morriskim95

I got back from a 5 day golf trip to Scottsdale/Phoenix with my brother and parents in early March and with the PNW still getting relentless rain (and hail today!), I keep finding myself daydreaming about how amazing it was. I thought I'd put it down in writing and share my experience! General thoughts: - Personal ranking from 1 - 5: Quintero - We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) - Ak-Chin Southern Dunes - Wigwam (Gold) - Talking Stick (O'odham) - I learned that it's very expensive to play golf in AZ during this time of the year (~$150 for "budget" rounds, >$300 for premium courses) - The weather was absolutely unbeatable. Cool in the mornings and evenings, dry and warm during the day. I now see why so many people spend their winters there. - Endless list of great golf courses to play, we'll definitely be back for more. Let me know what other courses you guys recommend for our next AZ trip! ------------------------------------------ Day 1: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes We landed in the late morning and headed out to Ak-Chin, about 40 mins south of Phoenix. Basked in the sun while eating lunch, not having seen sun in the PNW since late fall. Teed off at 2:20pm and paid ~$100 for the twilight rate. It was easily the best value we found all week. Course was in solid condition, fun mix of challenging holes and big sloping greens as well as straight forward ones. Finished the 18th hole just as the sun was setting around 6:30pm (felt like temp really dropped 10-20 degrees within a matter of 10-15 mins after the sun went down!). Great first day. Day 2: We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) There are two courses out at We-Ko-Pa but I read Saguaro was the better one. Pristine conditioning, greens weren't the fastest but rolled very true. Another course with a mix of gettable holes and really tough ones (finishing 18th hole was a doozy... 508 yard, par 4 into the wind! It took a great drive, a smashed 3 wood, and a perfect pitch from about 20 yards to save par). Set way out in the desert, we saw plenty of coyotes and roadrunners (*insert Looney Tunes theme here*). Definitely want to come back to play the Cholla course. Day 3: Quintero The one I had highest expectations for, with some ranking it one of the best public courses in AZ. Driving in, we saw a bunch of wild burros - apparently descendants of domesticated donkeys that were released into the wild when a nearby dam was built (or so the guy at the gate told us). On the course we ran into a family of javelinas too! Quintero was by far the most unique course we played all week. Lots of elevation, especially the par 3s when you are teeing off a cliff. It's fun to watch the ball sail for a while but makes it hard to judge distances off the tee. Each hole feels like its own little adventure and you rarely see the other holes (or other people for that matter) while playing out there. It was also the hardest course we played - the greens were firm and fast, landing spots narrow off the tee with desert on either side. The day we played, it was windy and any curve off the tee box meant re-teeing. Plenty of balls donated to the desert that day. Definitely a memorable course but it felt like a battle all day! Day 4: Talking Stick (O'odham) The cumulative fatigue from the last 3 days of golf combined with an early tee time led to a rough warm up on the range, but we managed to have a nice time. The course itself was fairly flat and most plain of the 5 courses we played during the week. Good conditioning but the greens were definitely on the slower side. I wasn't going to complain about a round of golf played in 75 degree/sunny weather, but it felt like a forgettable course for me. Caught a MLB spring training game in the afternoon between the LA Angels and the SD Padres, which was a nice way to rest the legs and have a cold beer. Day 5: Wigwam (Gold) One last round before heading to the airport. I had heard it was nicknamed "Arizona's Monster" coming in at a bit over 7300 yards from the tips so I had to give it a go. My parents played from the middle and shorter tees and still found it challenging. The course itself looks pretty unassuming but there were fun twists (i.e. little drainage trenches running next to the fairway and in front of the green) and as the wind picked up, it definitely got tough. Big property with three courses and a generous practice area. My parents were big fans and wanted to play the other two courses when we came back next.

New member here! Excited to stay involved with all the great content here, starting with this Masters Pool. Cut line: +1 Tiger's score after 2 rounds: E