8440 S. 35th Ave. Laveen, Az. 85339. (602) 534-4653 x1.
Black=7089 yards. Silver=6403 yards. Gold=5952 yards. Red=5442 yards. Total Par=72.
Last week I wrote a piece about the Aguila 9 par 3 course and said I hoped to soon write about its big brother course. Well, you’re in luck as I played it yesterday and had an amazing round. It was Labor Day. I had the day off, but I have every Monday off. It wasn’t much of a holiday for me, but I hope anyone that stumbles across this had a great holiday weekend. I was hoping the course might be lightly populated due to the holiday. I got an afternoon tee time from www.golfnow.com. The rate was $29+fees. Given the time of year, I thought it would be a bit cheaper, but this is the rate for all City of Phoenix courses (Encanto, Papago, Cave Creek, and GCU) right now and Aguila is a city course. When I checked in, the pro shop told me the course was wide open and I would have it to myself. When I arrived at the first tee, they must have forgotten about the full high school team that was practicing. There were 4 on the 1st fairway and 4 on the 2nd fairway. High School golf teams usually walk the course with the coach following behind them on a cart. It’s slow going. They will usually let you play through, but they have to notice you first. I went back to the pro shop, asked if I could go out the back 9 and was doing so minute later. I’ve played Aguila a few times before, but it has been since last summer that I’ve played the full track. I like this facility. City courses are very under rated. They are usually well maintained with reasonable rates. Everything I said complimentary about the par 3 course can be applied here. Tees, fairways, and greens are in very good shape. Like most Phoenix courses, there were brown spots here and there in the fairways, but not the tees & greens. I know this course is very busy year round. They have a lot of action in the morning. There are no leagues to speak of, but many tournaments and outings all year long. There are 3 bodies of water; one between 9 & 18, 10 & 17, and at the side of #8. All can get you in trouble if you’re not careful and the sides drop down far, right at the lips. You won’t get your ball back. #8 is a dogleg right around water and #17 is a dogleg left around water. They are both par 4s. The back 9 went well for me. I had 2 double bogeys, 2 pars, and the rest bogeys which gave me a 45. Also, # 14 on the back 9 was the only bunker I had to play out of. The sand was heavy, but I like that. You can really hit into it and not worry about nailing the ball farther than you want. There are plenty of fairway and green bunkers to make it interesting, but not an overabundance to be discouraging.
The front 9 was the best 9 of my life, so far. There was no one to be seen when I was at the #1 tee. I double bogeyed the first hole, a par 4. I birdied the next 2 holes (par 5 and par 3). I played the gold tees so the par 3 was 128 yards. I hit an 8 iron a bit too light and was about 50 feet away on the side and I made the putt! Have you ever sunk one from a long distance and just yelled ‘yes!!!!!’? Well, I did. It’s a damn good feeling. The next 5 holes went par (par 4), bogey (par 5), birdie (par 4), bogey (par 3), and birdie (par 4). If you do the math, I was even par after 8 holes. I have never been close to this in my life. I had 1 hole to go, #9, and it was a par 4. I double bogeyed it. I was pin high in 2 on the side of a small hill. One thing I am not good at is chipping. I practice my short game often. Very often in fact, but I cannot get consistent. I either chip it too far, too short, hit too far behind the bad or top/skull the shot. This was no different and I flubbed the chip and 3 putted as I lipped the cup on the 4th stroke. I couldn’t be mad, though. A 38 for 9 holes is amazing if you’re me. I shot an 83, which beats my personal best of 85 that I shot at Longbow a month or so, ago.
The entire Aguila facility is nice. Unfortunately, they do not have a snack bar. They still use the area and have a TV if one wants to relax pre or post round. You can buy beer, Gatorade, snacks, etc. in the pro shop. There is a new water and ice machine that wasn’t there a couple of months ago. They have a driving range, chipping green, and a large putting green. I’ve used these many times for practice. Personally, I really enjoy Aguila and it’s one of my favorite courses in Phoenix. It’s close to my house, too. In 90 minutes, I can leave my place, play the par 3 once, and return home. If I have something to work on, cough, cough…ahem…..chipping……I have a place close where I can take a dozen balls and practice for an hour. It’s the best all-around facility I can name in the Phoenix metro area. I hope you get a round in here, soon. Thanks for reading.
Dry Heat Hacker 