Where To Play
Archive for February 2009
LA Open has Hollywood ending
Nice title, right? Actually, this year’s LA Open (Northern Trust Open?
Please) was very entertaining, but not quite a Hollywood ending. I’m
guessing most screenwriters would have Fred Couples winning, his balky
putter somehow coaxing the final putt to creep over the edge of the
cup, sending Phil back to Butch Harmon’s ranch in despair. Instead,
Phil managed a one shot victory, straightening his tee shots just in
time to catch the tour’s new “Can’t finish the deal” guy, Steve
Stricker.
Many interesting things developed during Sunday’s final round. Watching the TV guys dissect Phil Mickelson’s swing breaking down mid-round, it occured to me: Why do any of us try to play this game? Here’s one of the best players of all time, a 30-plus winner on the Tour, a 3 time major champion, and he is fighting his swing like it’s a rabid dog. He had Butch Harmon flown in after Friday’s even-par round to help him figure out what was wrong. Really? And I get mad when I play poorly after taking 3 months off, with a workout regimen designed by Krispy Kreme? What shot do any of us not named Eldrick have??
Yet, Phil fixed it, and managed to win. The hard part to watch was Freddie Couples on the greens. If there is one thing in golf I will never understand, (and there’s a lot) it’s how Fred can have the smoothest, most relaxed, fluid golf swings any of us have ever seen, but when he picks up a putter he morphs into a spasmodic 25 handicapper with Torret’s Syndrome. Typically a golfer’s putting stroke is a reflection of their full swing… i.e. Ernie Els, and the like. Not so with poor Freddie. If that wasn’t bad enough, he still had a chance to win coming down 18. He smokes a drive past his partners, has just a 9 iron into the green… and hits a tree. Hits a tree? Wow. The pressure of the win doesn’t seem to be agreeing with Mr. Couples’ senior years… but the Champions Tour is less than a year away. He’ll be fine.
The drama continued with another guy fighting his golf demons… Steve Stricker moved into the lead, only to have the driver turn on him as it did at the Bob Hope earlier this year, and as it did years ago when he fell of the face of the earth golfwise. If you read about his struggles back then, he had the yips with the driver so bad he felt he couldn’t hit the planet from the tee box. Kind of the reverse of the Freddie situation… Stricker is a world-class putter, yet fights his driver from time to time. If those 2 were in a scramble, look out.
The one bummer for me watching this week is the venue, Riviera Country Club. One of the best courses in the country, but very private. No room for you or I to play. How can it hold up against all of the other great California courses? It is a great design, with holes that are interesting without being too quirky. Like #6, a par 3 with a huge bunker in the middle of the green. You don’t see that every day. Then #8, with a split fairway, forcing more decisions off the tee. When mentioning decisions, no hole at Riviera forces them more than #10, a very short par 4 at right around 300 yards, but with a myriad of options on how to play it. I thought it was interesting that Couples, one of the longer hitters on the course, laid up with an iron all 4 days. He has a plan, and he’s sticking to it. The great part of the design is you can get it right up by the green with your drive and still make bogey. One of the great short holes, in all of golf. The greatest testament to the quality of Riviera? Look at the list of winners. Big-time players, most with majors. This is not a golf course where a johnny-come-lately can play sloppy golf and still get a win. It requires power and shotmaking… a rare combination today.
Many interesting things developed during Sunday’s final round. Watching the TV guys dissect Phil Mickelson’s swing breaking down mid-round, it occured to me: Why do any of us try to play this game? Here’s one of the best players of all time, a 30-plus winner on the Tour, a 3 time major champion, and he is fighting his swing like it’s a rabid dog. He had Butch Harmon flown in after Friday’s even-par round to help him figure out what was wrong. Really? And I get mad when I play poorly after taking 3 months off, with a workout regimen designed by Krispy Kreme? What shot do any of us not named Eldrick have??
Yet, Phil fixed it, and managed to win. The hard part to watch was Freddie Couples on the greens. If there is one thing in golf I will never understand, (and there’s a lot) it’s how Fred can have the smoothest, most relaxed, fluid golf swings any of us have ever seen, but when he picks up a putter he morphs into a spasmodic 25 handicapper with Torret’s Syndrome. Typically a golfer’s putting stroke is a reflection of their full swing… i.e. Ernie Els, and the like. Not so with poor Freddie. If that wasn’t bad enough, he still had a chance to win coming down 18. He smokes a drive past his partners, has just a 9 iron into the green… and hits a tree. Hits a tree? Wow. The pressure of the win doesn’t seem to be agreeing with Mr. Couples’ senior years… but the Champions Tour is less than a year away. He’ll be fine.
The drama continued with another guy fighting his golf demons… Steve Stricker moved into the lead, only to have the driver turn on him as it did at the Bob Hope earlier this year, and as it did years ago when he fell of the face of the earth golfwise. If you read about his struggles back then, he had the yips with the driver so bad he felt he couldn’t hit the planet from the tee box. Kind of the reverse of the Freddie situation… Stricker is a world-class putter, yet fights his driver from time to time. If those 2 were in a scramble, look out.
The one bummer for me watching this week is the venue, Riviera Country Club. One of the best courses in the country, but very private. No room for you or I to play. How can it hold up against all of the other great California courses? It is a great design, with holes that are interesting without being too quirky. Like #6, a par 3 with a huge bunker in the middle of the green. You don’t see that every day. Then #8, with a split fairway, forcing more decisions off the tee. When mentioning decisions, no hole at Riviera forces them more than #10, a very short par 4 at right around 300 yards, but with a myriad of options on how to play it. I thought it was interesting that Couples, one of the longer hitters on the course, laid up with an iron all 4 days. He has a plan, and he’s sticking to it. The great part of the design is you can get it right up by the green with your drive and still make bogey. One of the great short holes, in all of golf. The greatest testament to the quality of Riviera? Look at the list of winners. Big-time players, most with majors. This is not a golf course where a johnny-come-lately can play sloppy golf and still get a win. It requires power and shotmaking… a rare combination today.
The Big Wie-sy
The AT&T at Pebble Beach is always fun to watch… more for the
course than for the actual tournament. Especially this year, when the
weather went nuts to the point of canceling the final round, and they
just hand the trophy to Dustin Johnson. Here, take this. But I still
watch, mainly since I will never pay $450 to play any golf course,
Pebble or not. So since that was a dud of a finish, let’s talk about
the LPGA.
How bad is my golf addiction? Yes, I will watch an LPGA tournament. That puts me in the minority, but I would highly advise it for the average male golfer. You can really learn a lot from how the ladies play… most of them hit it about as far as you do, they don’t put crazy backspin on iron shots, and they have to lay up on most par 3’s… it is a similar game to what you might do on the course on a really good day. The good thing they do is manage their way around they course, and through just solid play they shoot 3 or 4 under without major fireworks. Still, most men apparently do not agree with me, and ratings are never that great for an LPGA event.
Enter… Michelle Wie! The Tiger-esque savior of that tour. She qualified through Q-school, and is a regular member of the tour now, not sporadically jumping through the schedule like in the past. If you watched the Golf Channel’s coverage of the SBS Open, you might have thought Wie has won as many majors as Annika, the way they were building her up. Then she held the lead going into the final round, and she’s going to break through for her first LPGA win!!! Except… well, let’s just say she’s not what you would call a closer. After #10 she held a 3 shot lead, and promptly hit it into a water hazard and made double bogey on the very next hole. For all of the hype around Wie, and her obvious natural ability, I’m not alone in questioning her mental strength down the stretch in tournament play.
Now, in her defense, she’s 19 years old. I had the mental strength of a turnip at 19, so who am I to judge. Plus, after watching the final round, other than that bad hole on #11, she actually played okay… but winner Angela Stanford played great. She really closed strong, and won the tournament rather than Wie giving it away. If they still held a second event in Hawaii, I would put money on Wie no question. Bottom line, she was putting great. She has always been solid tee to green, but average with her short game. If she putts as well as she did on Oahu, she will win fairly quickly. Plus, I stick to my theory that once she gets the monkey off her back and does win, she will win in bunches.
How bad is my golf addiction? Yes, I will watch an LPGA tournament. That puts me in the minority, but I would highly advise it for the average male golfer. You can really learn a lot from how the ladies play… most of them hit it about as far as you do, they don’t put crazy backspin on iron shots, and they have to lay up on most par 3’s… it is a similar game to what you might do on the course on a really good day. The good thing they do is manage their way around they course, and through just solid play they shoot 3 or 4 under without major fireworks. Still, most men apparently do not agree with me, and ratings are never that great for an LPGA event.
Enter… Michelle Wie! The Tiger-esque savior of that tour. She qualified through Q-school, and is a regular member of the tour now, not sporadically jumping through the schedule like in the past. If you watched the Golf Channel’s coverage of the SBS Open, you might have thought Wie has won as many majors as Annika, the way they were building her up. Then she held the lead going into the final round, and she’s going to break through for her first LPGA win!!! Except… well, let’s just say she’s not what you would call a closer. After #10 she held a 3 shot lead, and promptly hit it into a water hazard and made double bogey on the very next hole. For all of the hype around Wie, and her obvious natural ability, I’m not alone in questioning her mental strength down the stretch in tournament play.
Now, in her defense, she’s 19 years old. I had the mental strength of a turnip at 19, so who am I to judge. Plus, after watching the final round, other than that bad hole on #11, she actually played okay… but winner Angela Stanford played great. She really closed strong, and won the tournament rather than Wie giving it away. If they still held a second event in Hawaii, I would put money on Wie no question. Bottom line, she was putting great. She has always been solid tee to green, but average with her short game. If she putts as well as she did on Oahu, she will win fairly quickly. Plus, I stick to my theory that once she gets the monkey off her back and does win, she will win in bunches.
Pebble or No Pebble?
The AT&T at Pebble Beach was held this weekend, and the annual time
for me to wistfully stare at the TV, drooling over holes 7-11, is here.
Add to that the Golf Channel just had a top 10 show of “Top 10 Ocean
Courses”, and guess which was #1? Pebble. Now, if you know me, I’m
cheap. Really cheap. I was cheap in a good economy, and now I’ve become
the Uber-Costanza of cheapness. So, that begs the question… do I play
Pebble Beach?
Well, if you check their current rates, the answer is obvious. A round of golf is up to $495. For one round. Also, to get a tee time, you must stay at the resort. The cheapest room in the joint starts at $600 a night. So, to stay one night and play, you’ve dropped over a grand. Even in the best of economic times, no sir. Not going to happen. I know guys who have gone and say ‘Just bite the bullet, give them your credit card and don’t think about the money’, but that never seems to work for me. I can’t even stop thinking about the cost of my meal at a fancy restaurant, and that’s 100 bucks. How am I going to blow off a thousand dollar bill for golf?
Ok. So what if I’m down at the Monterey Peninsula? Well, all is not lost. For the cost of the room and one round, you can have a nice golf trip. Here’s my suggestion: Good golf can be had that will not kill your budget. First stop: 36 holes in Monterey at Bayonet and Black Horse courses. They were recently renovated, and should be in great condition. Rates start at $115, and after 1:00 it’s $95. The redesign was led by Gene Bates, who we know locally from designing Circling Raven.
For more good inland golf, head just south of Carmel to Carmel Valley. There’s another good 36-hole complex at Rancho Canada… good, solid golf that starts at $75, and again after 1:00 goes down to $35. That may be the best deal in the area. A bit further down the valley road is Carmel Valley Ranch, a Pete Dye design that also just underwent a major renovation. Whereas the Rancho Canada courses are fairly flat, CVR has wild elevation changes, with several huge downhill par 3’s, and lots of water and tight fairways. It’s maybe a bit steep at $145, but I would surely pay the twilight of $85. They also have good packages to stay and play, and a lot of the rooms are nice bungalows with fireplaces, for not too much dough.
Ok, so we’re on the Pacific coast, and we can’t play golf anywhere near the water? Other than some distant views from the Bayonet course, so far no ocean views. If you want them, but don’t want to sell a kidney, head to Pacific Grove, just north of the courses at Pebble Beach. There you’ll find one of the coolest muni courses in the country, Pacific Grove Golf Links. The first 9 was designed by Chandler Egan, who built Indian Canyon, and the back 9 was built later by the original designer of Pebble Beach. It shows, since the back 9 plays alongside the ocean, with views the whole time, and 3 oceanside holes. For $40, you will never play golf that close to the ocean. Now, this is not a full length course (only 5700 yards), with some short, kind of pitch and putt holes, but hey… you’re playing golf next to the ocean for 40 bucks. Can’t beat it.
Ok, time to bust the budget… a bit. The one deal I would go for in the courses at the 17 mile drive is twilight at Spyglass Hill. It’s still $175, and that’s a lot to pay when you may not finish the round before dark, but here’s why: Spyglass starts out with views of the ocean, and the early holes play right down to the water. The back 9 is good, but not oceanfront, so if you can’t finish, you still got the good holes in. So with that, taking the drive around the 17 mile dr, and going to get a beer at the taphouse at Pebble Beach… that might do the trick. Or, play one round at Pebble. Your choice.
Well, if you check their current rates, the answer is obvious. A round of golf is up to $495. For one round. Also, to get a tee time, you must stay at the resort. The cheapest room in the joint starts at $600 a night. So, to stay one night and play, you’ve dropped over a grand. Even in the best of economic times, no sir. Not going to happen. I know guys who have gone and say ‘Just bite the bullet, give them your credit card and don’t think about the money’, but that never seems to work for me. I can’t even stop thinking about the cost of my meal at a fancy restaurant, and that’s 100 bucks. How am I going to blow off a thousand dollar bill for golf?
Ok. So what if I’m down at the Monterey Peninsula? Well, all is not lost. For the cost of the room and one round, you can have a nice golf trip. Here’s my suggestion: Good golf can be had that will not kill your budget. First stop: 36 holes in Monterey at Bayonet and Black Horse courses. They were recently renovated, and should be in great condition. Rates start at $115, and after 1:00 it’s $95. The redesign was led by Gene Bates, who we know locally from designing Circling Raven.
For more good inland golf, head just south of Carmel to Carmel Valley. There’s another good 36-hole complex at Rancho Canada… good, solid golf that starts at $75, and again after 1:00 goes down to $35. That may be the best deal in the area. A bit further down the valley road is Carmel Valley Ranch, a Pete Dye design that also just underwent a major renovation. Whereas the Rancho Canada courses are fairly flat, CVR has wild elevation changes, with several huge downhill par 3’s, and lots of water and tight fairways. It’s maybe a bit steep at $145, but I would surely pay the twilight of $85. They also have good packages to stay and play, and a lot of the rooms are nice bungalows with fireplaces, for not too much dough.
Ok, so we’re on the Pacific coast, and we can’t play golf anywhere near the water? Other than some distant views from the Bayonet course, so far no ocean views. If you want them, but don’t want to sell a kidney, head to Pacific Grove, just north of the courses at Pebble Beach. There you’ll find one of the coolest muni courses in the country, Pacific Grove Golf Links. The first 9 was designed by Chandler Egan, who built Indian Canyon, and the back 9 was built later by the original designer of Pebble Beach. It shows, since the back 9 plays alongside the ocean, with views the whole time, and 3 oceanside holes. For $40, you will never play golf that close to the ocean. Now, this is not a full length course (only 5700 yards), with some short, kind of pitch and putt holes, but hey… you’re playing golf next to the ocean for 40 bucks. Can’t beat it.
Ok, time to bust the budget… a bit. The one deal I would go for in the courses at the 17 mile drive is twilight at Spyglass Hill. It’s still $175, and that’s a lot to pay when you may not finish the round before dark, but here’s why: Spyglass starts out with views of the ocean, and the early holes play right down to the water. The back 9 is good, but not oceanfront, so if you can’t finish, you still got the good holes in. So with that, taking the drive around the 17 mile dr, and going to get a beer at the taphouse at Pebble Beach… that might do the trick. Or, play one round at Pebble. Your choice.
Torrey Pines! Play a US Open Course
Have you ever been watching the US Open, the hardest test in
professional golf, and thought, “I could play that course.”? Well,
typically that will never happen, as the Open is usually played at
high-profile private courses, like Oakland Hills, Winged Foot, or
Shinnecock. However, the USGA has recently been holding the Open at
public courses, starting with a great course just down the road from
Shinnecock… Bethpage Black. The site of this year’s US Open. Last
year as well, the Open was held at Torrey Pines, just north of San
Diego in La Jolla, California.
Torrey Pines is a very scenic, oceanside golf facility that features 36 holes, both of which are in play during the annual Buick Invitational. The South course gets all the love, and it was the course the US Open was held at. It continues to be a tough test for the pros… it’s very long, almost 7800 yards, and when they keep the fairways narrow, with the many dogleg holes on the South, you need to be really striking the ball well that week. I would think many amateurs would actually prefer the North course… it’s much shorter, easier, and actually a bit more scenic than the South.
Certainly if you go, play both, but don’t snub the North course. At $90 midweek, it’s still a great deal. The South is $160 midweek, and $200 on weekends… and that might be a bit too much. Why? Well, yes, there’s some tournament history, and yes, the ocean views are great, but make no mistake: This is a municipal golf course, one of the busiest in the country. It’s very crowded, play is usually terribly slow, and course conditions are typically average at best. Sometimes it’s quite beat up. So, if you’re like me, and $200 is a lot to pay for a round of golf, think about getting a twilight deal. Or the best option… make friends with some locals. They pay $43 for the South course! One of the best deals in golf.
Of course, that’s deceiving as well. Just getting a tee time for the normal rate is almost impossible. They have a call-in lottery system that may be harder to hit than the actual lottery. The first time I played there I showed up at 4:30 AM, since tee times start at 8:00. I figured I would get on no problem… and found out I was 46th in line. Around 30 guys had slept in their cars in the parking lot to secure a spot in the morning. Luckily, I got with a 3some of locals who let me tag along. For the local rate, which then was $34. So now, with last year’s US open still in mind, I can’t imagine trying to secure a tee time that’s not a year in advance.
So - playing Torrey might be more trouble than it’s worth. Any other deals in the San Diego area? Well, if you want to see the water, head to Coronado Island… the Coronado muni course is never going to hold a US Open, but it’s a fun little track, and fees are $25. I think you can get an advance tee time for $38. Still a great deal. The Balboa Park course by the San Diego zoo is also a bit beat up, but can be fun to play, especially for $30. If you want the most bang for your buck, I would say Barona Creek is your bet. It’s a casino course (bet- get it?), which means no houses or condos on the fairways, and it’s a new, very scenic course for around $100 midweek. They held the Nationwide Tour Championship here for a few years, so it’s the real deal. Another good option on that side of town is Steele Canyon, a Gary Player design with 3 9’s that wander through the canyons, and rates will be around $120.
Torrey Pines is a very scenic, oceanside golf facility that features 36 holes, both of which are in play during the annual Buick Invitational. The South course gets all the love, and it was the course the US Open was held at. It continues to be a tough test for the pros… it’s very long, almost 7800 yards, and when they keep the fairways narrow, with the many dogleg holes on the South, you need to be really striking the ball well that week. I would think many amateurs would actually prefer the North course… it’s much shorter, easier, and actually a bit more scenic than the South.
Certainly if you go, play both, but don’t snub the North course. At $90 midweek, it’s still a great deal. The South is $160 midweek, and $200 on weekends… and that might be a bit too much. Why? Well, yes, there’s some tournament history, and yes, the ocean views are great, but make no mistake: This is a municipal golf course, one of the busiest in the country. It’s very crowded, play is usually terribly slow, and course conditions are typically average at best. Sometimes it’s quite beat up. So, if you’re like me, and $200 is a lot to pay for a round of golf, think about getting a twilight deal. Or the best option… make friends with some locals. They pay $43 for the South course! One of the best deals in golf.
Of course, that’s deceiving as well. Just getting a tee time for the normal rate is almost impossible. They have a call-in lottery system that may be harder to hit than the actual lottery. The first time I played there I showed up at 4:30 AM, since tee times start at 8:00. I figured I would get on no problem… and found out I was 46th in line. Around 30 guys had slept in their cars in the parking lot to secure a spot in the morning. Luckily, I got with a 3some of locals who let me tag along. For the local rate, which then was $34. So now, with last year’s US open still in mind, I can’t imagine trying to secure a tee time that’s not a year in advance.
So - playing Torrey might be more trouble than it’s worth. Any other deals in the San Diego area? Well, if you want to see the water, head to Coronado Island… the Coronado muni course is never going to hold a US Open, but it’s a fun little track, and fees are $25. I think you can get an advance tee time for $38. Still a great deal. The Balboa Park course by the San Diego zoo is also a bit beat up, but can be fun to play, especially for $30. If you want the most bang for your buck, I would say Barona Creek is your bet. It’s a casino course (bet- get it?), which means no houses or condos on the fairways, and it’s a new, very scenic course for around $100 midweek. They held the Nationwide Tour Championship here for a few years, so it’s the real deal. Another good option on that side of town is Steele Canyon, a Gary Player design with 3 9’s that wander through the canyons, and rates will be around $120.
Buick Open with no Tiger = a good time
This week’s PGA tournament at Torrey Pines in San Diego, the Buick
Invitational, is typically where Tiger Woods begins his play for any
given year. Of course, that was mostly due to his sponsorship with
Buick, which is no more. Maybe we’ll actually see him at the Mercedes
championship someday. Anyway, ratings will be down, and not much buzz
was seen at Torrey with no Tiger, but is that a good thing?
I
love watching Tiger play golf, but what I love more is a competitive
golf tournament. Watching Tiger win by 5 shots on a course that
obviously suits him very well… kind of boring. I enjoyed this week’s
contest a bit more, since, as usual, the leader slipped and let almost
5 guys back into contention. 2 guys playing a reachable par 5, tied for
the lead, to win? That’s good stuff. Congrats to Nick Watney for
holding up in the end, and for validating the win he had in New Orleans
a few years ago.
A few notes on the tournament: Is it just me,
or does it hurt to watch Camilo Villegas swing? I love his game, but
yikes! He’s like the anti-Ernie Els. That violent move he makes at the
ball through impact… I’m not sure he can keep that up as he gets
older. I forsee some swing changes for Camilo down the road, or his #1
sponsor will be Advil.
Of course, he always hits the ball
solid… did you see Luke Donald shank his tee shot on the par 3 8th
hole? Wow. Donald has one of the prettiest swings in the game, just a
classic move, but here just cold shanked it. Is it wrong of me to love
seeing that now and again? I know it’s sadistic, but seeing a tour pro
hit such a rotten golf shot gives the rest of us hope, I think. Plus, Luke made $160,000 this week, so I think he’ll be fine.
Another
shocking thing to see this week was Retief Goosen… putting with a
belly putter? Really? One of the smoothest putting strokes in the game
has wavered that much? To quote David Fehrety, if you do not have a
belly, you should not be allowed to use a belly putter. So either
smooth that stroke out, Retief, or hit the IHOP all-you-can-eat
flapjacks deal for a few weeks in a row.
Finally, you have to
feel for John Rollins. Again, he’ll have the $575,000 he made to salve
his wounds, but losing is always hard, especially when you give it away
like he seemed to. If I heard correctly during the telecast, he has
never won going into the final round with the lead. He’s always won
(twice) coming from behind. You would think having the lead would be
easier, but a lot of times it is not. After making eagle on #13, he all
of a sudden went from aggressive to protecting the lead… which can
turn into trying not to lose instead of trying to win. In the end,
though, I can’t root for a John Rollins. Why? He plumb-bobs every putt!
Hey, grampa, knock that off. If you need a better read, have Camilo
teach you his laying on the green thing he does. Man, that looks like
it hurts too! Everything that guy does is painful. Even the painter’s
cap he wears to play golf in.
TPC Scottsdale… worth it?
Hey! This week’s PGA event was held at TPC Scottsdale, a public course,
and you know I love when the big boys play a venue where you or I can
hack it up there and play almost the same game. Question is… is it
worth it? After all, you’re in Scottsdale, where you can’t spit without
hitting a fairway of some course in the area. Does the TPC merit your
time, and more importantly, your cash?
To clarify, I have spent pretty much zero time playing in the greater Phoenix area, so my info is from others, and my own research (I’ve planned about 8 trips to Phoenix, but it never seems to work out). That having been said, I would have to say no. Peak season (which is now) they want $272 to play… and that does NOT include tax! So, we’re talking $300 to play a fairly average desert-style course. I know it’s a tour stop, but really? There’s no oceanfront holes. No major championship was held there. There are 3 really good holes, and the rest are fairly ok. The 17th was pivotal this year, and that’s a testament to great design by Mr. Weiskopf. A short par 4, half the field can hit the green with a 3 wood. Too easy? Well, because of water in play, smart bunkering, and a crazy green, this is a classic risk-reward hole. You can drive the green and make eagle, but on Saturday and Sunday I saw plenty of bogeys made by guys in contention. Great hole. $300 great for me to play? I say no. Let’s face it… for most of us, a $300 greens fee better be for a bucket-list life-changing round of golf. You can do better… even in the Scottsdale area.
One suggestion… for deals, you have to be willing to drive. Some of the better golf is east of town. Out in Fountain Hills, there are a number of top-rated, yet cheaper options. The best is going to be We-ko-pa, a 36 hole facility on Native American land. Translation… there’s no houses on the course, and a casino nearby. It’s around $200 to play, but they always have specials running, especially in connection with the casino.
The other 36 hole option east of town is Gold Canyon golf resort… a bit older than We-ko-pa, but the Dinosaur Mt. course is consistently rated as one of the best in AZ. It has classic desert-style golf, and with more elevation changes than you’ll see in town. It costs $180, and the other course is around $100, but package deals there drop the price a lot. It’s worth the drive.
Of course, with such an abundance of golf in the area, I would also call a tee-time service if you are flexible on where to play. As with the Palm Springs area, several companies buy up the unused spots on the tee sheets at area courses and sell them at at least 50% off. I found several amazing deals just yesterday at Golfnow.com, one being a $90 round at the Boulders, which is another $275 greens fee in peak season. Those are booked online, so bring your laptop. Otherwise, call Stand By Golf, which is all done over the phone.
To clarify, I have spent pretty much zero time playing in the greater Phoenix area, so my info is from others, and my own research (I’ve planned about 8 trips to Phoenix, but it never seems to work out). That having been said, I would have to say no. Peak season (which is now) they want $272 to play… and that does NOT include tax! So, we’re talking $300 to play a fairly average desert-style course. I know it’s a tour stop, but really? There’s no oceanfront holes. No major championship was held there. There are 3 really good holes, and the rest are fairly ok. The 17th was pivotal this year, and that’s a testament to great design by Mr. Weiskopf. A short par 4, half the field can hit the green with a 3 wood. Too easy? Well, because of water in play, smart bunkering, and a crazy green, this is a classic risk-reward hole. You can drive the green and make eagle, but on Saturday and Sunday I saw plenty of bogeys made by guys in contention. Great hole. $300 great for me to play? I say no. Let’s face it… for most of us, a $300 greens fee better be for a bucket-list life-changing round of golf. You can do better… even in the Scottsdale area.
One suggestion… for deals, you have to be willing to drive. Some of the better golf is east of town. Out in Fountain Hills, there are a number of top-rated, yet cheaper options. The best is going to be We-ko-pa, a 36 hole facility on Native American land. Translation… there’s no houses on the course, and a casino nearby. It’s around $200 to play, but they always have specials running, especially in connection with the casino.
The other 36 hole option east of town is Gold Canyon golf resort… a bit older than We-ko-pa, but the Dinosaur Mt. course is consistently rated as one of the best in AZ. It has classic desert-style golf, and with more elevation changes than you’ll see in town. It costs $180, and the other course is around $100, but package deals there drop the price a lot. It’s worth the drive.
Of course, with such an abundance of golf in the area, I would also call a tee-time service if you are flexible on where to play. As with the Palm Springs area, several companies buy up the unused spots on the tee sheets at area courses and sell them at at least 50% off. I found several amazing deals just yesterday at Golfnow.com, one being a $90 round at the Boulders, which is another $275 greens fee in peak season. Those are booked online, so bring your laptop. Otherwise, call Stand By Golf, which is all done over the phone.
FBR - Phoenix Open
On tour this week was the FBR (Phoenix Open), played in Scottsdale in
front of the largest crowds all year for a tournament. If you watched
it, they love to show the 16th hole, a short par 3 that normally would
not be a big deal at all, except they pack almost 100,000 people around
the thing who have been boozing it up since breakfast. This leads to
the most un-golflike response to player’s shots… they scream like
banshees as the ball leaves the clubface - and sometimes before that -
and then if the player hits a bad, or even mediocre shot, he is booed!
And somehow, it works. I love it, and most people, even the players,
seem to agree.
This is odd, because if that happened on any other hole at at any other tournament, I would be outraged. I would demand those hillbillies be thrown off the course. Seriously, is there anything worse than someone hitting a tee shot, and then the primal scream that follows: “GET IN THE HOOOOLE!!!” If you have ever been that guy, please kill yourself. No one, not even your buddies, is impressed. Yet, it seems to happen every week on tour. I think that’s the difference at #16 on TPC Scottsdale… everyone is going to yell, and everyone knows it. It’s a joyful yelp for all to join in. Whereas, if you’re the lone guy screaming after a tee shot or putt, you’re a selfish jerk. You’re saying “Hey, isn’t that funny, what I just shattered your eardrums with?” Well, no. It may have been, the first 200 times it happened, but at this point you may as say “Hot enough for ya?” in July. Shut your mouth, and clap politely. Or, even better, go to that monster truck rally you’d rather be at anyway.
Anyway, Kenny Perry beat Charley “get a haircut” Hoffman this week in a playoff. As is the case almost every week, it fascinates me that the guys like Hoffman can destroy a golf course with a combination of power and touch around the greens, and yet can’t seem to get comfortable over any putt coming down the stretch. The 3 footer he missed on #17 really messed him up, because everything he hit after that needed more speed. The only one he should have hit with finesse was that short birdie putt, but he tried to ram it in. Once again we see why Tiger is the man on Tour… if he has any of those putts, you have no doubt they are in. Anyone else… even premier players… you cringe as they try to sneak in a winning putt. I think I’ll spend some time today putting in my living room. Beats chipping in the snowbank out back.
This is odd, because if that happened on any other hole at at any other tournament, I would be outraged. I would demand those hillbillies be thrown off the course. Seriously, is there anything worse than someone hitting a tee shot, and then the primal scream that follows: “GET IN THE HOOOOLE!!!” If you have ever been that guy, please kill yourself. No one, not even your buddies, is impressed. Yet, it seems to happen every week on tour. I think that’s the difference at #16 on TPC Scottsdale… everyone is going to yell, and everyone knows it. It’s a joyful yelp for all to join in. Whereas, if you’re the lone guy screaming after a tee shot or putt, you’re a selfish jerk. You’re saying “Hey, isn’t that funny, what I just shattered your eardrums with?” Well, no. It may have been, the first 200 times it happened, but at this point you may as say “Hot enough for ya?” in July. Shut your mouth, and clap politely. Or, even better, go to that monster truck rally you’d rather be at anyway.
Anyway, Kenny Perry beat Charley “get a haircut” Hoffman this week in a playoff. As is the case almost every week, it fascinates me that the guys like Hoffman can destroy a golf course with a combination of power and touch around the greens, and yet can’t seem to get comfortable over any putt coming down the stretch. The 3 footer he missed on #17 really messed him up, because everything he hit after that needed more speed. The only one he should have hit with finesse was that short birdie putt, but he tried to ram it in. Once again we see why Tiger is the man on Tour… if he has any of those putts, you have no doubt they are in. Anyone else… even premier players… you cringe as they try to sneak in a winning putt. I think I’ll spend some time today putting in my living room. Beats chipping in the snowbank out back.
