Arizona Golf Course Reviews

Reviews of Arizona golf courses are often so extensive that they require several pages to discuss fully. They can be found all over the best golfing websites, written by resident and visiting golfers alike. Let it suffice to say that I can only mention a couple of features about a handful of courses here.

Two top rated courses by world-famous designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr. are Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club (a public course in Cave Creek) and Las Sendas in Mesa, which has Equity Memberships available. Dove Valley is beautifully maintained and as elegant as any private course. With three water holes, a major handicap hole, a lesser handicap hole, traps on every hole, and spectacular views and greens, it's one not to be missed. Las Sendas used to be part and parcel of Tom Mix's dude ranch. Today at Las Sendas, it takes three, four or five rounds before a golfer can play the way he knows he can. The greens are described as slick and a player must be able to think, as well as hit the ball. Challenging and scenic, it's a must.

Two resorts each boast two upscale golf courses. Those at Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler are the designs of Gary Panks: Cattail and Devil's Claw are in terrific condition, the clubhouses are posh, and pro shops are stocked with class products. Read the professional reviews for highly detailed descriptions. Dinosaur Mountain golf course at Gold Canyon Golf Resort has repeatedly been called the number one public golf course in Arizona by Ranking Arizona Magazine. Its sister course is Sidewinder Golf Club, perhaps considered more of a resort-style experience by some, with two 18-hole championship courses. It has received its own four-star rating from Golf Digest Places to Play.

San Ignacio Golf Club in Green Valley

Some twenty miles south of Tucson, Green Valley's golf courses are more affordable than those in the city. San Ignacio was named after the land parcel--San Ignacio de la Canoa--that Mexico sold to the United States in 1854. Golfers enjoy the unusual visibility of this course (designed by Arthur Hills in 1989), where they can see everything before they swing. At least they're happy until they come up against the eighth hole--then they must be able to hit long and straight from an elevated tee down and through a narrow fairway. The signature hole is the 13th, which is a double dogleg. A 522-yard par five, it has elevated tees. Pay attention to the double lake along the left side.