Paradise Valley Golf Course played October 23rd, 2018

3505 E. Union Hills Drive Phoenix, Az. 85050 (602) 992-7190

http://www.paradisevalleygc.com

Tee Box Options: Championship=4145 yards. Regular=3789 yards. Total Par=61

It’s approaching ‘winter’ in Phoenix and as the temperature drops, the golf rates go up. The next 5 months will see an influx of part time residents that come from other states and Canada for the warmer temps in relation to where they are from. Our average temperature during the winter is 60-70°. After the New Year, we have the Waste Management Open, then Spring training for baseball from late February to March. With the tourism and visitors golf becomes expensive in the valley. During this time, I try to find deals on Golf Now and I mainly play executive courses. During the next few months, I have no doubt the majority of my blogs with be regarding the short courses….and I am going to gush about them.

Honestly, I love them. I am spoiled with being able to play a full 18 holes during the summer in 2-2.5 hours. This is not lost on me. But, this is also next to impossible from November to June. When I play a full par 72 track during the winter, it is a 4 hour tour at least. Phoenix has many 9 (Par 30) and 18 hole (Par 60) short courses. I think they are a great opportunity to get in some quick golf. Also, I walk these courses. I absolutely love walking golf. There is nothing I would rather do than sling my bag over my shoulders and trudge around a course. It is amazing exercise and I feel gives you a better feel for a course. The par 4s are usually shorter (280 yards for example) and the courses are relatively flat. I’d also like to mention that many courses are adding foot golf, as PVGC has.

Tuesday was my first time at PVGC and I had heard many good things about this course. I visited www.golfnow.com, reserved a late morning tee time for $15 (cart was included, but I wanted to walk), and was on my way. PVGC has a small clubhouse and a course. It’s not very fancy, but most execs aren’t. I putted and chipped a bit and was sent out early as a single as they had a break in between groups.

I tee’d up, took my first shot, and was on my way. The course was post overseed and in good shape. I was expecting it to be a bit lusher given the rains we just endured and I still could see a fair amount of grass seed as I was walking. The tee boxes were nice and the greens were in good shape and my ball rolled true.

There are a lot of trees on this course, which I liked. They line and separate the fairways. I didn’t have any trouble with them. I did lose my Noodle on the 9^th. The course is a Par 61 because #9 is a par 5. This is the only one on the course. I hit a decent drive but it started to spin to the right after it carried and I lost it in the trees that lined the driving range. I was bummed. I liked that ball. There are a few bunkers, but they are no problem at all as they aren’t deep and the sand was very playable.

One thing I have always enjoyed about Phoenix courses is wildlife. I’ve have seen packs of coyotes, flocks of grackles, ducks, geese, and have been told about rattlesnake sightings which I feel fortunate to not have experienced. Nope, I am not a fan of snakes. PVGC has a lot of geese and ducks. When walking, you have to be mindful of the poop. There is lots of it. The mowers chop it up each morning, but it tends to build up throughout the day.

PVGC is comparable to other 18 hole execs in the valley such as Bel Air in Phoenix, Rolling Hills in Tempe, and Continental in Scottsdale. I played from the ‘Championship’ tees. The executive tips, if you will. On short courses, it’s not difficult to keep the ball in the fairway (unless you’re losing a Noodle on the only par 5). Most of the holes on execs are Par 3s. For me, I get to use many clubs in my bag and really can work on my short game. I know some people can play an executive course with wedges and a putter, but I don’t hit the ball very far. The par 3s offer varying distances ranging from 113 to 212 yards. The par 4s range from 288 to 365 yards. The lone par 5 is 475 yards.

I hit 42 on the front and a 36 on the back for 17 over par and a total of 78. I did have 3-3 putts, which is a bit disappointing. When the round is over one can definitely see where all the mistakes happened when finalizing the card. Paradise Valley Golf Course is a good short course. I did enjoy my round. One group let me play through and I did play with a gentleman who was riding and caught up to me on 15. 2 hours for a walking round definitely wasn’t bad.