We just arrived home from a quick trip to Arizona to celebrate a couple of special birthdays with special people. While we were there we had the opportunity to play some great golf courses and wanted to share that experience with you. Phoenix and area is very busy and the traffic is horrendous especially at rush hour. Our first golf experience was about 45 minutes east of Mesa. The golf resort hotel has two 18 Hole Championship Golf Courses: Gold Canyon Dinosaur Mountain and Sidewinder. We played The Dinosaur Mountain golf course which is consistently rated one of the top courses in Arizona. The scenery was wonderful, and we saw lots of wildlife, roadrunners, beautiful birds, doves and lots of rabbits. No snakes thank goodness, but they were out there we were told. The dramatic elevation changes, brush grass, creosote bushes, cactus and desert
arroyos made for a very challenging golf experience. The greens were fast and relatively true. Some of the holes are jaw droppingly beautiful and offer great elevated views of the area. Try not to plug your ball in a cactus, we didn’t but we saw lots of cacti riddled with holes, some man made some bird made. The mountainous terrain, narrow fairways, undulating greens and desert arroyos demand accurate shots to score well. It was an unforgettable experience no matter what your score was. The staff were friendly and helpful, and we all enjoyed the 19th hole, great food, staff and friends.
We met an old friend at Las Sendas, Wayne McBean who also is a managing partner at Lakeside Greens in Chestermere. He and his brother
Lloyd came to Arizona 17 years ago. Las Sendas is located in Mesa and was about 30 minutes away from where we were staying. We thoroughly enjoyed this course, it was in great shape and every hole was interesting and challenging but playable. This is a beautiful course with fantastic views on every hole, we also encountered much wildlife. Most of us stayed on the fairways because in desert golf there is not much grass in the rough. However a few of us took a complete tour of some of the holes including the bunkers that were plentiful. Greens rolled very quickly and true, we really enjoyed them. Our first outing ended at the end of the 9th due to a major thunder storm but we got to go back and played the 18 and loved our experience. The staff were very helpful and friendly and this was my favorite because I had the best game I have had for a while.
Last but certainly not least was We Ko Pa (Four Peaks Mountain) a landscape inhabited by the O’Odham and Piipsssh. This was definitely my favorite and I (Kristy) was so sorry my side kick was not feeling well and missed playing this beautiful track. The Head Pro was very understanding and you couldn’t ask for a more friendly starter. He helped get us rearranged so that we could go out in two groups of 3, and was full of information about the course, land, area and the people.
There are two award winning golf courses both named for cactus set in the Sonoran Desert just outside Scottsdale. They are uniquely different as there are no homes, roads or businesses of any kind. It is just you, your ball and the sounds and sights of nature that sets them apart.
Cholla – cylindropuntia a genus of cacti, known for their barbed spines that tenaciously attach to skin, fur & clothing. The “jumping cacti” Mel talked about and Saguaro – tree like cactus.
We played Cholla and some say the toughest which we did wonder as we approached the first hole. Greeted by a cactus wren and an elevated tee box with a dramatic waste bunker awaiting us, but all my group hit the fairway missing that huge bunker.
The Cholla Course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club offers a dramatic test of golf that plays through shady arroyos, over desert ridges and amid some of the most picturesque Sonoran Desert on the planet. For this reason, Cholla is widely considered as one of the most pristine desert golf experiences in the Southwest with nothing to spoil the sweeping views of the nearby river valleys, Red Mountain, Four Peaks and the rest of the majestic Superstition Mountains. The aesthetic charm of Cholla appeals to golfers just as much as its strategic challenge. There are some forced carries and clear landing areas – especially on par-5 second shots – but good golf shots will always be rewarded.
Hasta la Vista Arizona