SJHbuttercut

As a fellow Calgarian I’m embarrassed of the condition of this course. There are countless areas around greenside bunker’s and in the middle of fairways and around fairway bunkers that need to be completely re-sodded! Dig it up ASAP........Lakeside is probably in better shape back home.

The driving range Deck looks like a mine-field as do the T decks through the course. They are in horrible shape.

It is so sad because It is probably the best Robert Trent Jones Junior design in the valley.......it has such great site lines from the tee......good green undulations and excellent bunkering which all require precise shotmaking throughout the round. I really enjoy the design of the course. But current management need to put some money into it.

I have played a lot in the valley throughout the years and really enjoy courses such as Camelback Ambiente, Verrado, Wildfire, Boulders etc...... I haven’t been out to Las Sendas for five years but I’m glad I haven’t. You can play most of the premier courses in the off-season for the same amount of money and play 1000% better conditions.

I have no idea what course the previous reviewer‘s have been playing giving it a 4-5 Star ratting in the last couple months but they obviously are not getting out to decent courses?

Leaving on a positive........ the greens were ok

Ambiente is one of the top 5 courses to play in the valley! I have played all the big names.... Boulders, Troon, We Ko Pa.... etc and Ambiente is always as good if not better playing condition. Such a wicked deal in the offseason.

The conditions are always stellar and the native grass lined fairways and bunkers are always maticulously maintained. They always have the best condition and truest rolling greens out of all the courses I play when I’m in town. It’s not super challenging, but I think it’s the best mix of challenge and beauty.

If you haven’t played here you got to!

The Raptor is definitely a great design, and I’m sure the Talon is very nice as well...... but like all the overpriced hoity-toity courses in North Scottsdale, they all like to overwater the crap out of their courses during this time of the year so that they look pretty........making most lies in the fairway unplayable.

It was almost like you have to play lift clean and place for the whole length of the fairway and in low spots around the greens. It was really bad.

At the end of the day there are so many other courses around the area like Wildfire (Faldo/Palmer), Ambiente, Boulders etc Where you can play for cheaper and in my opinion play better course design.

I also don’t know why Grayhawk think they’re better than Golfnow or Teeoff, but you can get way better deals at way better courses throughout the valley on those sites.....so if you were debating I hope this helps ya.

I’ve been waiting to play Victory for a while now and it was definitely worth the wait! From the moment you drive into the facility you realize that this is a very unique course.

It is by far the most unique layout I have played in the valley and that’s comparing it to courses like Troon North, Quintero, We Ko Pa, etc. It’s definitely going into my top 5.

Not only is it unique because of all the rock outcroppings.........but the design is both challenging and playable with conditions that were near perfect. Victory was actually in better shape than Founders which I played a few days earlier. A lot of the big resort courses like to overwater like crazy this time of year which makes them almost unplayable in most spots in the Fairway......but not here! They got it dialed......

Both Verrado courses are by far the best value in the valley that I have found. You are not going to get any better when it comes to exceptional playing conditions and awesome course design for the price.

The only negative that I have for Victory is with a few holes on the closing nine. There was so much room on some of the holes to put greenside bunker’s which would have made the design more challenging and more importantly more appealing to the eye from a design perspective. I have no idea why Tom Lehman decided not to put bunkers on a lot of the holes on the back nine?? It would’ve bumped the slope up about 5 to 8 points and would’ve made the course one of the real challenges in the valley.

Nit picking aside.......Victory is a course that I’m playing every time I’m in town.

Founders is a fantastic layout, with a good mix of elevation change/desert golf. I’ve played it a couple times and this time it was not in the best condition I’ve seen it in.

The fairways were too soft.....no roll on any tee shot......and subsequently the greens were very dry and hard......not the best combo of conditions for scoring but puts still rolled true. The bunkers were horrible......I don’t know if it was from the monsoons, but geez they need some sand and TLC.

I’m being picky because I hold Verrado in the same light as courses like We Ko Pa, Troon North, Wildfire etc

Hopefully it’s dialed next visit.

The layouts on both courses are in front of you.......not much to em.....The Devils Claw has more appealing holes and sight lines in my opinion but both are not going to cause better players any grief.

The conditions although visually appealing are always a bit to soft.....especially the greens.....they are way too slow and need to be firmed up and rolled. Puts from myself and the players I was joined up with were bouncing all over the place. And I’ve had the same issue with the greens here before as well. I understand you got to keep it watered to keep it green, but the colour of the grass shouldn’t sacrifice playability.

The main negative I have for these courses is that they always ask for too much money for their green fees. During the off-season you can play courses like Verrado, Troon North, Wildfire, Ambiente, Etc for the same price......and those courses are another level.

I understand it’s part of the resort/casino so they jack up the rates but at the end of the day there are much better courses for around the same price.

Sir Nick Faldo........ this is an absolute gem!

If you have not played here you need to!

The sightlines from the tees, bunkering, green undulations and overall condition of the course are some of the best I have ever played. Faldo likes to incorporate a lot of links aspects in his design and they are very apparent here.

The grounds crew do an outstanding job. I will be back!

All three 9's are so nice to play because it feels like your in Florida as opposed to the Phoenix desert. I am a huge fan of Parkland/lush/rolling courses as opposed to the typical desert courses that are throughout the valley.

The GOLD/BLUE combination plays just over 7000 from the tips and is my favourite combo. The WHITE 9, which is the shorter of the three , is very nice as well, so you can't go wrong with any combo you play. The courses are usually in very good shape and hopefully now that Michelson and OB Sports have taken over they will get even better!

The majority of the 27 holes have water in play from the tee or approach, allowing for excellent shotmaking opportunities and beautiful sight lines. One of the main reasons why I love these tracks so much is because alot of the holes from the back tees call for less than Driver. It allows you to play to specific numbers and use all the sticks in your bag.

It might not be the best course for intermediate/beginners.....you may want to bring some extra balls!

The only knocks that I always have with Ocotillo is that the greens and course overall are extremely soft, which leads to no fairway role and super slow slow greens. I understand water is mportant to maintain the lush conditions but they still need to find a better balance. Hopefully the work Phil and OB are doing with the irrigation system will help improve that!

These tracks are definitely some of the best in the south though....so play em.

I had heard nothing but good things about this track, but it turned out to be not worth the drive from Scottsdale.

I don't know how some of these reviews are saying "best in the west".......this track has absolutely nothing on Verrado, Copper Canyon, Wickenburg Ranch........ or for that matter Wigwam.

The bunkers were brutal! They had no sand in them and they looked like they hadn't been looked after in months. The fairways were nowhere near LUSH as other reviews have mentioned, and somebody in maintenance needs to look at the fairway mowers.....there was lines of different blade height running the entire length of EVERY fairway......not just one.....all of them! The older gentleman I was paired with and I couldn't believe that this was a Troon course.

The greens were decent but not great. There was some interesting sight lines and design features from the tees to green but nothing lived up to the expectation I had for a "Nicklaus" design. The massive power lines running through some of the holes didn't help make it better either......how does that even happen when the course is out in the middle of nowhere?

And please do something about the tip tee box on 18......what the heck is that? It's a 6 foot wide turtle shell......c'mon man!

The carts looked really haggard as well......time to update them.......gps would be a nice addition.

To leave on a positive.....the scented damp towels were a very nice touch.

Ambiente is definitely in my top 5. The bunkering and green undulations are beautiful and the course from tee to green was in outstanding condition. For perspective on this, I just played both We Ko Pa tracks at the beginning of the week and Ambiente left the same lasting impression.

The sight lines on this course from tee to fairway to green are fantastic and call for some very quality shotmaking. The native grasses that line the fairways and wash areas give it a great links vibe. The massive bunkers are gorgeous...love them....The overall design reminds me a lot of the Faldo Course at Wildfire in North Scottsdale, which is another top 5 of mine.

The Camelback property is very nice and the other course on site "Padre" is a decent intermediate track......but if your a serious player then book Ambiente. You won't be disappointed.

Had never played a Bailey design previously and I won't be making an effort to play one in the future. This is a very basic golf course design which had very poor conditions. I would have expected that a Trilogy GATED community would have above average conditions even in September.......but boy I was wrong. It has made me reconsider heading all the way up to Vistancia in the future.

There was no nice cut lines that gave definition between fairways and rough, the rough was patchy and the bunkers had no sand....Horrible.....the bunkers were like playing out of the desert hard pan. The previous reviews are obviously by players who don't get out to the nicer courses in the south valley Gilbert / Chandler area. IE Ocotillo, Whirlwind, Raven, Legacy.

Also, if your tee sheet hasn't had a group out for almost two hours previous, don't put two twosomes of husband and wife together just because......especially when the age gap was at least 25 years.......we all want to be done in the heat as quick as possible.......ridiculous

On a positive I paid only $30 for me and my wife. I'm glad I didn't pay more than that.

Played both courses on a 36 hole special today....You can't find better public golf conditions anywhere in the valley! Both are gorgeous and there is not one maintainence issue with either.

Saguaro is a great layout and along with Cholla provides fantastic views. I didn't like Saguaro as much as Cholla from a pure sight line and shot making perspective. The holes were also not as memorable......it reminded me of Coore & Crenshaws North (O'Odham) course at Talking Stick (which is very basic) with some elevation change thrown in.

Still a beautiful course and the facility is second to none.

Played both courses on a 36 hole special today....You can't find better public golf conditions anywhere in the valley! Both are gorgeous and there is not one maintainence issue with either.

I'm a huge fan of Scott Miller designs and in my opinion the Cholla is a better layout and is far more challenging. The course is a lot tighter and the sight lines from the tee and fairway are more demanding. The greens seem to have more variation as well......I definitely don't agree with the slope ratings being so close to each other....Cholla should be 5 points higher.

This course is in my top 5

If your looking for a quick round, especially in the afternoon (finished in 2 hours)......and not too concerned with playing in better conditions then this is the place.

The greens and fairways were not bad and the layout will give you low scores. Staff was great and the facility looked very nice.

I will be back if I need a quick warm up.

The O'odham Course (Formerly North) is definitely the better of the two if your debating. Both are in great condition but the O'odham is a far better layout.

The course is wide open with no rough.....pretty straight forward for more advanced players. The greens were good and seem that they would always have getable pins and I really loved the fairways.....probably the best fairways I've played in the valley in the last couple month. Awesome!

But the bunkers were very inconsistent and could use some maintenance and some sand! If they can dial in the bunkers it would be top notch.

If your looking for a relaxing round on a well conditioned track......then book it.

Legacy is always in great condition fairways and greens but the bunkers could use some up keep and better sand. The course is very playable and not very challenging.....it was great getting back here to play.

But from an asthetic standpoint, I would play Raven across the street instead.....It is usually in the same well kept condition but is a far better Panks design in my opinion. The Raven is a better challenge for the advanced golfer and is more pleasing to the eye for the same price.

The Faldo course is far better than the Palmer! Although the conditions at both courses are outstanding........The design, bunkering and set up of the Faldo is my favourite in the valley. I am a huge fan of more parkland style courses as opposed to desert styles like Quintero, Boulders etc

The bunker designs and overall asthetic were fantastic, and it was a challenging track. Put this at the top of your must plays, because to be honest, once you've played one or two of the top rated desert courses in the valley they all start to look and play the same.

Definitely play the Faldo

Driving all the way out to Cave Creek from Scottsdale to play an RTJ course sounds like a great plan. It is in the case of Las Sendas in Mesa and Wigwam in the Litcfield area out west.........BUT Not in this case!

This is a very very basic layout from RTJ.......nothing asthetically appealing from a course design perspective on 90% of the holes......great views of mountains........but I play golf......... This has to be the reason why they have tried to make their greens as hard and unreceptive as possible. When your throwing 60 degree wedges from the fairway at your spot and they are rolling to the back......that's RIDICULOUS......it's time to stick some holes in them and some H2O. I have played over a dozen rounds in the last two weeks on more difficult and higher rated courses and these greens were the worst by far.

How this course has such a high slope is also super questionable......played the tips..........should be in the mid 120's

Leaving on a positive....... the fairways and t decks were nice, carts were good and the club drop was well set up.

The Duke was totally worth the drive down from Scottsdale! My wife and I have been playing all over the valley steadily for the last three weeks and this course was in as good of shape if not better, than the top rated courses!

Don't get me wrong, this course is a very playable track with very wide fairways and not a lot of trouble......but it has decent length from the tips and if it is in this type of condition for the second week in June then I would definitely make the trip down again in the future.........The bunkers could use a little bit of TLC though.

Apparently the course Hired a new maintenance manager a couple months ago......which has helped dramatically according to regulars ......if they put time into the bunkers going forward it will help dramatically.

The open style is great for any intermediate/beginning golfer. Definitely give the course a go for a great relaxing round.

This is the second time playing Longbow and unfortunately after giving it another chance it left the same impression. Not the greatest Kavanaugh layout and not the greatest course Conditions!

I understand that it's June, but it's far to dry and the bunkers were horrible! Nevermind the fact that there was no advisory at booking that the greens had recently been airated! Hence the cheap deal I suppose!

That being said in normal conditions this course usually asks for the same dollar on par with Red Mountain and Las Sendas......but it is just not worth it both in price and appealing course design as the Dye and RTJ courses.

I would spend extra to go elsewhere.