The Kokopelli Golf Stance

6732 Yds, Par 72, 119 Slope, by Arthur Jack Snyder.

Golfweb.

They Say:
Cave Creek is Phoenix's most popular municipal golf course, with about 100,000 rounds played annually. Started in 1983 as a landfill reclamation project, Cave Creek Golf Course is a pioneer of sorts in environmental golf course design. Success stories like Cave Creek prove that these sites can be put to worthwhile and environmentally friendly uses - good news for all concerned.

Note that Snyder has also done the Wailea Blue Course and Mountain Shadows here in the Valley. This is a great walking course, but not for those that define a good walking course as one without any hilly challenges. I would call it a very good desert links layout, tho' so many of the holes run North/South -- it never seems boring. We were told that it is much more "mogully", bumpy, hillocky than it used to be, due to subsidence in parts of the landfill. What is left are some amazingly tortured fairways with knobs and swales that can make a good shot roll offline or take a devastating bounce . . . and the greens! The greens were tiered in the first place, but now, some of them have been twisted and scalloped by "nature" in ways that Heckenkemper nor Von Hagge & Devlin ever dreamt.

Mr. Science & I both liked this course to the point of overrating it, perhaps, as a 3. He showed his standard consistency, 46-45=91; I, 46-48=94. The greens tore us up, tho' Mr Science felt with another round he could overcome his discomfort. I had at least 9 3putts, and I'm not so sure. I don't know when I've had so many 3putt bogeys and double-bogeys. But then, I haven't putted well since the scopion stung my thumb 2 months ago.

On the front 9, Mr. Science had a sandy par (#2) and a sandy bogey he was proud of on #9, a birdie on # 3, and a chip-in par on #8, the #1 handicap hole. He pulled his drive short left WELL off the elevated fairway, then hacked his ball over to the gravelly desert sand short right of the green, then poked a scottish bump-&-run over the green into the mounds on the left side of the green, and THEN, after watching me and one of our playing partners roll putts around the big bowl in the middle of that green, calmly chipped in with a 7iron, I think, from like 35 feet. But "nothing was happening," he reported, "on the back 9".

#8 was my only par on the front 9: I lambasted a tight draw down the middle to just left of the 150 yd. pole, then pureed a knock-down 7-iron towards the Red Flag on the ostensible front of the green over to the fringe on the left side, not that far from where Mr. Scince wound up; I made one of the many great lag putts I made all day and somehow made the 3 foot slider for my Par.

#13, the par 3 shown in the picture up above was my best shot of the day, a 180 yd 4iron pin high in the middle of the green, but what the picture doesn't show is how the right side of that green is sunken 1.5 or 2 feet below the middle, and maybe 4 feet from the far-left side of the green, so a 2-putt par was still fantastic -- I made a great lag put there that almost went in, but trying to make birdie would have just been the first of a 3putt.

I sort of remember the tortured fairways and heinous greens on the front 9, but #8 & #9 are really the only ones I remember clearly. The Back 9, however, especially from #12 on, one has to admit are just beautiful holes.

On # 10 -- while we waited for the fairway to clear, Mr. Science gave us all a sand lesson, since we were all marveling at the buried lie sand shot he'd played so well on #9: he dug it out, got it over the lip, and put plenty of roll on it, then made the putt to save bogey, but it's too long to go into here, maybe we'll post that later --

On # 10, the short par 4, I foozled my drive -- the one resolution I had after the last few weeks was NOT to foozle ANY drives -- oh, well -- but I kept my composure and hit a jaw-dropping perfect little 5wood draw onto the green off a slice lie, but I was still 50 feet and 3 putts away on that huge left-to-right sloping green. Even after watching the others putt, I couldn't make myself borrow enough against the break.

These, BTW, have to be the largest greens and bunkers I have ever seen on a muni. The bunkers are kinda funky looking and filled with that nasty sand that the City apparently gets a bulk deal on, but they were very well maintained. Nobody, even me can use the sand as an excuse for a bad shot.

On # 11, an intimidating looking par 5, 521 yds, fairway elevated from junk on the left and some water on the right, I hit a fantastic drive that left me with only 240 yards to the green, but a down hill lie, so I semi-chunked it. I still only had 110 to the green, but for like the 3rd time that day I left my wedge short of the green, chipped miles past the pin, then three-putted trying to get back down to the cup.

#12 is a sharp dogleg right short par 4, with HUGE Gum trees guarding the dogleg. One has to wonder why, when you can SEE the 150-post right in front of you in the middle of the dogleg fairway, why anyone would ever go into those trees, but three of us did, and none of us could rescue a par from there.

#13 is that gorgeous par 3 illustrated above.

#14 is a straightaway long par 4 to a down hill fairway guarded by more huge Gum trees and water. I got behind a tree, hit my safety in the water, bladed my wedge into a trap, took 3 to get out for a 9. Mr Science parred this hole, so I think I just blew a tire. I still think its a very attractive, woodsy hole, but I had to grab a handfull of eucalyptis leaves to revive myself.

#15 is another, shorter par 4 with Gum trees, but no water, but I skulled my way to a 6, anyway.

on # 16, Mr. Science broke out the beers and thus restored, I resolved to par into the house to reclaim my round. I hit a good drive down the right side, and so did Mr. Science. I tried to draw a 5 wood away from the trees on the right into the middle of the fairway, but it went straight into them; Mr. Science tried to fade a ball around the trees on the right but the wind blew it back into the trees anyway. As we walked up, I said, of the ball we could see, "Gee that's a horrible lie, under the tree and behind the water!" all the while thinking it was my ball, but it was Mr. Science's. Mine was sitting in the muddy edge of the water hazard. Mr. Science hit a great shot somehow, that rolled up onto the green, say 30 feet from the pin. I too hit a rather good shot, using a de-lofted PW to pick the ball clean out of the mud that rolled from the front of the green to 18 ft past the pin. I claimed a par there, but Mr Science took a bogey.

on #17, a 208 yd. uphill par 3, I hit a beautiful tight draw 5wood that disappeared over the front lip of the green. Mr. Science was left of the green, pin high. Now this green deserves discussion: it might be that the subsidence has exaggerated the design of this green just a touch too much. The pin was sitting in a swale 8 feet below the front and left side of the front 1/3 of the green. I just made a wave past the ball with my putter to get it rolling and it rolled 5 feet past the pin. Mr. Science just coughed into his hand behind his ball and it rolled down the gully 8 or 10 feet past. I did get my par, but Mr. Science had another bogey.

#18 is an awkward tee shot over the cave creek wash, similar to a hole at the TPC (#5?) where the fairway seems go off at a wierd angle from the t-box. How much to bite off? Our playing partners were trying to get us to aim at the trap on the left, but that would mean flying the ball 280+, we figgered later. So we aimed right of that and I wound up about 10 yds back of the 150 pole, and Mr. Science about 200 yds away. The wind was behind us. Mr. Science hit a choke-down 3wood into the mounds on the right side front of the green. . . the ball kicked hard left, rolled over the front, disappeared from view. . . "Watch it, Watch it!" cried our partners as we stood on tip-toe trying to see. Then his ball slowly rolled back into view, past the pin, 12 ft left.

"I meant to do that!" said Mr. Science.

Flush with confidence in my mission to par-into-the-house, I hit a choke down 5iron off my launching pad mound lie that flew impossibly high, landed on the front of the green, rolled out of sight into a swale, then reappeared rolling past the pin, 18 ft. Oh, just, GREAT, another dang downhill putt, another 3 putt for me, going for the birdie. Mr. Science finished with a flourish, a lip-out birdie, settling for a par.

Mediocre breakfast sandwich. Above average Pro Shop.

No, I didn't compete, nor score, nor assist . . .

I just unwittingly signed up to play Saturday Afternoon AFTER the tournament. So the main story line here is the difference between playing in 2 hours at Sanctuary yesterday in 113 degree heat vs. the 4 1/2 hour round at Cave Creek in 115 degree heat . . . .

brutal golf, I am sure you will agree, if you admit such an oxymoron as "brutal golf" . . . especially for those competitors, who were still walking . . . 8^0 . . . one of our 4some quit after 9holes . . . he was walking with a handcart, but it was too hot for him . . .

we were the first group out after the tournament . . . I don't know if they seeded the tournament with these awful afternoon tee-times for the, um, er, expected non-contenders, or what . . . but on the par3 #13 we had to wait a while while the entourage in front of us looked for lost balls -- one has to wonder, even with the longer-than-usual rough, how tournament contenders could lose balls on a par3, but eventually one very unhappy young fella came walking back toward the tee, bouncing his golfball on his wedge . . . when he dropped the ball along the way, he just flipped it back up in the air and started bouncing it again without even really breaking stride . . . I mean, he's hitting a wedge 165 yds . . . this is a young man of great talent having a bad hole . . . he hit his 3rd shot, by my count, onto the left front corner of the green, off the hump by the bunker there, so that it kicked straight towards the hole . . . I tho't sure he'd salvage 4, but he missed that short putt too . . .

then on #16, we had to wait again, as we could see the entourage walking back and forth thru the long rough left of the fairway . . . right where I try to thread my tee shot thru to cut the corner and leave a good look at that green . . . sure enough, the same young man had to come back to the tee to hit again . . . we told him that we tho't we had seen his Nike ball in our fairway coming up on #15, where he'd apparently not looked, and he wanted to go back and look for it, but the marshal warned him he might be close to his 5 minute limit already, so he hit -- I think -- a provisional with the idea that he could have a quick look over there afterwards . . . I am entirely uncertain about the official rules in this area . . . apparently, he hit exactly the same shot as before, from his exasperated ejaculation, but to us it was an amazing shot: a concussive blow with a trajectory over the great tree that guards the inside of the small dogleg left on that hole.

both courses' greens had been aerated recently: Sanctuary's had been top-dressed, but if Cave Creek's were, it was so long ago the sand had disappeared . . . both were disagreeably difficult, to me, but I guess Cave Creek was good enuff for competition, as deemed by the AGA -- I can't find any media coverage of it that might include player's comments, which would have been interesting to me . . .

the tournament played #2 and #16 as par4s, with the tees moved up to the white's position . . . I still didn't reach either in 2, due to errant driving, which I attribute to the heat, the slow(ish) play, and my golfing companions less-than-perfect golf etiquette . . . I know, I know . . . one should not be distracted, and they were nice enough guys, and who am I -- club thrower & curser that I am -- to throw, er, uh, clubs at them . . . what can I say . . . it's hard enough for me to keep the poodle on the leash, if you know what I mean, without such distractions.

I wound up with a 44-46=90, no birdies, 6 missed birdie putts, 1 lip-out birdie chip, 3 pars, and a buncha missed par putts, I say due to the greens condition, but I had loose driving to blame, too, plus a tendency to back-slide into chunks & blades with my irons at inconvenient times, too.

6743 Yds, Par 72, slope 125, by Jack Snyder

Golfweb

They Say: "Ken McDonald is one of the most active and reasonably priced 18hole par 72 championship golf courses in the metropolitan Phoenix area with a full service restaurant and bar. Location . . . The golf course was built in 1974 and designed by the famous local architect Jack Snyder. Services include professional golf instruction, club fitting, club repairs and special event planning."

It says something that this course is not as interesting as Cave Creek, also designed by Jack Snyder . . . whether this is a reflection on the evolving talents of the architect as he matured, or, that Cave Creek built on a dump still makes a better layout than Ken McDonald, I can't say.

We rated it a solid 3, in relatively good shape and certainly not entirely unimaginative, but the only holes that stuck in my mind were the last two:

#17 downhill par 3, not quite 200 yds, with water looming on the right. I missed my birdie from below the hole about 8 ft, and Mr Science missed his from 3 . . . by that time we were so ground down by the bristly, slow greens we hardly even grimaced.

#18 is a rather amazing hole, a moderately lengthed par 4 dogleg right around a lake. The tee shot is one of those that preys on the mind. On this, our first time on it, we had no idea how far a drive should go, and how much room there was in the landing area between the water on the right and the trash on the left. Mr Science had a shot sort of in the fairway, but on the slope down to the water that kept him from hitting a solid 2nd shot. He was unable to get up and down from the fairway in front of the green, but it was close. I pulled my drive left to the outside of the dogleg in the patchy rough -- almost in trouble, but with a clear, long look at the green. I chunked my 5 iron in a way that I tho't was impossible, and it trickled just over the sand trap in the corner of the dogleg, down a steep, bare slope almost to the reedy creek. I hit an amazing choke down half-a-7iron out of the woods onto the green for a 2-putt bogey.

I had a 46-43=89, which was almost acceptable -- except that I'd started the back 9 with 3 straight pars, and so flush with my success I was looking forward to the par 5 #13 -- but the ol' jamais vu hit me in the middle of my backswing -- it felt like I was holding the wrong end of the club -- and I had to stop in the middle like Tiger when the photogs get crazy.

"Ah, well!" Mr Science felt called upon to interject into this "teaching situation" with young Aaron with whom we shared our round, "You see: in his crouch, Cactus can't get the club upright like this," as he demonstrated his own perfect form. I couldn't help but listen at first, but then I plugged my ears and chanted, "LALALALALALALALALA" till I saw him stop talking. So naturally, nothing would do but that I hack my way down the fairway like I was cutting weeds with a yoyo, finishing with a snowman. But it was just that one hole where I fell apart. Bogies the rest of the way in, except for #17, of course.

I hadn't realized then that Mr Science was on an historic roll of his own at that point: he birdied 10, 12, 13, & 14, which was the best 5 holes he'd ever had and the best start to a 9 he'd ever had. If he'd only made that putt on #17, that would have made the most birdies in a round he'd ever had. Even so, he carded a 42-35=77 -- pretty good for 6700 yds and a slope of 125!

This was the first time I'd played in 2 weeks, so breaking 90 is all I could ask for . . . it must have been the prize winning brekky I scarffed before the round in my normal training regimen. This egg sandwich was so lightly toasted, the egg was so perfectly fried, and the monterey jack cheese lent a unique spicy deliciosity that this sandwich seriously challenges for the Best in the Valley.

6712 Yds, Par 72, Slope 123, by Gary Panks

Golfweb

They Say: Dobson Ranch Golf Course is an 18-hole championship golf course featuring mature landscaping and large greens. Twice voted Best Public Golf Course by readers of a popular Valley entertainment guide, golfers appreciate the excellent course condition and playability.

[Can you believe that's the picture they use to advertise themselves?]

This'd be more like the low-end Muni efforts by Gary Panks, than the more exotic opportunities he has had. It's still a nice course, similar in condition to Apache Creek, and almost as flat, but with tons more trees and no desert transition areas . . . a park-style course in the old Phoenix mold.

The Clubhouse complex deserves mention: it is huge, with several outbuildings, including one for club repair (I couldn't tell if it was ever open); the driving range is also rather commodious; there are two practice greens, and if the whole course was a lush as this area, it would be a very fine resort facility. The Ranch House Restaurant and Bar which serves the golf course instead of the caddy-shack kind of operation was a little strange, full of antiques and bric-a-brac like it'd been decorated by a bunch of little old ladies, but the corned beef hash was mighty tasty and my old club in Houston had a piano bar, so, who is to say what's right?

But despite being suitably fortified and "warmed up" by playing the day before at Apache Creek, I couldn't get started well playing consistent until the 8th hole, from there on out, I had 7 pars; something about shortening my backswing and swinging under control, I guess. I wound up with a 52-44=96. Which didn't feel great, but a heckuva lot better than the daylong torture the day before. Note that back 9 is 500 yds shorter than the front nine, tho'.

Mr. Science Reminisces: Another good round, overall, but much less consistent. Better ball-striking even than yesterday, but the putting was lacking. I arrived at the 18th tee having made 10 pars and one birdie, but 6 over par and thinking I was 5 over. 65 yards from the pin in 2 on the par-5 18th, needing to get up and down to, I thought, again equal my best. 55 yards from the pin in 3, thinking I can still break 80 even with a double bogey. Shot 80.

Yeah, I remember that last hole. While Mr. Science floundered there, I finished strong. Condition-wise this course has it all over the other Phoenix-area Munis, but that doesn't make it a better golf course than Cave Creek, Aguilera, or Papago.

6016 Yds, Par 70, Slope 134, by Bill Johnston

(this is an impressive list of course-designs, even tho' few: The Dominion in TX is a celebrated layout in San Antonio, The Pointe at LookOut Mountain is Great, too).

Golfweb

They say: "RANCHO MANANA GOLF CLUB, located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert in historic Cave Creek, Arizona, features a par 70, championship course with dramatic elevation changes and unspoiled desert terrain. Our stunning, high desert course invites you to match your skills against nature while enjoying the unparalleled and unforgettable surrounding desert. It's where Mother Nature plays!"

This round was Important. We, Mr. Science & I, are on a quest, not only to play all Phoenix Golf Courses, but to rate them, rank them, and analyze why we like the ones we do. I think Mr. Science likes We-Ko-Pa again as #1, but he ranks 8 as being in the #1 category. Not very scientific, I sniff, and incorrect, since there can be only 1 #1, and that #1 is Rancho Manana. Would Rancho Manana meet this challenge and retain its premier ranking with this Steely-Eyed & Flinty-hearted golf blogger? Keep Reading.

Mr. Science & I agree, not on so many issues, but absolutely on the important issues, such as, "How should one devote all of one's available spare time?" (Playing Golf is the only correct answer) We agree on our Calvinistic approach to golf (we do not admit that there is any other way than this true Paganican Life, but we do see there are many who fall short and we forgive them), but also, a generosity of spirit that makes our Quest an enjoyable one. All in the spirit of Inquisitiveness of Thoreau: "I am wealthy in sunny days, and I have spent them lavishly." And like Thoreau, we intend to do it economically.

Mr. Science is excellent at scoping out the bargains on the internet, from GolfNow and AZCentral, and half-a-dozen other daily emails he gets. Sometimes we get free rounds as raffle prizes at tournaments, or answer trivia questions right at some Par 3 challenge, or once, just once, I won a contest from AZCentral for a golf course review. Saweeeeet! The prize was this round at Rancho Manana.

Manana means "tomorrow" -- usually in the context of indolent procrastination, but when I was young, we often traipsed eastward to Ft. Worth, to see a show at Casa Manana, a theatre in the round. There, manana means "the Future", in a sort-of avant garde sense. Rancho Manana might mean, then, a kind-of Never-Never-Land, a golfer's paradise.

I love the whole gestalt of Rancho Manana neighborhood, which is mostly huge adobe-style Casa Grandes. The clubhouse is very nice, part of a complex of buildings that includes the Tonto Restaurant, but nothing is opulent, like the Phoenician Resort, just comfortable. We enjoyed the Cowboy-Golfers Prints they had framed around the pro shop.

We checked in and in our regular habit, Mr Science went off to bust a bucket while I warmed-up over lunch. I sat in the shade of a large tree on the patio outside the half-way house that sits on Hole 11 by the club house, eating my ordinary cheeseburger & chips lunch. We were taking comp-time again after a grueling weekend of work, and I found it very restful.

They called us early to the tee, so I didn't even have time to putt. I went on over to the First Tee and met our playing partners, Otis & Janelle. I could tell immediately by their cultivated accent that they were from the South: Virginia. Otis was great to play with, and Janelle was knowledgeable, just, apparently unwilling to take on the challenge.

<-- These Helpful Hints are English Bull, they seem to make sense, but really they are useless. Otis birdied the first hole, his only one. But I hooked my 5 iron approach (after a very weak drive) into Andoral Wash, left of the fairway, which cost me a triple bogey, all told. See, it seems like good advice, but the thing is, after #1, you can't hit it anywhere but the fairway or you are in trouble.

I chunked a couple approach shots on #2 from steep downhill lies, while Mr. Science went over the green and Otis flew over the green into the creek behind the green.

#3 is the first time the inevitable claustrophobia grabs hold. From the back tee it seems all you're looking at are pock-marked saguaros, then the green is elevated and tilted severely right-to-left. It doesn't look like a ball will stick, and the cavernous traps guarding the green look huge.

#4 is the hardest hole in Phoenix. It is definitely in the 18 Best, no matter if AZCentral says different -- I think it's the best hole in Phoenix. And it's one of, if not THE, most beautiful hole in Phoenix.

This picture shows my normal POV for my approach (in the desert on the left, the wrong side of the dogleg). Mr. Science figgers it's 60 feet uphill for the tee shot, then another 60 ft uphill for the approach. With the cross-hazard and the desert encroaching in on the fairway that tee shot is daunting, but it seems impossible to approach the green successfully from a steeply uneven lie to such an elevated green. With the wind we had that day, it was very complicated calculus to reckon the right club. Tough green, too.

#5 is a testy Par 3, long & narrow, a little downhill, with a green surrounded by trouble behind and left. The comical look on Otis' face when he realized his chip had rolled past the pin, off the green, and into the hidden back bunker made us laugh -- he may have misjudged the course after that opening birdie, even tho' we told him what to expect.

#6 is a short par 5, narrow, but downhill, so reachable in 2 for even me, but you have to have an A game to hit that green, protected as it is in the front with a large, LARGE bunker. I left my 4 iron shot just on the cusp of that bunker, cuz I knew there was no way this duffer was going to float a 5 wood over that bunker onto the green, but it wasn't until my little pitch over the trap rolled all the way across that green that I realized the green sorta slopes away from the fairway, too. Mr Science had sorta fanned his drive over into the grassy mounds along the right rough, then sorta squibbed his 2nd shot into the rough on the right again, but his 3rd shot from 70 yds almost knocked the pin down.

"Did I ever told you," I asked Mr Science, "how much it irritates me that you get inside my ball from further away?"

"Why, yes, I believe you have," Mr Science replied mildly.

But I eyeballed that little putt, 18 ft from the 2nd fringe -- this has been my specialitie lately -- and sure enough, holed it anyway for my birdie. Mr. Science burned an edge with his for a tap-in par.

"Doesn't that eat away at you," I teased Mr Science, "that I got my birdie from off the green and you missed an almost-a-gimmie?"

"Not at all!" declared Mr Science, "I am happy for you to get a birdie; I am rooting for you to make birdies!"

Well! didn't that make me feel a bout a foot tall?

Then I heard him say under his breath, "Besides it will stop your whining, for a while." 8^D

#7 is an awe-inspiring downhill par 3, with nothing but trouble all around. Enamored of my birdie, natcherly, I wound up over the green and bogeyed.

#8 I felt I was on my game now and confidently drove the ball into the fairway on the short par 4 . . . actually toooooo close, because that left a thin lie pop up pitch over the large and deep sand traps. My little quarter-wedge lob shot came a foot short from perfection, which meant failure. Bogey.

#9 is so similar to #7 that the deja vu is debilitating. But this hole is a club shorter; the green shows its thin side to the tee, unlike 7; the green has a long deep bunker down each side. I was in the trap, made a great sand shot, but missed the 8 footer. Bogey.

#10 is a par 5, right next to #18 . . . the only really dangerous part of the course as the people on 18 can't see any fairway except #10, so that's where they hit. There's a tree in the middle of the fairway that interferes with both your 2nd & 3rd shots, just messing with your head. It feels very narrow between the houses and the desert mounds separating 10 & 18. Bogey.

#11 is an apparent nothing hole, #18 handicap, 126 yds par 3 next to the halfway house. I'd sat and watched 4 groups come thru while I ate lunch. Not half the golfers hit the green. Not a quarter made par. Neither did I.

#12 restores one's sense of claustrophobia, this time with houses on the left and desert on the right. It's really pretty wide, but if your drive is sufficiently inhibited, you can't reach the way-downhill-green, protected by the arroyo in front, traps on the sides and a creek bed in back.

#13 introduces a lake into the paranoia. The very narrow fairway is squeezed by the Desert on the left and the water on the right, there's room, but it doesn't feel like it. I hit a good drive but wound up on the side of a knob, trying to hit a half-wedge downhill into the wind. Pin-high, but off the green . . . bogey.

#14 is another short par 3, 148 yds, over water, and the green looks like it is sticking out into nothing, elevated as it is over a ring of sand-traps with a backdrop of reeds. I pulled my shot into one of the bunkers, and the ball rolled up right against the bulkhead. Double bogey.

All this time I feel like I'm playing good, but events conspire against me -- the surest sign of a good course I know. . . meanwhile Mr. Science is cruising along, making pars, but fewer on the back 9 than the front.

#15 apparently fooled all 3 of us somehow, both Mr Science and Otis were off in the lake on the right, and I was just a few yards away myself, but dry. . . There's plenty of room over on the left, but also out-of-bounds. This fairway has a huge bowl in it that might make for some interesting shots. I'd like to find out someday. A Freakishly good chip got me a tap-in par.

#16 seems like a dangerous place, just to the left and below the 13# tee. This beautiful par 5 swoops in a graceful curve right, dares you to cut the corner guarded by trees gorged on creek water. Mansions looming over the left side of the fairway give you that claustrophobic feeling again, but there is room. I actually clipped a saguaro with my drive that caromed back into the fairway. I babied a 3 wood down to where I could see the green. But the large traps in front made me play long over the green again. 2-putt par.

#17 is another par 3 like # 14 in that there's no obvious trouble, but the foreboding persists. It looks like a simple shot with no hazards, but the giant bunkers guarding the green and the way the green surface slopes right-to-left, looks like it won't hold a shot. I hit a hosel-push into the sandtrap. Double Bogey.

#18 tee shot is an act of faith: that there will be a fairway for your ball instead of the desert mounds on the left and houses on the right. After 2 days of practice, I confidently hit it to theoretical postion A. OK. I pulled my second shot over some trees on the left, away from the water, short of the arroyo in front of the green, which I knew was there but couldn't see. Then I flat foozled my pitch shot to the green into the trap. Bogey.

Even in the wind, on these treacherous greens, on a course 19 slope points higher than the course we played yesterday, Arizona Traditions, we both scored better: I had an unusually symmetrical 45-45=90, with 3 pars & a birdie; Mr. Science, an unusually unsymmetrical 40-44=84, with 8 pars.

I have not changed my mind. I still think Rancho Manana is the # 1 course in Phoenix. It is as beautiful as any other course, has as beautiful scenery, has golf values the equal of any, has the #1 hole in the valley, has wind, water, sand, desert, trees, cactus, elevation changes, velvet fairways, fluffy-sandy traps, variety, tortured greens.

The juxtaposition of Rancho Manana to Arizona Traditions is telling, I think. They are both short-ish courses, Par 70, but Golf at Rancho Manana is an otherwordly experience, comparatively.

The lopsided (34-36) design works to the advantage of the charm of Rancho Manana, rather than appearing as a negative.

The par 5s are all unique and distinctive.
The par 3s, on the other hand, 3 to each side, resemble each other either as a similar or an opposite: #7 & #9 are both long and hugely down hill; # 14 & #17 seem like short uphill opposites to those; #5 and #11 are the 17th & 18th handicap holes.
The par 4s are the holes that seem the most constricted, these holes are the essence of Rancho Manana:
#2, #3, #4,#8, #12, #13 are each a great hole in its own right.

The mixture of those par 4s with the unique par 5s and the rhyming par 3s makes a very good design. I like the 5-3-4, 4-3-4, 5-3-5 back 9. The course is laid out very intelligently to take advantage of the terrain, which, as Mr Science says, you wouldn't believe could hold a golf course until you saw it there.

A course you could play everyday forever without getting bored: A Golfer's Never-Never-Land.

Just a word about the Tonto Restaurant: It is excellent. Mrs. Science & Mrs. Cactus drove up to join us for dinner there after our round. The men had the NY Strip cooked with bleu cheese; the ladies had the Tenderloin Medallions. We drank Tontoritas (which use orange juice instead of Triple Sec).

Click on the gold "Rancho Manana" at the top to link to the golf course web site . . . check out the photo gallery.

Played twice last weekend: on Saturday, with just Mr Science at Cave Creek, then on Sunday, with Ms Science & Ms Cactus.
We hadn't played in a coupla weeks, since we scored at the Safeway last week, so my expectations were low . . . at least for the front9, especially on the short game, but I was on fire with the flat stick -- just as I had been when we had finally gotten back to Poston Butte a few weeks ago . . . there, to start off, on the first 3 holes I was 1 under, with 3 putts, and then I chipped in to save bogey on #4 . . . I didn't expect to finish 6 under for 18, and I didn't, but I putted well the whole day -- I was 2 over after the first 5 holes, when I finally hit one close and made the birdie putt, then on the par5 #7, I was green high in two, but on the wrong side of a greenside bunker on a bare, hardpan knob; I managed to lob my ball just over the trap, just 10 ft past the cup, then make that for 2 birdies in a row, so I was even par after 7.

If that's not a personal best, it's been so long that it might as well have been, but I doublebogied #8 & #9 (in bad luck, I claim!), to wind up with a 40. On the back 9 I had a couple of whiffs and a couple of chunked wedges that mitigated my fantastic driving and putting, wound up with an 83, unable to make any more birdies.

When I tried to complain to Mr Science, "If I can't straighten out my drives, tho', I'm going to have a hell of a time at Sanctuary!", he just grumbled that he'd an 87, even with a birdie on #18.

So, apparently he was on a mission the next day at The Sanctuary, where we had a free foursome, thanks to the QOG winning a raffle at one of her tournaments . . . there may be something in this life sweeter than Free Golf, but I don't know what it is . . . maybe that was what inspired Mr Science, especially, appealing especially to his Calvinistic Parsimony . . . at any rate he had a kick-in birdie on the first hole, then 16 pars and a double bogey, for a 73.

I had had visions of breaking my personal best for starts . . . I didn't see why if I could get to #8 even par why I couldn't finish even par . . . I KNOW exactly what I want to do on every hole there, it's just a matter of keeping it out of the desert and making the putts, I figger. . . but I double-bogeyed the first two holes and never quite got untracked . . . no birdies, but I counted 11 missed-birdie-putts, which is prob'ly another personal "best" . . . prob'ly had, if you count texas wedges, 7 3putts, too, including a missed eagle putt on #11, where I had to settle for par . . . finished with an 87, which was hard for me to be positive about, tho' I had been vaguely pleased with my ironplay for a change -- it was inaccurate, but at least they looked like golf shots instead of hockey shots.

I always have to talk about #18. I'd looked forward to it all day, since I'd never played with my new cobra metals there, and I was pretty confident that if I could get into the fairway off the tee, I could reach the green in two, especially since it was with the wind. But both Mr Science & I hit into the bunker on the slice side of the dogleg left. Scratch going for the green. Manfully taking my medicine I just hit a 7iron to get it over the lip, over the arroyo that divides the fairway, in position for a wedge to the green, but it caught the lip and rolled up to the very edge of the arroyo. I decided I wasn't upset, since now, 215 yds away I could still hit my 5metal, which was slightly right of the green, but bounced right up onto the corner of the green, about 15 ft from the pin. Meanwhile, Mr Science hit a great shot out of the trap about 125 from the pin, but -- understanding that his heart must have been pounding a little bit with the anticipation that another birdie would get him an even-par finish -- his approach came up short-right; well, it's semi-automatic for him to get up-and-down from such a lie, but he had to be a little disappointed . . . still, he proudly showed me his card in the parking lot.

"What?" I said, unable to parse the chicken scratches he puts down.
"Just the top number," he said, pointing to the 73.
"OH!" I ejaculated. "That's purty good, idn't?"

So, yesterday, Saturday, we tried to play at Poston Butte . . . the price was right . . . the course was right for the ladies, and anyway, I wanted to take one last look in the leftover barrel for my Cobra PW that I'm sure I left there. Tho' the weather was only "mostly cloudy", it had rained so much the day before that the course was still wet, and it was cart-paths only: progress was very slow that afternoon . . .

When it had been 3 holes in an hour, Mr Science called the proshop and got a "rain check" for the slow play, so we adjourned to the Old Pueblo Cafe in downtown Florence for Consolation in margaritas and appetisers of Fluatitas, Chimichangitas, and Buffalo Chicken Wings. I am only joking when I say the second best place to eat in Florence is the Prison Cafeteria . . . 8^) . . .

Long way to drive for 3 holes of golf and some chips-&-salsa . . . 8^) . . .

So:
Sunday, just Mr Science & I went off to Ken McDonald again for 18 . . .

When our playing partners that day, the Boudrou Brothers from Chicago, bailed out after 2 holes had taken an hour, things looked very bleak to us . . . Mr Science complained, "That means the round will take 9 hours!"

Could we possibly be stalled out of our round twice in two days? . . . 8^0 . . . It was still very slow for the next 4 holes, but then the logjam broke up, and we actually finished our round just at dusk (after 5 1/2 hours) . . . .

Reading the description of our first trip to KM, I am struck that I only really want to talk about the last two holes again, they really are the only two holes that compare to Cave Creek . . .

#17 was 192 yds of all-carry today. Mr Science ripped his patented Magic 3iron on a rope to the center of the green, rolling up on the back tier to 8 ft from the pin. He looked at me and smiled ruefully, "That's the way I was hittin' 'em on the driving range . . . " He missed the birdie putt . . . he shook his head as if he'd had bad news from his automechanic, "that's my second missed birdie putt today" -- he expects more than 2 a day, if you see what I mean . . . meanwhile I pulled out my new cobra 7wood . . . I figgered my new 5wood was too much club to the down hill green, and besides it had betrayed me on two other holes today, already. Those clubs make a funny "tink" sound when I hit 'em . . . this one looked like a pro-shot, a high hook, over the pin and over the green, up onto the humps behind . . . 205, at least . . . so there seems to be a gap in my clubs now between 205 & 180 -- gonna have to do something about that . . . . I chipped the ball down the hump, one-hopped on the fringe with plenty of backspin, 5 ft past the hole, so I was pretty pleased, but I pulled that putt left, like so many this day -- probably had 5 or 6.

#18 tee shot didn't perplex me this time as much as last -- but I'm much more confident with my driver now. I hit a majestic fade into the wind that found the middle of the fairway -- the OB, the water, the pinched landing area did not bother me. But I chunked my 7 iron to 20 yds short of the green. My PW chip stopped 4 ft below the hole . . . good enough, one would have tho't, but I pulled that par putt left, too. . .8^( . . .

As we left the green I ejaculated, "I don't understand why I'm jerking those putts left now!'

Mr Science began, "I didn't want to tell you during the round, but . . . "

we interrupted ourselves to shake hands with Big Ed & Little Al, playing companions that had joined us when our other partners had quit. Big Ed was an amiable sort of competent, left-handed tho' he was, in the pleasurable phase of coaching his young teenager in golf. Little Al had a sweet, natural swing with a tendency to overhook -- a pleasure to watch him play, to see that he has before him a life-time of golf competency . . .

As we walked to the parking lots back across the CAP, I got Mr Science to continue, "What about my jerk-left putts?"

"Oh!" said Mr Science, "I was gonna tell you your pants are split up the back! Your underwear is showing!"

"Oh!" said I, "I know about that! It's these cheap pants Mrs Cactus bought me at Ross for $12 . . . I can't help that now, can I? Whajawant me to do? Quit and go home cuz my underwear shows?" . . . 8^D. . . he never did offer an opinion on my putting, but then, Mr Science finds analysis of my techniques a little painful . . . it's interesting to him, as a Golf Scientist, you see, but impossible the way that a bumblebee flying is impossible, if you see what I mean. . . 8^D. . .

The thing I didn't fit in was that on #12 (I think) Mr Science wound up against a wall on the left side of the rough, next to some houses. He yelled something at Big Ed and me. "What did he say?" asked Ed. "He wants to borrow one of your leftie clubs!" I told him with a barking laugh. When he looked over, he saw Mr Science taking practice swings with an upside down PW, lefthanded. "He can take a drop from that wall," he opined. . . "Nah," I replied, "that would violate our Calvinistic Paganican Principles!"

Well, so, 3 wks ago, I played at Cave Creek, shot 82, felt like 102, because I putted so poorly . . . mainly due to the furry, post-over-seeding greens. . .

Then, 2 wks ago, I played at Aguila . . . shot 95 there . . . that felt like 105, cuz I didn't putt well on the furry greens, again, but I also had some blow-up holes that I'd managed to avoid for a while, especially the last 2 holes, where I got tired: still not back in walking shape, had to take an aleve-d for my allergies that made me a little dizzy and dehydrated, so I started flaring everything right . . .

So this week I played Western Skies with the Defenestrator . . . I shot 45-42, with 2 birdies, finally . . . hadn't had a birdie in a month . . . the main problem this time was 5 double bogeys including 2 in the last 3 holes, as I wearied again, and started flaring right. I did putt better on the closer-to-normal-but-still-wooly greens: witness the 2 back9 birdies that I DID make this week where the last two outings I had 2 back9 opportunities I failed to convert.

I have some other weird stats: 4 lip-outs, 4 3putts (I putted better, not great, if you see what I mean), 3 wedges pureed over the green, 3 more bladed over the green, and 1 chunked. They had had some big tournament earlier that morning, but we zipped around almost as fast as we could hoof it . . . but they had the pin positions in the most pernicious place on every single green . . . tucked into corners, on top of knobs, behind any bunker available, and/or at the edge of tier-slopes . . . hard to get close . . .

on the par 3 #11 I hit a one-liner fade within 3 ft . . . almost missed the birdie on the low side.

on the par 5 #12 I hit a ferocious drive and a bodacious 3wood 50 yds short of the green, against the wind . . . lobbed a little half-wedge pin-high, but 22 ft right of the pin . . . it was perfectly flat and straight, and the putt wiggled both ways out of the cup before it toppled in.

So that was my quota, but I wanted three, and then a personal best 4 birdies, but . . .

on the par 3 #13 I perfectly faded a half 7wood almost in the hole, but it hit a hard spot and bounced to the back of the green . . . I couldn't find a ball mark anywhere. . . .

on the par 4 #14 I hit my longest drive of the day, say 290, that left only 70-odd yds to the middle of the green, but my half-wedge missed the corner of the green where the pin was, and rolled up on one of those mounds into the fringe: 4 putts to get into the hole. grrrrrr.

so I put a little west-texas-red-ass on my next drive and left myself another half wedge to the green, but the pin was right behind a bunker in the center-front of the green, and, trying to get it close, hit it fat . . . hit the quarter-wedge next shot25 ft past the hole, 2 putted for bogey.

from then on I was flaring everything right . . . double bogeyed a par 3, with a chunk and a 3putt; bogeyed a long par 4 after missing a 3 foot par after a fabulous flop shot; double-bogeyed the long #18 -- failing to finish strong . . . bah!

won't be improving this ranking . . . still not one of the top-drawer courses . . . maybe if the greens had more than one pernicious pin setting, it could be a 3, but, we really don't like courses that use tricked-up greens to compensate for flat, wide-open fairways, do we. . .

We played here before, but all I could talk about was the back 9 . . . starting with the amazing green on #10, every hole has some unique feature that is commentworthy . . . I 3jacked it again -- no matter how close I get . . . I went in the water on the far side of the fairway on #11 this time, but salvaged a par with 3 perfect shots after that. Mr Science was in the brushy ditch down the left side -- as he has been before, too. We were all in the woods on the inside of the dogleg on #12, again. We both parred the par 3 #13, I with a sculled 5iron that wound up pin high. On #14 I hit a drive windblown down the right side of the fairway, down between the two water hazards; it was only a half-wedge approach for me, but I burned the edge of the cup with my birdie-miss. on #15, uphill and against the wind I had only 102 to the middle of the green, and spun my PW approach (sideways -- off a ridge on the green) 4 ft from the pin, but my putt broke 6 inches the last 2 inches, skirting the cup. A weak 5iron betrayed me into the water on #16 -- the Easiest Shot in Golf, the 5iron layup on a par 5 -- but I still confidently struck my 9iron approach over the green onto the hill behind. Skipped my 5wood off the water from the tee on #17, then couldn't get up into the swale where the flag was stuck. On #18 I bit off too much and my ball turned down the slope from the fairway into the desert area . . . I could still hit it, but it was uphill 30 ft from there; at least it wasn't a double-bogey like the prior two holes.

BUt I didn't want to talk about the back9 again -- just those two holes where I had missed two 4ft putts for birdies . . .

The first 3 holes always make me feel like I should have scored better than I do: that green on #1 throws me everytime (it is very steep, with a pinnacle in the back-middle from which the rest of the green slopes away like an upsidedown funnel). There's a very large swale on the left side of the #2 fairway that sucks my ball in like a black hole, every time. Makes the 3putt on the green seem kinda anti-climactic. Also, I always seem to get my greenie on the long par 3 #3, but then 3putt, there, too.

#4,5,&6 could be breather holes, as long as you don't wind up on the wrong part of the green -- easy 3putts, there, too.

On #6 I complained that my lies were even more thin and bare than the ones yesterday at Vistal. "Have you tried the fairway?" Mr Science asked, "It seems lush enough . . . "

#7 is a very tough, long par 3, with a huge bunker guarding the left side and a huge dropoff to the right side of the green -- there was a backup of 3 foursomes on the tee while we were there today -- an indication of something, I'm sure . . .

#8 is the #1 handicap hole. In addition to the daunting tee shot to the round-shouldered elevated fairway, there is the length of the hole, a huge swale that bisects the fairway at the 150 marker, and an elevated, contortured green.

#9 looks like a long flat hole bordering the driving range on the left and that huge ravine all down the right, but somehow that second shot does not suit my eye, and I wind up floundering.

I wound up with an 88 and a double handful of putts missed by a gnat hair . . .Mr Science wound up with another 86, with more 3putts and penalty strokes than he'd expect in a month.

phoenix leaders weighing future city golf courses

Nearly four years after approving a $17 million plan to keep city-owned golf courses open, Phoenix leaders could once again debate whether to stay in the golf business. The Parks and Recreation Department says more rounds are being played, but program remains in the red.

papago

cave creek

aguila

maryvale now called Grand Canyon University Course

encanto

7011 Yds, Par 72, Slope 131, by Robert Trent Jones, Jr

Golfweb

They Say: "Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club opened in 1998 to rave reviews and accolades as Arizona's Best New Public Golf Course, and it continues to grow even more inviting as the challenging and graceful layout by Robert Trent Jones Jr. matures. Just as ancient people who once lived here conjured beauty and function from the harsh surroundings, so did the Jones Jr. team - creating a golf course that respects the natural surrounding while supporting a more comfortable lifestyle. The upscale, daily fee facility opened as the key amenity in the new 850-acre Dove Valley Ranch master planned golf community in North Phoenix, off Cave Creek Road and Rancho Paloma Dr."

Is there anywhere else in the world where you can play courses designed by 3 generations of the same family? Wigwam Blue (Robert Trent Jones, Sr), Las Sendas and Dove Valley Ranch (Robert Trent Jones, Jr), and Legend Trail (Rees Jones) . . . We need to replay Legend Trail so I can complete this thought: the unique similarities are easy to spot; the differences on such a small sample are less important.

I think that Vista Verde, up off Dynamite Rd, next to Tonto Verde must fit into that pantheon somehow, but I can't prove it.

#2 serves as an introduction to this classical design, Par 4 dogleg around a lake, short and sharp enough that the more you shy away from the water, the more likely you are to be off into the desert, looking at a shot to an uphill, elevated green over a cavernous bunker. My 4-iron out of that left rough went to the short-right fringe of the green. My pitch up to the back pin position, then my amazing downhill slider par putt made Mr Science's eyebrows quiver -- far above my normal short game.

I love, LOVE the Lana Turner Ideation of this hole -- see also Paako Ridge and Golf du Macon La Salle

Likewise on the par 3 #3, when Mr Science and I were both left of the green, the up-hill, multi-tiered, severely elevated green. He lobbed a pitch up onto the top shelf- and held it - while I bumped a 7-iron up the slope with a roll towards the pin. He was closer, but I was readin' with my feet with stunning accuracy this day, and I rolled my 12 foot uphill hook right into the hole. When his putt burned the edge again, I could hear him muttering about the greens . . . 8^) . . . but the natural order of the universe eventually re-asserted itself . . .


I don't have our actual scorecard handy, but I think I had a 42-50, falling apart in bad-luck on the back 9 again, even tho' the one thought that crowds out every swing tho't I fought to keep out was that I wanted to have a good back 9, and finish strong. Oh, well. . . 8^/ . . .


Mr Science, I am guessing, had his usual consistent round, slightly elevated by the difficulty of the course, say 41-42=83, but I ain't sure . . . all I know is like on #14, this blind t-shot absolute flummoxed me, I couldn't make myself hit the right shot, so . . . on my 2nd shot I got cactus thorns in my hand trying to pull off a Tiger-esqe heroic shot from the deep woods, while Mr Science placidly laid a mid-iron out in the middle and a short iron on the green, easy-peasy.


The par 5 #15 is a great segue from #14. Once again, the T shot is blind, and looks too close to layup, but too far to fly the gap. A well hit 3 wood might, might still get into trouble. We all hit drivers, into the trash thru the end of the fairway. "I thought you said you'd played this course before!" I griped at Mr Science, "you seemed to have remembered that last one ok!"




"Well," he shrugged, "it was 3 years ago -- I can't be expected to remember every hole!"


As I recall he had a sandy lie, playable, just, but I was off under a tree hitting a backwards wedge to get at it, due to the superior length of my new King Cobra Driver (A little wilder, if that is possible than my old mid-size Cobra clone, but 40 or 50 yards longer when I leverage the stiff shaft (I been playing regular on my driver for years, years))


This is not a good hole to be hitting safety shots out of the desert on . . . three good full shots would get you there -- much better.


While the par 3 #16 seems like a relief, just in the fact that you can see whats out in front of you, you have to have some poise left to make your up-and-down on that green. I guess there's guys that can float in a 200 yd shart over the trap in front and hold that green, but I don't play with very many that can.


SO natcherly, after a faux-breather like that, you must have, You Must Have a long par 5 with a divided fairway and a 85 degree dogleg left!

I think with my new driver I have enough length - sometimes - to get past the pinched fairway over the trap, but would that ever be the smart play? After playing it once, I'd say not, but I haven't tried that second shot layup yet, either, successfully.

The moderate length par 4 # 18 is no gimme, due to the water all down the right side, and in front of the green, but if you hit driver - dangit! Nobody Told Me! -- and steer left, there is some messy desert over there with knee deep grass, if you can believe it. What I couldn't believe is that I found my ball and hacked it out with a half-a-9iron to the front of the green -- still 3 putted, my poise-and-concentration was l-o-n-g gone.


So, great finishing holes on a great course. There were some other good holes on the front too, but I still had my poise-and-composure, then, and I remember hunting for other people's balls in the desert with calm complacence that my own ball was way down the middle of the fairway. I don't think you could argue that Dove Valley Ranch is the best course in the valley, tho' I'd be willing to hear any such argument, so I have to give it a 3, but it sure makes some of the other 3s look mighty 4ish. Mr Science simply gives it a 2 based on quality and condition. . .

The QOG reports:

The new list is out for this year for the top 50 courses for women in the US according to Golf for Women magazine. There are three courses in our area.

Last year's number 1, The Boulders Resort, south course, is now number 2. Number 26 is Rancho Manana Golf Club in Cave Creek and number 33 is We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, Saguaro course.

Two local courses from last year did not make this year's list. They are TPC Desert course (it's being renovated) and Troon North Pinnacle course.

6800 Yds, Par 71, Slope 136, by Scott Miller

Golfweb

"Where IS the Psychic Center of Golf In the Valley?" one might ask if one was trying to start a brawl in the 19th hole. Nominations include South Mountain (Verrado, Legacy, et al), North Scottsdale/Cave Creek (Troon North, The Boulders, Legends, et al), Sun City (? - nah), and last-but-not-least, Fountain Hills (WeKoPa, Sun Ridge, Las Sendas, & Eagle Mountain).

I think Fountain Hills gets the nod.

We broke training when we played, tho' -- for the second time -- we had an afternoon t-time, and we feared not getting 18 in, but we arrived early and they sent us right off . . . Mr. Science missing his hour-of-warmup, and me, my midday tea. It only took a couple of holes for Mr. Science to warm up, only 3 strokes over par before he resumed his normal quality of play, 47-43=90, but I, feeling churlish, deprived, and light headed had barely gotten my feet under me before low-blood-sugar laid me low. We didn't see the cart girl till the 10th hole, and by then, it was too late for me. . . I had a 50-55=105.

I was rusty, not having played for 3 weeks, besides, so I hit the ball left and right, high and low, without any sense of where it was really going, but I never got into so much trouble that I had no play, but my short game from 100 yds out was even worse than before. I pureed several iron shots over the green on the front nine -- the only thing I thought of trying after a while was swinging harder, so my contact would be less-solid and closer to my normal distance. That turned out not to be a good idea, as I took a 9 on #16, a par 4.

The back 9 is 50 yds shorter than the front, and has an extra stroke to give; looking at the card at the halfway point, I tho't sure I could improve on my front 9 score: #12, a short par 5; #13, a moderate par 3; #14, ashort par 4; #15, a very short par 3 that almost seems out of place on this very hard course; #16 a moderate par 4; #17 a short par 4, and #18, which is long, but also very down-hill. Instead, I had 2 9s and a snowman.

Like a neglected mistress, Golf was exacting its revenge, and is so often the case, then on #18, graced me with my 3rd par of the day, to make sure I would come back . . . I felt like I'd skied my drive from the very, very elevated tee, but it was even with Mr. Science's ball and in the middle of the fairway, only 190 yds out, so call the drive 230 into the wind . . . so I cut a smart little 5 wood wind-cheater onto the left side of the green, away from the water, pin-high in the fringe, from where I was able to get up-and-down for the first time of the day. Yeah, I'll be back.

These greens roll true, but they are almost tortured they have been contoured so severely, which sometimes disguises the subtle counter-breaks that fooled me all day long. Even if I could putt, I woulda misread many putts.

Mr. Science made one birdie on the 129 yd par 3 #15. He fussed and fumed over his uphill 6-footer for even longer than usual, looking for one of those subtle breaks, till my throat clearing finally irritated him enough to make him just putt it. . . nothing but net.

When we finished the cart boys that clean clubs jaws dropped. "Wow, you made good time today!" Well, we did. Even as a twosome we hardly had to wait. We played in less than 4 hours, easy, but, not as quickly as they thought, because we teed off an hour-and-a-half early.

One of the marshals checking our time also struggled with our time/space continuum. "what's your tee time?" he asked us on the 4th hole.

"1:51" we told him.

"You're making good time, then, but it's only 1:45 now!"

"Well," I said, "We do play real fast."

7068 yds, Par 72, Slope 128, by William Bell, Re-fit by Jack Snyder.

Golfweb

"Papghetto" the same way as Encanto is "Enchanto". But we felt that the course was in very playable shape. Definitely, a solid "3". Sure it could have been in better shape and it seems kind of long-in-the-tooth, but the layout is very fine; the scenery, beautiful, even if not breath-taking; and the golf itself is very challenging. This is definitely the most difficult of the Phoenix Munis, although I can easily believe that Cave Creek is the most popular.

I shot a 46-43=89; Mr. Science a 43-42=85. If I could putt, I would've shot low-80s . . . part of that was the fair-&-challenging greens, but most of it is I have just lost my touch (or my concentration (or my courage)) on short ones for par. I made some heroic lag putts that left me with tap-ins, but my short game and putting otherwise is killing me. The course is long-and-tough, but also sort-of wide open, so that there is usually a chance for a recovery shot, long as you don't mind clanging your club off a rock or two.

The way the holes look from the tee is really beautiful: narrow fairways with wide shouldered, close-cut dormant bermuda rough, surrounded by red-rock hills and old, old trees that seem to come into play, often. Hardly a flat-lie to be found, either.

Note that the first two holes are on the AZCentral Best 18 holes in Phoenix

I'd have to play it again to get a sense of the course, I mean, the strategy of the course . . . the only thing that comes to mind now is how hard the last 3 holes were, the #2, #8, & #4 handicap holes, 443 par 4, 227 par 3, & 443 par 4. I was striking the ball fairly well, and playing smart, but just not able to get it in the hole . . . by the time we finished of course, it was a 5 hour round, and my attention span tends to wander after that long, especially walking.

The only bloggable thing that happened out of the ordinary was on #9, a par 5 with water running down most of the right side. Our playing companion, Rasputin, the mad duffer, for whom golf seems to aggravate his ADHD, had kind of a difficult shot out of the trees from behind the water, and when he hit is ball, the ball DID go over the water into the next copse, but his 7 iron snapped off at the kick point and the club head went into the water hazard, well out of reach. "These are Ping Eye 2 clubs!" he wailed, "a pro told me they were worth $3000! What should I do? Should I go in there after it?" And so on, for the next 9 holes, "What do you think I should do? Give me your advice! Can I tip the greenskeeper? Will they let me dive for it?"

"Hey man!" I finally said, "Just look on EBAY for a new 7 iron . . . "

Haven’t played worth a caddy’s dam’ lately . . .

95 and 91 at Sanctuary, which is just around the corner and I can go walk on, and walk on, both, if you see what I mean . . .
86 and 87 at Cave Creek . . . which is cheaper, and walk-on-able, both-ways, too . . .

And nuthin’ worth bloggin’ either . . . which makes it double-disgustin . . .

Mainly from playing irregularly, averaging once-a-week. . . too many moving parts in my swing to keep in order without regular practice . . . especially the short game . . . I think of myself as a good putter, but that’s mainly a positive-thinking thingy, if you know what I mean . . . the truth is I’m a streaky putter . . . sometimes I can make everything I look at, but sometimes, nuthin’ . . .

So now I’m rusty, and that streakiness is exacerbated . . . but I feel like I could just roll out of bed and hit my driver now . . . with no warm up, I toe-pushed a solid hit up the right side on #1 so that I had less than 70 yds – close enuff to 300 yd drive that it doedn’t matter, but I left my half wedge short, chipped uphill 5 ft away, then lipped out (270) the par putt . . . like when I missed a 4ft birdie on that hole 2 or 3 times ago . . . it just tells me I’m in trouble.

On #2 I pulled my drive into the trees on the left, but only 210 out . . . but those tees were up 30 yds or so . . . I hit a 5 wood since it was against the wind, off the hardpan, my foot balanced on a tree root, straight at the hole, but came up short, plugged in the bunker. Exploded that ball about 30 ft in the air, 8 ft short of the hole, which was in a hole scalloped out of a mound in the middle of the green . . . what a pin placement . . . then I lipped out another 270 for birdie . . . I knew I was cooked, then for sure, but I manfully plodded on to finish the round . . . just figgering that I might make an eagle on one of the par 5s . . . but I didn’t: foozled a 3wood on #6; got a bad bounce on #12, down into the trash on the left; overcooked a faded 3wood on #16, into the water . . . sigh . . .

On the #15 tee while we waited we chatted with Patty, the cart girl – the sexiest grandma I ever met personally -- in the summer she dresses like a teenager, and, if I can say so without verging into the creepy, she has the body for it, great legs . . . B^). . . she entertained us by playing with the duck pair that waddled up . . . she gives them cracker bits; she teases them, shows the crackers while raising and lowering her arm til the hen got in synch with her, flapping her wings gently till she took off head high, the back down to the ground . . . we were all delighted with their rapport . . . all the while she talked about the birds on the golf course . . . “You (the hen) haven’t got a very nice mate this year!” . . . he wouldn’t fly like the hen, just waited until the hen got a cracker and then horned in on the feed . . . “The geese mate for life, but the ducks take a new mate each year, and this year’s isn’t as nice as usual.’

When I expressed some amazement at the depths of her audubonic observations, she said, “Oh, I get to know all the birds out here, the red-tailed hawks, the geese, the ducks, the grackles – which people out here call crows, but they’re not. Grackles are really smart, but they’re very mean . . they will break other birds’ eggs just to break ‘em, not to eat ‘em“ (Which she said so matter-of-factly, I realized she had acheived true scientific objectivity . . . Mrs. Cactus loves birds and critters, but she recoils from Nature Red In Tooth & Claw). “Yeah, Grackles are smart but evil . . . but this is something I have seen often with animals: that intelligence leads to evil!”

With that, she drove off, leaving me – I don’t know about my 3 playing partners – chastened in the arrogant adoration of my own intelligence – ornithology & philosophy from the cart girl -- 8^D

$15 Million

Name	Yards	Par	Slope	Cactus Dave Rating	Mr. Science Rating	Architect
Rancho Manana	6016	70	128	1	2	Bill Johnston	Very scenic, interesting, mountainous, harder than it looks on paper
Boulders South Course	6726	71	139	2	1	Jay Morrish
Estrella Mountain Ranch	7139	72	135	2	1	Jack Nicklaus II	Top Shelf
Gold Canyon Dinosaur Mountain	6653	70	143	2	1	Nash & Cavanaugh	challenging
Grayhawk Raptor Course	7135	72	143	2	1	Tom Fazio	dreamy, hilariously difficult
Las Sendas	6874	71	145	2	1	Robert Trent Jones	Hardest public course in Phoenix
Quintero	7208	72	147	2	1	Rees Jones	Private; ludicrously difficult, gorgeous, manicured
Raven at Verrado	7258	72	132	2	1	John Fought	great shape, interesting holes, nice clubhouse,very friendly staff
SunRidge Canyon	6766	72	152	2	1	Keith Foster	Hard, Scenic, Well maintained, Friendly Staff
Troon North Tournament	7025	72	147	2	1	Weiskopf & Morrish	Tough Course, Great Golf, Fabulous Facility, Gracious Staff, but . . .
We-Ko-Pa Cholla	7225	72	136	2	1	Scott Miller	Very scenic, desert, challenging
We-Ko-Pa Saguaro	6912	71	138	2	1	Crenshaw & Coore	http://www.wekopa.com/layout9.asp?id=236&page=25959
Ancala Country Club	7000	72	138	2	2	Pete Dye	private; say no more.
Boulders North Course	6811	72	137	2	2	Jay Morrish
Eagle Mountain	6802	71	139	2	2	Scott Miller	Beautiful course, beautiful views
Gold Canyon Sidewinder	6509	71	130	2	2	Nash & Cavanaugh	Scenic, challenging design
Grayhawk Talon Course	7000	72	140	2	2	Graham & Panks
Legacy	6816	71	128	2	2	Gary Panks	nice timeshare resort, classy
Legend Trail	6815	72	135	2	2	Rees Jones	Elegant, Sophisticated, Challenging
Longbow	7003	71	125	2	2	Ken Cavanaugh	Interesting, beautiful, challenging, & enjoyable
Los Caballeros Wickenburg	7014	72	135	2	2	Greg Nash	& Jeff Hardin
Ocotillo	6804	71	130	2	2	Ted Robinson	Lush, Challenging, water, water, everywhere
Pointe at Lookout Mtn.	6535	71	135	2	2	Bill Johnston	Fabulous views, Marble Rest Rooms!
Raven at South Mountain	7078	72	130	2	2	Graham & Panks
Sanctuary	6624	71	139	2	2	Heckenkemper	Narrow fairways, penal rough. Back 9 may be best 9 in the valley.
Sedona Golf Resort	6646	71	128	2	2	Gary Panks	Very scenic, mountainous
Southern Dunes	7494	72	137	2	2	Schmidt / Curley	Tough Desert Links, Troon Managed, much better than Copper Canyon+A1
Stone Ridge	7052	72	132	2	2	Heckenkemper	Spacious compared to Sanctuary; seems harder than 132 slope
Talking Stick North Course	7133	70	125	2	2	Crenshaw & Coore
Talking Stick South Course	6833	71	125	2	2	Crenshaw & Coore
Tonto Verde Peaks Course	6737	72	132	2	2	Graham & Panks	Fabulous Views, Great Condition, Interesting Course
TPC of Scottsdale Stadium Course	7216	71	138	2	2	Weiskopf & Morrish	PGA Tour venue, pricey, difficult;
Trilogy at Vistancia	7269	72	134	2	2	Gary Panks	Unique uncut native grass rough, tough holes
Troon North Pinnacle	7044	72	147	2	2	Tom Weiskopf	Lopsided design, but Awesome
Vista Verde	7219	72	144	2	2	Ken Cavanaugh	Awesome, Underutilized Course
Vistal	7013	71	129	2	2	Lehman,Twitty,Mayfair	Worth multiple visits
Whirlwind Cattail Course	7218	72	132	2	2	Gary Panks	tough, scenic, lush, Best Solo Panks?
Wigwam Gold Course	7430	72	135	2	2	Robert Trent Jones	Unrelenting, Implacable, Merciless
Wildfire Faldo Course	6846	71	127	2	3	Nick Faldo	somewhat linksy, good
Corte Bella	7011	72	129	3	2	Gary Panks	Interesting(Difficult) Greens, Plush, manicured, Troon-managed
Dove Valley Ranch	7011	72	131	3	2	Robert Trent Jones, Jr	Awesome, interesting course, might be underrated
Kierland Resort Golf Course	6913	72	131	3	2	Scott Miller	Awesome Resort, Beautiful, Wide-open course
Poston Butte	7282	72	127	3	2	Gary Panks	Well deserved Reputation, very panksian, walkable
Tatum Ranch	6856	72	127	3	2	Robert Cupp	Private; Beautiful views, conditions, wide greenbelts, devlish greens
Tonto Verde Ranch Course	6988	72	130	3	2	Gary Panks	lush, scenic, Panksian Greens
Whirlwind Devils Claw	7029	72	129	3	2	Gary Panks	lush, scenic, Panksian Greens
Aguila	6962	72	129	3	3	Gary Panks	Good Muni, needs TLC, still playable
Antelope Hills North	6844	71	131	3	3	Lawrence Hughes	Old-school park design, hilly, tough rough, lots of trees
Antelope Hills South	7014	72	124	3	3	Gary Panks	Typical Panks atypically hilly, sorta linksy
Arizona Biltmore Links	6300	71	125	3	3	Bill Johnston	fantastic back9, quirky 3s
Arizona Golf Resort	6574	71	121	3	3	Jack Snyder
Arizona Traditions	6073	70	115	3	3	Dick Bailey
Arrowhead CC	7001	72	124	3	3	Arnold Palmer	Not as dynamic as Arrowhead Legend, but better condition
ASU Karsten	7057	72	132	3	3	Pete Dye	Railroad ties. Rubber Mats. No Pull Carts. Cramped layout.
Camelback Resort Course	6903	72	132	3	3	Arthur Hills	Interesting & Challenging
Cave Creek	6732	72	119	3	3	Jack Snyder	The Favorite Muni, Desert Links, TOUGH Greens
Club West Golf Course	7149	72	129	3	3	Brian Whitcomb	Friendly staff, Spectacular South Mountain views
Coldwater	6758	72	121	3	3	Forrest Richardson	"best course to play on a budget"; Railroad Tie Bunker
Copper Canyon	6845	72	125	3	3	Schmidt / Curley	Neighborhood Construction, way out west, Troon managed
Coyote Lakes	6213	71	120	3	3	Jack Snyder	Short but entertaining
Desert Canyon	6415	71	123	3	3	John Allen	Every Visit improves our opinion . . .
Eagles Nest	6790	72	130	3	3	Keith Foster	Good Layout over very ordinary ground
Falcon Golf Course	6673	71	128	3	3	Brian Curley	Abandoned Air Force base? Great Par 3s. Good Condition?
Foothills	6968	72	132	3	3	Brian Whitcomb	Lopsided design, best Breakfast Burrito in the Valley
Franscisco Grande	7545	72	130	3	3	Plummer	Not The Phoenician nor Kierland
Grande Valley Ranch	7183	72	125	3	3	Forrest Richardson	Great Back 9
Granite Falls North	6720	72	115	3	3	Greg Nash	(& Billy Caspar) Typical Sun City Course
Granite Falls South	6939	72	112	3	3	Greg Nash	http://www.grandinfo.com/spage.php?shw=100044&m=glf
Hillcrest	7002	72	126	3	3	Greg Nash	Subtle -- Worth more Study
Johnson Ranch	7141	72	130	3	3	Brian Whitcomb	Different 9s, Amazing views, "unfinished"
Ken McDonald	6743	72	125	3	3	Jack Snyder	Good Muni; Best Breakfast Sandwich
Kokopelli	6716	72	135	3	3	Bill Phillips	Nice course, good price, AGC
Las Colinas	6655	71	120	3	3	Mike Asmundson	green park style, duffer-friendly
Legend at Arrowhead	6969	72	131	3	3	Arnold Palmer	AGC run
Lone Tree	7007	71	123	3	3	Darryl Wilson	almost too nice -- over-engineered?
McCormick Ranch (Palms)	7044	72	137	3	3	Desmond Muirhead	A "subtle" Desmond Muirhead Design, perhaps? Best Full Breakfast!
McCormick Ranch (Pine)	7187	72	130	3	3	Desmond Muirhead	Harder than the Palms, but much the same
Mountain Brook	6620	71	120	3	3	Brian Whitcomb	http://www.mountainbrookgolf.com/golf/proto/mountainbrookgolf/index.htm
Oakwood Golf Club Palms / Sonoran	6567	72	129	3	3	Gary Panks
Oasis Golf Resort	7366	72	133	3	3		9Holes, Unexpectedly Interesting, Very Few Amenities
Orange Tree	6775	72	121	3	3	Johnny Bulla	Resort, Flat, unimaginative, mostly wide-open, grainy greens
Palm Valley	7015	72	133	3	3	Arthur Hills	Subtle Challenges
Papago	7333	72	130	3	3	Bill Bell	60s vintage park-style
Phoenician Desert / Canyon	6068	70	131	3	3	Ted Robinson	Best views in Phoenix; course has odd layout & landscaping;
Stone Creek	6872	72	134	3	3	Arthur Hills	Subtle, good condition, Surprising in places
Sun City Grand Cimmaron	6809	72	123	3	3	Greg Nash	wide open, with subtle difficulties
Sundance Golf Club	6944	72	125	3	3	Greg Nash	many interesting holes, house construction on all sides detracts
Superstition Springs Golf Club	7005	72	130	3	3	Greg Nash	AGC Course, en deshabille, interesting
TPC Champions	7113	71	140	3	3	Heckenkemper	Harder now, but not more interesting.
Trilogy at Power Ranch	6740	71	128	3	3	Dick Bailey	Very good back 9, scenic
Tuscany Falls	6610	72	126	3	3	Dick Bailey	more interesting than it looks, but not harder than it looks
Westbrook Village Vistas	6432	72	120	3	3	Ken Cavanaugh	Not comparable to Gold Canyon nor Vista Verde
Wigwam Blue	6000	70	120	3	3	Robert Trent Jones	Deceptively Difficult; short; penal; tiny greens hard to read
WigWam Red	6852	72	126	3	3	Red Lawrence	Old Phoenix Park Style
Wildfire Palmer Course	7145	72	135	3	3	Arnold Palmer	desert links, just lacks sump'n sump'n
Bear Creek	6900	71	128	3	4	Jack Nicklaus	Best Desert Links in the Valley, Very Inexpensive, Underfacilitated
Mission Royale	6700	72	122	3	4	Greg Nash	Like a Sun City course, only W-a-y back east in Chandler
Apache Creek	6795	71	128	4	3	Joe Alsip	Flat, but very interesting and bumpy greens
Arizona Biltmore Adobe	6428	71	123	4	3	Bill Bell	flat, rather uninteresting, good condition
Camelback Club Course	7014	72	122	4	3	Jack Snyder	Flat, Old Fashioned, non-desert course
Dobson Ranch	6712	72	123	4	3	Gary Panks	Lusher than Phoenix Munis, but not as interesting
Duke	7011	72	120	4	3	Dave Druzisky	Western theme fits Duke course
Links at Queen Creek	6010	70	113	4	3	Sam Wese	Short, unimaginative, unimposing
Villa de Paz	6641	71	123	4	3	Greg Nash	&Jeff Hardin -- Flat & Unmemorable
500 Club	6976	72	120	4	4	Brian Whitcomb	Amazing back 9, noisy, tho'
Ahwatukee	6713	72	120	4	4	Gary Panks	Panks Worst Tendencies
Bougainvillea	6817	72	118	4	4	Dan Pohl	Too flat, too wide open; "Bogey-ville"; Pohl-cat
Great Eagle	6646	72	124	4	4	Greg Nash	http://www.greateaglegolfclub.com/
Ironwood	5286	67	99	4	4	Keith Foster	Nice, but short, interesting greens
Painted Mountain	6021	70	114	4	4	Frank Boxberger	Mesa, short, OK
Pueblo at El Mirage	6596	72	125	4	4	Fuzzy Zoeller	Tornado Target
Scottsdale Country Club Starfire	6093	68	123	4	4	Arnold Palmer	Hawk & Squire #7s stand out
Silverado	6313	70	116	4	4	Ross Graves	& Jack Gilmore -- Interesting track, no range, no frills
Sun City Lakes West	6251	72	119	4	4	Greg Nash	short and wide, but not defenseless
Sun City North	6410	72	117	4	4	Greg Nash	http://www.sunaz.com/northgolfcourse.htm
Sun City Riverview	6394	72	116	4	4	Greg Nash	http://www.sunaz.com/riverviewgolfcourse.htm
Sun City South	6774	72	115	4	4	Greg Nash	http://www.sunaz.com/southgolfcourse.htm
Sun City Willow Creek	6366	72	119	4	4	Greg Nash	http://www.sunaz.com/willowcreekgolfcourse.htm
Western Skies	6744	72	123	4	4	Olenoski Design	We both birdied 8, a short par 4
San Marcos	6856	72	121	4		Bill Robinson	http://www.sanmarcosresort.com/
Estrella Mountain Golf Course	6866	71	118	4	5		hidden values; 2nd best fried egg sandwich in PHX; raggedy
Phantom Horse	6336	71	125	4	5	Forrest Richardson	poor shape, excellent vistas -- Best Breakfast Taco
Encanto	6386	70	111	5	4	Bill Bell	Just too short and uninspired; OK for a muni
Maryvale	6646	72	119	5	4	Bill Bell	60s vintage park-style
Starfire King-Hawk	6073	70	123	5	4		Nice course, good price
Toka Sticks	6605	72	119	5	4	Corps of Engineers	The GolfCourses.net
Pavilion Lakes	6557	71	120	5	5		flat , ugly, poor condition
Viewpoint	6324	71	116	5	5		Easy, short, good for walking
Apache Wells	6038	71	114	5			Flat, short, & ugly
Other Arizona Courses
Del Lago Tucson	7206	72	142		2		Vail, AZ (E of Tucson) very nice
Apache Gold	7519	72	138		2	Tom Doak	http://www.golfapache.com/
Lake Powell	7030	72	154		2	William Phillips	http://www.golflakepowell.com/
London Bridge East Course	6140	71	124	3		Lawrence Hughes	Ordinary Fun
London Bridge West Course	6613	71	122	3		Lawrence Hughes	Longer Ordinary Fun
Unreviewed/Unrated
Desert Springs	7006	72	131			Greg Nash	& Caspar --
Gainey Ranch							http://www.gaineyranchcc.com/
Executive Courses
1st Tee South Mountain	1800	54		1		Tom Fazio	Excellent 1st Tee course
Augusta Ranch	3799	61	88		1		Well Done, Well Maintained
Mountain Shadows	3081	56	96		1	Jack Snyder	Awesome Excutive, Best In Class
Continental					2		Driving range
El Caro	3357	60	80		2	Bruce Devlin
Sunland Village	3623	62			2		Retirable
Ahwatukee Lakes Course	4745	62	95		3	Hale Irwin
1st Tee Desert Mirage	2095	31		3			OK 1st Tee Course
Bear Creek Cub Course		59			3	Jack Nicklaus
Rolling Hills	3828	62	93		3	Gary Panks	Good Par 3s, Good Views, Rubber mats on Practice Tee
Shalimar	2417	33			3		only 9 holes, monotonous
Coronado	1850	62	75		4	Milt Coggins	"Worst & Most Beloved Golf Course in AZ"?
Country Meadows	4329	60	96	4	4		Lush, but scruffy
Cypress Golf Club	4907	65			4
Desert Sands	4029	65	58.9		4		Odiferous & Flat
Palo Verde	1820	30	78		4		9 hole version of Desert Sands, but not quite
Cactus Dave's Ratings							Mr. Science's Ratings
1: The one and only best course in Phoenix							1: Outstanding in every way. Pristine condition, fast and true greens, interesting and challenging design, courteous and attentive staff
2: These could be # 1 . . .							2: Excellent condition, well-run, nice course
3: These are good, but could never be # 1							3: Very good course, playable, but lack something to be #2
4: Just not as good as a '3'							4: OK, but not as good as a '3'
5: Dog Tracks							5: Too short, too easy, too flat, too slow, poorly maintained, or something else that makes it less enjoyable than it should be. Won't go back.
Unreviewed/Unrated							Unreviewed/Unrated