gary1127

Played this course with my kids as they took lessons back in the 90s. Never a real jewel of a course but it served its purpose as a short game test.
The "new" course, complete with prices as high as $80, is far from new. Other than an improved range, new tee markers and extremely higher prices, nothing had been improved after reopening.
Tee boxes were bare and divot scarred. Bunkers were hard with little sand. Cart path is the same one I drove on 30 years ago and still needs maintenance. Flags on greens were checkerboard colored with no indication of hole placement.
I was pleased to hear course had been reopened with new owners putting "millions" into renovation but I didn't see it or experience it yesterday.
One other interesting fact... on-cart sign offered a free small bucket of balls if you finished round in under 3 hours. Unfortunately, offer only applied to hitting said bucket right after you finished your round. Token for next visit would have been better.

Looked forward to playing here again after a few years. Disappointed in conditions, especially at $50+.
Tee boxes on many holes were domed and seriously lacking in grass. Limited spots to tee from, some having trees in backswing. Greens were nearly unplayable. Wedge from 100 yds, hit 100 ft in the air, wouldn't hold any green. Greens so hard I never found a ball mark. Greens so sloped even uphill putts were unreadable.
Trees never caused as many problems as tee/green setups.
If you missed fairway by more than a few feet the rough was full of weeds and clover that swallowed your ball.

Haven't played here since pre-Covid so had no reason to expect less than what it had been then. What a shock. Course condition was horrible. Tee boxes were almost unplayable, especially if you don't airways use a tee. Fairways were burned out and had giant dead areas. Only grass was in the rough. Green also had many bare spots, forcing you to putt through multiple surface qualities.
Course amenities were noticeably lacking. No cart coolers, previously available in the cart barn. No ball washers anywhere.
You can expect some of these conditions on many golfnow courses but not usually on country clubs. How can the members tolerate this? There are 6 regulation courses nearby in sun city that are far superior in condition, even with aeration holes everywhere. Their prices, even having to pay for a cart, are also much lower.

Same thing seems to happen every year at this time, they neglect the rough to where it is not only unplayable but makes it hard to find your ball quite often. In this case, it resulted in an injury.
Ball was in heavy, unmanaged rough right of 6th green when I stepped on an unseen wooden tee and it pierced through my shoe and into my foot. No idea why there was a tee in that spot but had I been able to see it I wouldn't have been stabbed by it.
Price to play in sun city on golf now isn't a bargain compared to other, better maintained courses since carts are no longer included in price. They need to make play there more accommodating or risk losing any outside play from non residents.

I've avoided this course for years since they don't have more than a handful of rental carts available. Now I have the annual pass with a reserved cart I plan to play it more often. Tough course layout when windy but luckily winds were down today. Greens are not as undulating as other SC courses which gives you, at least the impression, of some flat spots on the greens. Tee boxes could use some maintenance but rest of course was in good shape. Pace on front nine was 2 hours plus: back 9 was quicker since group in front of us had quit after front side.

Considering they only overseeded tee boxes and greens I would've expected better conditions. Tee boxes were terrible. Greens were in good shape but very unfriendly pins.

Had 1:22 tee time, arrived an hour early. Since covid course doesn't include cart with Hot Deal and doesn't guarantee cart will be available at tee time. We opted to wait for a cart to come in but in over an hour not one group ever came off the 18th hole. Staff never even considered checking out where the backup was. Our tee time cane and went and the starter, Ron, just kept other groups playing thru ahead of us. The 1:37 group included a twosome that somehow had a rental cart. When I questioned Ron how they got one ahead of us he said "first come, first served". We were there an hour early and yet he gave them a cart that rightfully should have been ours. Additionally, they allow fivesomes here and since covid have allowed a many as 5 carts per group. Prior to covid the max was 3 carts per group. This fact alone had at least one group ahead of us with a rental cart as one of the 5. I've been thru this before at this course but kept giving them another chance. Nothing has ever improved and I won't be back.

Can't help but feel Rec Centers of Sun City are ruining reputation of their courses by charging above and beyond the golfnow hot deal price, simply to gouge golfers for more money. They'll make you ride with someone you don't know (guess covid is over) but they won't go back to pricing before covid (cart included). Twosome now pays for two tee times plus an amount equal to another tee time for a shared cart. Only courses in town doing this.

Several weeks in a row playing North and other Sun City courses and it appears the maintenance staff, specifically mowers, are on strike or have been fired. The rough is extremely penalizing, losing balls a few feet off fairways. To their credit, the fairways are very nice but a good round is impossible to shoot unless you hit them all. Overseed is around the corner so how about giving us good playing conditions before you shut down for several weeks.

I don't know why they've allowed a great track to fall into such bad shape. They haven't mowed the rough in almost 2 months and it greatly diminishes the quality. Lost first ball on opening tee shot. No one behind me so I searched for quite awhile with no luck fire my bright yellow ball. This has become the standard for rough at North and Willowcreek too. If they need workers why not post a want ad rather than lose their hard fought reputation for quality. Won't play here again until rough is resolved.

Love this course but can't play it again until they do better routine maintenance and mow the rough. This isn't a major, it's sun city golf.
Do not play here unless you can hit every fairway or bring your personal spotter.
Maybe after overseed in 2 months.

If I have to share a cart with someone I don't know then it's time to limit fivesomes to 3 carts or group too. Twosome behind 10 players in 10 carts; took as long to play last 4 holes as the first 14.
How about including cart with golfnow online fees again... like every other course but sun city.
Be nice to have rough mowed down every once in awhile instead of letting everything grow from now until overseed.

Booked thru GolfNow so I didn't pay the $110 listed. As a single they made sure I had my own cart (covid) which was comforting. When I got there I informed the starter I was willing to go early since I didn't know the group I was paired with. I was able to tee off 35 minutes early and after twosome on #2 waved me thru i sailed around the course in tight at 2 hrs. Fairways, greens and tees were in great shape. Never hit a bunker so can't describe them (obviously I didn't play Faldo course).
Haven't played here in awhile but will certainly return.

Talking Stick offers two courses and our booking was for the Piipaash (South) course. Unfortunately this is not guaranteed and the course can change your choice, which they did. Fortunately, due to high temps and low golfer numbers the staff was cooperative and allowed us to play as booked.
Piipaash was in great shape from tee to green. Provided yardage guide was very helpful in determining hole layout since we hadn't played it before.

Really do like the course but they let it get away from them this summer. Tee boxes like this require old metal spikes to hold your footing. Never seen unlevel, ungrassed cow patches this bad. Bunkers had noticeable shelves in them from lack of sand. Unplayable at best; some were even marked as such. Fairways were being verticut and several greens had maintenance vehicles on them during play.
Course is very nice most of the time but I wouldn't play here until they get back to better conditions.

Thought the higher price of $24 might have meant good course conditions. Ultimately, $10 would have been too much for today's round. Giant bunkers as hard as concrete. Fairways obviously thatched or aerated... but unsuccessfully. Sand and seed spread all over course. So thick in some places like being on the beach. Greens were in good shape but huge.
I've played several valley courses since the heat started and they've managed to keep conditions fair to good. GCU did not.

Despite the long drive thru Bell Rd traffic we always enjoy playing here. New 9 was closed so a bit disappointed but original layout never fails to impress. Sand was more like kitty litter but playable.
Starter was very flexible and allowed our twosome to tee off ahead of another twosome since we were ready to go. We saw that group again driving to 18th tee as they were driving to 14. Made for much better pace.

Normally nice track but too many bare spots in all fairways. Aeration in progress but not helping yet. Not enough flexibility in pro shop to improve pace of play. Three groups on front nine (foursome, single, twosome) and pace was set by very slow foursome. Excruciating especially in 110 degre heat.
Course will recover but I won't play it again until it does.

Love the course but if you want a perfect rating across the board either put more than a spoonful of sand in the bunkers or pave over them. As they are they are nearly unplayable, ruining an otherwise enjoyable round.

Course looks great after overseeding. Surprisingly not that crowded for a beautiful weekday afternoon. Staff, particularly Chaz/Chas, always pleasant and accommodating. Best deal in Sun City.