SkeezyWeezle

McCormick Ranch is one of the older tracks in Scottsdale. There are definitely some flavors of the old to be seen in the design. However, the design holds up well against some of it's newer competition. The course is always kept in good shape. The greens are pretty true and not real fast. The overall layout keeps it very playable for all skill levels. It will pull every club out of your bag, and that is the mark of a good course. I do however take issue with the sparsity of water available on the course. There are rest stops with a fountain in a couple of spots, but come on...in AZ in the summer heat, you gotta put out some coolers at the tee boxes here and there.

The course is known for it's thick grasses, challenging rough and endless hills, dales and other assorted uneven lies. It does have some very pretty views of the surrounding mountains and the valley. Most of the course is situated inside of a canyon in one the nicest parcels in Fountain Hills. I HIGHLY suggest you do yourself a favor the first time you play it, and move up a set of tees. The course plays longer than the card and is very unforgiving to the errant shot. That being said, it is a track I personally like a lot because it is such a challenge. Even in the heat of summer, this course is usually in great shape. They did pick up a little burn out in the fairways this year, however they immediately hit them with new sod, So take a drop out of the GUR and good luck putting those greens. The breaks are pretty tough to read and the speed can vary a bit more than you realize. The greens are pretty grainy. This particular outing was a 4.5 hour round. Due in full to the fact that there was a shotgun full of weekend hackers. The starter was young and inexperienced. He made a critical mistake of starting a bunch of twosomes instead of grouping them, which really slowed it down out there. Head pro to the rescue on that one, by giving us a raincheck that is good for another round. 4 stars for customer seervice on that.

The course isn't much to talk about for design. It is a very straight, no frills muni course. It is in good condition with smooth rolling greens and wide fairways. This is a great course for beginners and family at a low price. They have an OK practice facility and snack shop.

You have seen the course on TV during the Accenture Match play. It is just as tough as it looks. Tricky to putt. Get out of position, even in the fairway, and you'll have a tough time saving par. Conditions are always great here. Summer is the best time to play it, because the price is great. It's not on the GolfNow top100 for nothin'

The Catalina at Tucson National is more of a tradtional style course. A welcome break from time to time, as we are deluged by desert target courses here in AZ. The conditions here are always good to excellent. The greens are not too punishing with speed or break. There is plenty of tree trouble available, which is not something you can say about too many AZ courses. Overall, a good play for all levels.

I have always been in love with both courses at Venatana Canyon. The layouts are great. The course is tough but fair. Conditions are always pristine. Views abound of the Sabino and the Catalina range. The short par 3 in the box canyon is one of the most beautiful par 3's I have ever seen. Too me, this is "the" must play course in Tucson.

So I found myself up in Globe, AZ for the day. I have seen the reviews get stronger and more positive for this course over the last year. I figured, why not give it a try and see how it's going. First of all, the staff were very friendly. They talked with me at length on the improvements and progress under way. They provided all the free bottled water and ice you would need, and then some. The course itself is a fairly interesting layout, with a nice mix of risk/ reward and bombers holes. There are a few really tough holes on the course that will force even the longest hitters to keep it in the right spots or take the medicine. The conditions were getting there. The greens have come in for the most part, with only a few dirt patches here and there. Quite playable and smooth , true roll on them. The fairways were not too bad either, they were more akin to a muni course than a resort, but improved to the point of good playability. The bunkers however, remain a glaring sore spot on the course. Many of them are still just overgrown and full of dirt and rocks. Give yourself a Free drop and play on. The good news is that they have a HUGE PILE OF BRAND NEW SAND, just waiting to go in those bunkers. I can see this being a really solid course in another year. Kudos to the staff, who truly do seem to love this course and are routing hard for it's quick return. SO, if you are in Globe and ready for a round, it is reasonable in price, playable and challenging. Just don't expect resort conditions yet. I gave a 3 star because they are there in most aspects....the views went a ways in helping that too.

The CatTail has a little more of a links feel to it than it's sister course, The Devils Claw. They are both great all around choices for golf. Since it is run by Troon, it is going to have everything you would expect from a top notch course.

This is a personal favorite course for me. It is an all around great course that makes my must play list in the Phoenix area. Nuff said...

I like this course and have played it many times. It is a solid layout with a lot of the thought in the design. Right now however, the greens are burning out badly and probably will not make it through the brutal heat of summer. I would usually give them a higher rating than this, but right now, too many areas of the greens are just plain unplayable for any real enjoyment.

Home to the "Wicked Six" the last six holes of the course...I would actually call it the "Evil Eight" because from 11 on...it is a tough row to hoe.....The front nine is no birdie fest either, but the "Wicked Six" all play into the wind and uphill. Overall, some great holes on the course. There are one or two holes that are a little unfair in the design, but if you bring your "A" game, you will do fine. Course is closed for the rest of the summer for renovations. So come October it should be even better. Bummer though, it was a good track for a low price in the summer.

San Marcos is the oldest course in AZ. So the layout is a little dated. For the past few years they have ridden "goat track" status as the course slowly fell apart in bankruptcy. However, I am glad to say that new ownership is coming in and changes are already starting to happen. The water is flowing on the front 9 again and the greens are slowly coming back. The back 9 is in much better condition. I am told that renovations are in the works. This is good news for the old gal. She is a storied old course that just needs a little TLC. I cannot yet suggest playing her yet unless you can overlook a few flaws for a cheap round.

McCormick Ranch is one of the older tracks in the Scottsdale area. That doesn't mean it is tired and worn out though. The course is kept in good condition. The layout was well designed in it's day, so it stands up well as a medium difficulty layout that plays well for all. The practice facilities here are pretty good. Range balls included in the greens fee is nice. The drink carts make the rounds fairly quick. Overall, a good choice for play in the area.

Lone Tree is a good east valley course to test your shot making and course management skills. There are a number of holes that demand more than just a drive in the fairway. This is double true when the wind is blowing, which is most of the time. The greens are generally pretty true. They do however have a tendency to be pretty fast and firm. I have two negatives to point out. First, the price of range balls is way too high for an average course ( $8.00 for 50). The second issue is that practice facility is lacking at best. The chipping area is a joke.

I give the course 4 stars more for the layout than the conditions. They have struggled over the past 2 years to keep the high quality that you expect from a Palmer course. This trip, the course was in good shape and improving. I would say they are on the right track. This is a challenging layout from the back and first forward tees. It does become quite playable to the higher handicap from the other forward tees. Greens fees are pretty reasonable here. Overall, a good choice for the northwest valley.

AGR is an older layout with generally decent conditions. It is set up to play well for most all handicaps. Lower handicaps will find a few challenging holes, particulary, the long par 3's. Greens fees are on the low side for the east valley, so in winter, it gets a lot of snowbird play. Overall, a good family or budget concious round.

The South Course at The Boulders is definitely the more picturesque of the two. Mix that with a challenging layout and tournament quality conditions. Sounds like one of the best courses you could play. In a city, world renown for it's golf, this one stands among the very few top few. In fact, it is one of the main reasons that Phoenix is a worldwide destination for golf. This course makes my top 25, and I have played over a thousand courses around the world. What else is there to say?

First off, the sixth hole was CLOSED for bunker rennovation. NO NOTICE POSTED ANYWHERE until we got there. Not to mention that no work was going on. Most courses provide a work around.. Instead we play 17 holes on a lame, well thats why you got this price comment...which was no deal in my book.Oh well, the new bunker sand will be nice when it settles in. Back to the course, nothing special, average layout, only one scenic par 3. OK course conditions. The range was mats only...and they are as tired, worn out and hard as a rock as they get....waste of time to hit off. Personally, I think your greens fee will be better spent elsewhere.

This course has a decent layout, not exactly scenic in my opinion. Hazards are well placed and the layout has playing options. The real defense on this course is the rough. The first cut is about 3 inches and is catchy and gnarled like johnson grass. The second cut is flat out wild grass that is 8-12 inches and just finding the ball, let alone getting a club on it is the task. It was a worthy play, but for it's price, I will take other courses in the area that are just better.

I'm not going to waste too many words here....This course is a waste of time. Total farm field fairways, bad greens, NO SERVICE from the staff..NO STARTER, MARSHALL..or anything else....Better yell pretty loud to get service at what they call the Bar/ Snack area..... Oh yeah...it's about a 30 minute drive from downtown New Orleans