Phoenix, AZ Course Reviews

Vegan702

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I just got back from a golf trip to Phoenix over the weekend and played 3 courses and 90 holes of golf in 3 days. We arrived Friday and played Lookout Mountain at Tapatio Cliffs Phoenix Golf Courses | Lookout Mountain | Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Phoenix, Arizona
This course was in beautiful shape and offers some great views. Hole #10 has a drop of over 10 stories I believe it is and makes for some great excitement for your tee shot, hang time is unbelievable. Overall the course is pretty good, not a difficult course, but a fun round of golf. Staff was great and the facilities were good.

On Saturday we played at a course called Dove Valley Ranch Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club - Course Tour
This course was also in great shape and made for some interesting golf. The front nine is fairly tame with a couple risk/reward holes, however, the back nine really tests your golf game. Hole #14 is a drivable green if you are courageous enough to risk losing the ball in the desert you have to cross to get there as nothing good will come from being short and left. I actually had a ton of luck on this hole as I was laying up with my 3w to the right at the front edge of the desert wash. Well I pulled the shot left over the desert and I must have gotten a gratuitous bounce as it rolled up onto the front edge of the green. Staff again was great and the facilities were OK. There was a frost delay of about 90 minutes, so we killed some time and went and ate breakfast at a local hole in the wall place called the Wagon Wheel. The food selection at the course is very limited.

On Sunday we played at Golf Club at Estrella http://www.estrellagolf.com/index.php
This was a fantastic course. Great shape, the staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Out of the 3 courses we played we enjoyed this one the most. Course layout is good with a lot of different options off the tees. We played the next to last tees the first round and then played what they call a mixed tee the 2nd round to get a different feel for the course which is a combination of the first 2 tees. The mixed tee play made for an exciting round of golf as it brought a lot of the par 4s into driving range with a good tee shot. As with most desert courses, a premium is placed on staying on the grass as most anything in the desert will result in you just picking up.

We booked our trip though Meridian Condo Resorts, http://www.condoresorts.com and overall it was a great trip. They handled all the tee reservations, the condo was decent and the location of the condo is great as it is right down the street from Keirland Commons in Scottsdale which offered a lot of dining options, entertainment, etc. We are going to start going there every year around this time for a golf trip, however, we may go about 2-3 weeks earlier to avoid the frost delays we had both days.
 
I winter in Mesa, Arizona every year (2 months) and have played many courses there. I can recommend some "have to play" ones if you're interested. Some high end courses can be played at more reasonable costs if you use GolfNow.com or others.
 
any good courses around mesa, queen creek, chandler area? Heading down late feburary. Willing to pay $20 to $50.
 
Are they cheaper in the winter/summer months (too cold/too hot)?? :confused2:
 
I think Nov-Dec and July-Sept are the cheaper months. When we were there the 1st week of Dec it was unlimited play, but they had frost delays in the morning which almost made it impossible to get 36 in to take full advantage of the unlimited play. We were able to, but the last couple holes were fairly dark, in fact at the last course when we returned to the club house I think everyone had left, staff included!
 
Anyone in the Mesa area that would like to play a round at my course just drop me a line.
 
any good courses around mesa, queen creek, chandler area? Heading down late feburary. Willing to pay $20 to $50.
Hey Jimmyboy. End of February is just the beginning of prime season for golf down there so great deals will be hard to come by, especially the "must play" ones. The latter starts at your high $50 ++ so your choices could be limited. Someone like "knightgolf" (posted above) who is a local may be able to help you more. Have a great trip!
 
I might be going to Mesa in February. Quick question:

Are the courses in the winter there all dried up and brown? Brown grass, fairways, greens etc? Or is it lush and green?
 
I might be going to Mesa in February. Quick question:

Are the courses in the winter there all dried up and brown? Brown grass, fairways, greens etc? Or is it lush and green?
Courses that I have played in late Feb. thru to April have been in great shape. Annual maintenance I think takes place in Dec. Jan. so they should be good to go. They do not have Bermuda grasses that go dormant in the winter like south eastern US.
 
Courses that I have played in late Feb. thru to April have been in great shape. Annual maintenance I think takes place in Dec. Jan. so they should be good to go. They do not have Bermuda grasses that go dormant in the winter like south eastern US.

So it is as green as the grass in your avatar? :D
 
So it is as green as the grass in your avatar? :D
That isn't Arizona, it's called Bigwin Island in cottage country north of Toronto. My ashes are going to be spread around this course, its that nice. Dependant on where you play in Arizona in late Feb. the fairway grass and greens will be lush.
 
That isn't Arizona, it's called Bigwin Island in cottage country north of Toronto. My ashes are going to be spread around this course, its that nice. Dependant on where you play in Arizona in late Feb. the fairway grass and greens will be lush.

Great, thanks for the help. If only I could find some winter pictures of a course there to get a visual.
 
Great, thanks for the help. If only I could find some winter pictures of a course there to get a visual.
Looks like you haven't played in Arizona in Feb. Let me know when you'll be going and I can suggest where to play. I have a son-in-law who lives in Mesa and he can give me a heads up about the conditions in your area. Send a PM.
 
I think that I'm going to play most of my rounds at johnson ranch golf club, as its only 1 min walk to the course....lol. If anyone wants to play, I'll be down from Feb 20 to 27.

Thanks
 
I think that I'm going to play most of my rounds at johnson ranch golf club, as its only 1 min walk to the course....lol. If anyone wants to play, I'll be down from Feb 20 to 27.

Thanks
Hey Jimmyboy. A golfer from my neck of the woods. I'm in Mesa, Arizona from Feb. 15 thru to early April. Sure would like to see someone shoot par at Johnson Ranch, heard it is a nice course. Another one around that area is Poston Butte, you might like that one. Will send you a PM, maybe we can get in a round or two if you don't mind a hacker alongside.:golf3:
 
Hey Jimmyboy. A golfer from my neck of the woods. I'm in Mesa, Arizona from Feb. 15 thru to early April. Sure would like to see someone shoot par at Johnson Ranch, heard it is a nice course. Another one around that area is Poston Butte, you might like that one. Will send you a PM, maybe we can get in a round or two if you don't mind a hacker alongside.:golf3:

Ha, I don't know about shoot par but breaking 80 is a possiblility.
 
Has anyone played a course in Chandler called Bear something?

My brother lives right near it and I was able to get away for an hour or two christmas weekend to hit at the range. Looked like a nice course and they had a nice looking range but was curious what people out there thought.

There are so many courses in the Phoenix metro its hard to decide. Might have to make another trip out there and just hit up as many courses as I can.
 
Has anyone played a course in Chandler called Bear something?

My brother lives right near it and I was able to get away for an hour or two christmas weekend to hit at the range. Looked like a nice course and they had a nice looking range but was curious what people out there thought.

There are so many courses in the Phoenix metro its hard to decide. Might have to make another trip out there and just hit up as many courses as I can.
Bear Creek Golf course in Chandler. A 36-hole facility by the Nichlaus Design Group. Reasonable rates. Rated about a "6" out of "10". Never played there but you're right there are so many courses, you tend to choose the ones closer to where you stay.
 
Has anyone played a course in Chandler called Bear something?

My brother lives right near it and I was able to get away for an hour or two christmas weekend to hit at the range. Looked like a nice course and they had a nice looking range but was curious what people out there thought.

There are so many courses in the Phoenix metro its hard to decide. Might have to make another trip out there and just hit up as many courses as I can.

I have played Bear Creek. It's a fun course but I only played the executive side. The layout is very open... Sometimes the cartpaths or tee boxes arent all that easy to find. And there were a couple holes I shot at the wrong flagstick.. HA. Probably just needed to wear my glasses. The pro shop staff are really cool. Good place imo.

When I played (during the summer) the course was in good condition. I really enjoyed my round. Haven't been back cause its a little too far for me to drive but I would def play it again. Hopefully that helps a little.
 
any good courses around mesa, queen creek, chandler area? Heading down late feburary. Willing to pay $20 to $50.

I may be biased but I love Superstition Springs Golf Course. Helps I live about 5 mins away :) I played this past weekend and the course was in the best shape. Grass was great and greens were fast/challenging. The course is in Gilbert.

In East Mesa there is an executive course, Augusta Ranch that I love to play. Very short but a lot of fun.

Western Sky's is another course in Gilbert that I have heard wonderful things about but I have never played it.

Reserve online for Superstition Springs and you may be able to get the price you are looking for but you might be teeing off later in the day. Feb the weather will be awesome so no worries.
 
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