17020 North Hayden Road Scottsdale, Az. 85255
Tee Box Options: Championship=7261 yards. Players=6614 yards. Resort=6110. Forward=5464 yards. Total Par=71.
Two weeks ago, or so, I posted a review of the TPC Champions course. I quite enjoyed playing that one and after I played I went across the street and inquired about the price of a round as they had just opened after aeration. Let’s just say it’s above what I’m willing to pay for a round. After that, I kind of put it out of my mind. A week later my dad called me and asked if I wanted to play the course. http://www.golfnow.com had a “hot deal” of $79. He said he looked ahead a couple of weeks and the rate started to go up exponentially each week. If we really wanted to play this course, this year, this was as cheap as it was going to get. I really wanted to play it before I go to the Waste Management Open (formerly the Phoenix Open) in January. So, with my dad’s $10 off golf now coupon and the hot deal, we book a 9am tee time.
Writing this is going to be tricky. After playing the round I have to admit….I see no difference between this course and the Champions course. They are extremely similar. The first thing I noticed is that this course was built for the Open. There is so much extra land to handle the 250,000 people that attend the WM Open each year. All this extra land comes in handy for errant shots and such, but it doesn’t really justify the cost. I’ve attended the WM Open the last 3 years in a row. With the stands, ropes, and concessions installed, the course looks completely different. With all of that stuff removed, it’s just another course. Now, before I go on, I do not write a review to trash a course. In addition, understand that no one is paying me to play a course and give my 2 cents. This is just something I enjoy doing. If someone reads these and it makes them play a course, I will be happy. I play courses because I love the game. By writing, this is my way of sharing golf with others. There are just some that I don’t find to be a special as they are made out to be. If they are in good shape or bad shape, etc., I will comment about it. Whether or not I had a good or bad round will never influence my review. I’ll mention my game here and there for reference, but that’s it.
First comment is that the fairways at the Champions course were in far better shape. Yes, aeration had taken place about a month before, but the same happened over at the Champions course. Second, I expected much more difficult and deeper bunkers for a course that holds a major golf tournament each year. The sand was gorgeous, but the bunkers were no deeper than knee level anywhere on the course. The design of the course is very much straight back and forth. Hole 10 is a dogleg right. Bubba Watson hit a drive over trees and concessions that surprised everyone. Speaking of the tees, the tees they set up for the Open are farther back than the tips were set at the day we played. I play from the mid tees and I’m about a 20 handicap and only have a 220 yard drive, so I have no business playing from there. It was just something I noticed as a note for all of you big hitters out there. The greens were challenging. I didn’t find them to be flat and unimaginative. There was a fair amount of subtle wave and break to make it very interesting and some greens are very large. Hole 16 is the main attraction during the open. The stadium seats are set up for the tournament and tens of thousands of people grab a seat to watch the pros play the hole. With all of the seating and fan fare gone, it’s just another par 3. I did enjoy hole 15. A par 4 with a beautiful body of water down the left side that ends up in an island green. Very picturesque. That is a plus to the Stadium course. It is quite gorgeous. Even now it looks good, but it will look amazing come Open time. Just to finish, please don’t take this as I am out to insult the Stadium course. If you have the means to play it…run, do not walk towards the opportunity. I personally don’t believe the cost is worth it. I’m happy I did get the chance to play there. I’m looking forward to the Open in 2019. I’ll be out there with my course yardage book that they provided and have a bit more info than the normal spectator. But, for my money, the Champions course across the street is a far better value and is a very similar course. Thanks for reading.
Dry Heat Hacker 