Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 16
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 16
Tom Lehman restored The Wigwam's championship course, the Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed Gold Course, which turned 50 years old in 2015. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 1
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 1
The Gold Course at The Wigwam resort starts out with a dogleg left par 5. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 2
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 2
The approach on the par-4 second hole on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort plays over water. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 3
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 3
The par-3 third hole on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort can play as long as 272 yards. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 4
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 4
At 654 yards, the par-5 fourth hole on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort can be daunting. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 5
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 5
The par 4 fifth hole on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 6
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 6
The sixth on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort is another long par 3 at 213 yards from the back tee. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 8
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 8
A wall and hazard front the green of the par-4 eighth on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 9
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 9
One of the toughest holes on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort is the 452-yard, par-4 ninth. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 10
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 10
The longest hole on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort is the 660-yard 10th. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 12
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 12
Fairway bunkers, like this one of the 12th, were moved to catch tee shots on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 14
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 14
At 535 yards, the 14th is the shortest par 5 on the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort, but it's still the no. 4 handicap hole. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 15
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 15
The par-3 15th on the Gold shares a lake with the par-3 16th on The Wigwam resort's Patriot Course. Courtesy of The Wigwam
Wigwam - Gold golf course - 15th hole
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - 15th hole
The approach shot on the difficult par-4 17th hole of The Wigwam resort's Gold Course plays over water. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 18
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Wigwam - Gold golf course - no. 18
The sun sets on the par-4 18th hole of the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Wigwam resort - practice area
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Wigwam resort - practice area
Fittingly, The Wigwam resort has a tee-pee in the midst of its practice area. Courtesy of The Wigwam
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The Wigwam resort west of Phoenix, Arizona: Redo of signature course as good as Gold

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. -- Celebrating its 50-year anniversary in 2015, the Gold Course at The Wigwam resort just west of Phoenix has a new look, thanks to a restoration by Tom Lehman.

A friend of The Wigwam's ownership team group of JDM Partners (which includes former Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo), Lehman sought to restore architect Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s original design using old drawings, while moving course features such as bunkers to adjust for today's technology and the length of the modern player.

Some yardage was added and bunkers were removed to challenge the better player and make the course more playable for the mid- to high-handicapper. With thick rough and plenty of water, the 7,430-yard par 72 is plenty tough from the back tees. Unlike most golf courses in Arizona, the Gold Course (as well as the other two courses at The Wigwam: Patriot and Heritage) is parkland, not desert golf. In this case, it means thick rough for those who miss the fairway, but no hitting out of rocks or around cacti.

Home of the collegiate Patriot All-American as well as other top amateur events, Wigwam Gold is straightforward, but difficult to score on. There are several long par 3s and par 5s, including the 272-yard, par-3 second, and 660-yard, par-5 10th.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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The Wigwam resort west of Phoenix, Arizona: Redo of signature course as good as Gold