liftman1954

I played here about 3 years ago and although I though the course was nice then it was even nicer this time.
Greens rolled true and fairways in nice shape. Plenty of sand in the traps and just enough water to keep things interesting. About the only thing that could need some investment is the driving range. Balls are older than Moses and there are few rubber tees on the mats for driver practice.

Depending on the ocean breeze and how short the fairway is cut this course can play longer than it’s max yardage. What’s really interesting is that despite short 5,600 yards the four par 3’s average over 160 yards with two playing close to 180 into the ocean breeze. The small turtle back greens on these are the most challenging on the course. My biggest issue has to do with the extensive amount of crab grass around the greens and the rock hard bunkers. From what I can tell they do nothing to maintain the traps and with watering and neglect they have become nearly impossible to play.

I play virtually ever course in the Tucson area and this one is as nice as any with the exception of the traps. Yes there is sand in them all but not enough to make them playable. The only plus for not having sand is that balls tend to roll out or skip through them. Saved me a couple of bunker shots. The greens were nearly perfect for this time of year and the fairways as green as you could hope for in this dry climate.

This is a really nice course and will challenge even the most accomplished golfer. The greens were in great shape, fast and consistent. Only issue is the lack of sand in the bunkers, something they are trying to address.

Yes it’s been a hot summer but while other local courses seem to be managing to keep fairways in playable condition that’s not the case here. There are bare spots everywhere and large areas where the grass has been removed completely leaving patch worked looking fairways. I play here regularly and keep hoping things will improve but every week it gets worse. This is a beautifully laid out course with amazing views, I hope they can get this turned around before they lose the fairways for good.

As with all the courses in AZ conditions are not ideal. But while I appreciate that restrictions apply to golfers I think this course is falling short on some simple issues. Lets start with tee markers. Not sure why they just lay them on the side of the cart path and don't place them where you should hit from. Also it would be nice if the bunkers were raked before play starts each day. Also lets talk about the GPS caddie. Many, if not all, of the flag positions were on the opposite side of where he GPS showed them. With so many blind or elevated greens this is a big issue especially if you are counting on the system and arrive without your own range finder. But my biggest issue is with "Shark Experience". When I booked my tee time on GOLFNOW i was forced to accept a $5 surcharge to utilize this service. When I attempted to use it at the course initially there was no cell service to access it, Then once I was able to access the service it asked me to pay $4.95 again. No $5 isn't a big deal but it is a rip off.

This is as nice a course as you will find anywhere in the Southwest. Even in the hottest driest conditions it is lush and green. The greens, very hard to read, are ideal and roll perfectly... there goes my excuse for not making many putts. Really the only thing that seems to be a bit of a challenge is getting some uniformity in the traps. You never know what your going to get,,, some hard some very very soft. But other than that its all good.

I have played this course on numerous occasions and it is in better shape than I can ever remember. The greens were nearly perfect condition, fast and true. . The traps are still a little suspect but again better than past experiences. My only complaint is that the tee boxes on the par 3's were no where near what the card stated. For example the 17th hole from the white tees is listed at something like 146 yards yet the tee box was a full 180 yards out.

This is still a personal favorite. Few courses in AZ offer greens that match up with the ones here. Also the bunkers are in great shape with uniform sand in both fairway and green side traps. .Yes it is not the most convenient and certainly not the nicest location but once you are standing on the tee box it is all good.

I am very pleased to say that Orange Tree is in the best condition I can ever recall. Greens were a tad bit slow but uniform. Green sand traps actually have sand and were well prepared. Still the only issue that persists relates to the lack of food. Nothing but crackers and peanuts on the beverage cart and if you are lucky maybe there are hotdogs at the turn. If you want anything else you have to make a rather long detour to the bar. This slows play down significantly.

Have played here many times and the course is in the best shape ever. Fairways were beautiful and greens that are fast and true. As is the case with most courses in the area the only real complaint relates to the lack of or inconsistent sand in the traps.

This is a must for any level of golfer. Beautiful holes with a variety of elevations. Greens where a little slow but rolled well and very true. I am happy to say that I can't comment on the condition of the bunkers as I was never in one, But my playing partner said they were were so so.

Right now the greens keepers are struggling to keep things green here in AZ. Warmer weather and the Bermuda grass isn't quite yet out of hibernation. So yes there were some iffy spots but the greens were in amazing good shape. Really the only thing that plagues this and most of the courses in the area are hard as rock traps. Little sand and what sand there is gets over watered and make them very crusty or very wet. But unless you want to pay 3 times the price that's what you get.

Everyone knows marshals can be annoying but they should not be disrespectful. They should also know that when someone is in the middle of their back swing they should not buzz by within 20 ft of the tee box in their gas powered golf cart. But that doesn't seem to be a concern here at Orange tree. Not only is the marshall rude he was oblivious to the way he was distracting golfers. Also if you are going to have snack bar it would be nice to have something to eat besides hot dogs..

It amazes me that a course that is this nice should have bunker issues. Inconsistent, hard, flooded and or rocky you name it.
Otherwise this is a real gem of a course.

One of the nicest course layouts in the city of Phoenix but the traps were so hard I would challenge even the most accomplished golfer to get up and down on any short sided bunker shot. Would it be so difficult to put some freakin sand in the bunkers?

It would be very helpful if the beverage cart had sandwiches or something. It becomes even more advisable when you close the snack bar at 2pm.. that only leaves the option of going to the restaurant which then slows the pace of play. Which leads me to the topic of pace of play. Someone needs to talk with the marshal about his process. Twice he approached us about our slow play when it really wasn't warranted and with a disrespectful attitude that made all 4 in our group rather irritated. Believe me I hate slow play but both times we were approached it was right after we had finished a par 3 which is where things tend to slow down but for the other 16 holes we were never out of position.

This is a pretty nice course and could really be a favorite if they would put some sand in the fricken traps.
My partners referred to them as gravel pits and in some cases that wan't far from the truth. Aside form that the greens are challenging and the layout very enjoyable.

Although it's a long way out there this is a very nice course and well worth the drive Front nine is challenging but forgiving. The back nine is not as forgiving and the greens seem to get more difficult to read with every hole.