WaltAZ

Played this for the first time because I got an $18 rate on GolfNow. Would only play this at greatly discounted rates, as it's certainly not worth a premium.

Bland, flat layout, with "rez landscape" in between the holes (that's the Salt River Pima Indian reservation typical baked out desert landscape). Greens are good-sized, with some nice contours, and rolled pretty well, even though they had been recently fertilized. A number of "turtle-back" type greens, that are slightly elevated, with edges that roll away. Lots of balls rolled off.

Course plays real short, as the ground is hard, and relatively flat. Balls can carry through the fairways easily. Grass was in OK shape. Kind of rough around the edges, as it wasn't well manicured off the fairways, and the bunkers weren't well-edged. Nice sand in the bunkers, though.

All-in-all, I was glad to check this one off the list to check out, but won't be back soon. Many better and more interesting courses to play, at similar, or cheaper, rates. Will check out the South course, though, to see what that's like.

I've been wanting to check this course out, and booked it on their web site after seeing a decent rate on GolfNow. Usually a little too pricey for me, but getting to the time of year when deals abound.

Showed up almost an hour ahead of my tee time, and course was wide open. I was underwhelmed at first, because the facilities are a bit dated, and worn. Practice range was off mats, for some reason, even though the grass area was large and in nice shape. They said I could go when I was ready, so I hit a few balls and took off by myself. Played alone the whole time, and barely saw any o her golfers. Took my time and hit an extra ball or balls often. Pace was a non-issue.

Layout is much more scenic and interesting on the front nine, with nice views of the Superstition Mountains. Back nine is OK, but not as scenic, and a number of the holes wind tightly through tract homes.

Course conditions were excellent, with the grass in great shape throughout, and the greens receptive to approach shots. I've played too many area courses that are kind of browned-out and very hard/firm. Sidewinder was noticeably lusher and softer. Greens were in wonderful shape, and rolled fast and true. Bunkers had actual sand in them!

All in all, a nice experience and I will be back. Can't wait to try the Dinosaur course!

I've played Longbow a number of times, and purchased their Flight Card for discounted range balls, and other amenities, including access to reduced greens fees. I like the course, but feel compelled to note that the overall quality seems to be slipping.

The Good
- Nice layout, even though it's in a square parcel of land, and pretty flat.
- Not overly long, and somewhat forgiving.

The Bad
- Course condition has become browned out and very hard, compared to a couple months ago. Almost like they reduced the watering on the course, once the snowbirds, spring training fans and visiting collegiate teams left.
- Bunkers are an embarrassment. Completely hardpan with no sand, and overgrown around the edges. I mean, c'mon...it's like they've been completely blown off. Unacceptable.
- Pace of play has been an issue when the course is more crowded, as the on-course ranger is either seldom seen or non-existent. 5+ hour rounds were the norm.
- Rates. As part of the OB Sports course management group, you don't find many discounted times on GolfNow or Teeoff.com. I don't get it, because outside of the peak snowbird/spring training fan/collegiate team season, they are not competitive AT ALL with other local courses of better quality (like Las Sendas, which is 5 mins away). As a result, the course is near-empty most of the time right now. I went to hit balls a couple Fridays ago, and there were 3 cars in the parking (I counted them), and I only saw a couple other people. I asked the guy in the pro shop where everybody was on a nice Friday afternoon, and he said, "That's a good question." It's nice to have the course to yourself, but not when it's in poor shape.
- Flight Card is a ripoff. They don't come through with any of the amenities that they promise in selling the card. Zero communication.

Again, I like the course and it's location, but if they don't care about the course condition, or getting golfers on it, after all the winter visitors go home, then they should just close it for the summer. It seems that they make their money by gouging visitors over the winter, then just don't care during the offseason. Too bad.