geezer53

Teed off at 12:00. Was told in pro shop that there was a high school tournament ahead of us, the last group of which teed off at 10:30 who we might catch up to (??).
We did catch up to them on the 9th hole. Looked like they were going at about a 5-1/2 hour pace. Talked to the gentleman in the pro shop again. I was curious to find out how this ridiculously show play was not only forgiven but expected. No tolerance however, from the ranger (not present this day), when somebody in our foursome hits a couple of bad shots and we fall half a hole behind the group in front of us. We were told we could replay the front nine again so it wouldn't have to wait. Gee thanks, problem solved??

This course has never been in great shape, but this time it was virtually unplayable. From tee to green the entire course resembled a reclaimed swamp that had just hosted a monster track rally. Why? I've never seen a course so neglected and abused. Every ball hit in our foresome was covered with mud, EVERY HOLE. None of us will ever waste another day of golf here again. Warning: the course adds a $3 per player charge for use of mandatory GPS. You find this out AFTER you'e already authorized your credit card for a lower amount!

Best condition I've seen this course in a long time. Don't underestimate course difficulty based on yardage. If you are not accurate off the tee you may have to deal with a lot of challenging lies.

Drove 1-1/2 hrs from Mesa just to experience a course I had never played before, and can't wait to get back there! Beautiful scenery, well thought out track, great conditions and very friendly staff. If this course was located in Scottsdale, they would be able to get $200/ round (just don't tell anybody, I enjoyed the 3 hours it took to play).

Semi-private club in perfect condition. Very fast greens (they all break towards the Verde River). Course called "the Peaks" as you have great views of Four Peaks and other surrounding mountains. Fun layout for all levels of players. Fairways are a bit narrower than the other "Ranch" course.

Course in best shape I've seen it. Make sure you play the correct tee boxes. It's a Pete Dye course so you'll see a lot of fairway moguls, grass bunkers and railroad ties. Strategy almost as important as skill here. Have fun!

This course is amazing. There are a lot of courses in Arizona where you can get distracted by the beautiful scenery. Here you will be distracted by the undulating fairways, tough multi-tiered greens and challenging grass and sand bunkers' combinations. You will be scratching your head when you get to the par 3, 15th hole! Staff always treats you as if you were a member.

A beautiful track, well thought out, and a lot of fun to play. Greens are the best I've ever seen!

Played this course 1-2 times a year for the past 6 years (even though it is a 1-1/2 hour drive from Mesa). It is a very dynamic layout that is dictated almost entirely by the natural terrain and is surrounded by the view of unspoiled wilderness. The course conditions have ranged from very good to "I thought it was being abandoned", last year. This trip; the greens ( awesome), fairways (very good to bad), tee boxes (generally bad), bunkers (a maintenance disaster). A local I played with told me that they had started to fix up the course about 3 months ago, so I am optimistic. I will be back and recommend playing it at least once to anyone who doesn't mind "roughing it" for 25 bucks - winter rate. ;)