern Dunes is more of a tournament-style course than many others in the Phoenix area; larger seeded areas, wide playing corridors and spectator-friendly mounding provide contrast to the target-style courses in Scottsdale (TPC being the obvious exception).

Par 3 11th at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes

As you can see, the aesthetic appeal of Southern Dunes is in the large waste areas that cover much of the course. The bunkers are deep, but otherwise not extremely challenging. I enjoyed the round, but am surprised to see it ranked ahead of others - namely The Boulders and Pelican Hill. It is a good championship course, but doesn't provide quite the same experience that others do. On a side note: I'm not sure if there is a farm or cow pasture nearby, but the driving range and first 2 or 3 holes had a mildly offensive smell. Perhaps it was just the day or time of year. Either way, it's worth preparing yourself for beforehand.

On a previous trip I had played both courses at TPC Scottsdale, as well as We-Ko-Pa (Cholla). I would rank the 6, in descending order: Troon North (Monument), We-Ko-Pa (Cholla), The Boulders (South), TPC (Stadium), Southern Dunes, TPC (Champions). Important to note: despite preferring the Monument and Cholla overall, the front 9 at The Boulders was the best 9 holes, in my opinion.

This trip brought to my attention the need to finish all of my write-ups for the Canadian courses on my list (the focus of my blog), so that I can start including full posts for the American courses I've played.. I have a lot of cool stories, and even more amazing pictures, which are unfortunately missing from a blog with a heavy Canadian focus.

I'm off to Palm Desert/Indian Wells in 6 days! Following my last exciting post, you can probably narrow down the exclusive club I've been invited to play to about 5 or 6 in the [not necessarily exact] area I'll be visiting. I'll provide a similar post to this, following my next trip.

'Til next time, keep your stick on the ice!

The Golfing Canuck