Played 3/29 on a windy and chilly am using a $37 tee off rate paired with Bill a regular and a good golf companion that helped give directions not that I was able to follow them but the thought did c... Continue »

Played 3/29 on a windy and chilly am using a $37 tee off rate paired with Bill a regular and a good golf companion that helped give directions not that I was able to follow them but the thought did count. Course in really good shape fairways lush firm and good lies. Tees level and lush. Bunkers filled with a course rather firm sand that should have been easier to play out of. Found 2 geenside and even getting plenty of sand managed to go long over the green.
Greens were firm and have false fronts and edges so any shot that was just 2-3 feet short was back off the green. Not a good idea to be short sided and needing to hit a precise lob especially when I couldn't feel my hands for the 1st 9 holes or so.
The course is an older traditional layout originally a military facility that is fairly wide open. Played with about a 2 club wind and 50 degrees or so. Bill related that the original course was 9 holes and that the other 9 were added in 74. Early 9 were fairly small generally flat with front to back slope but still raised around the sides and back from 3-6 feet. The newer 9 greens are much larger with a lot of contour and often double breakers also keeping the elevated nature around the sides and back.
Had a wild round 12 over front with 2 trips and 2 birds and 3 over back with 2 more birds only hit 6 greens in reg and 3 putted one of them, but did have the 4 1 putts.
Staff is real friendly got me out 30 min early. pop 3-20

Played 7-31. Had business in Mesa and wanted to get in a quick round, not crowded and finished in 3 hours. Old Air Force base course, very flat. First played here when they added 9 holes. The 9's have... Continue »

Played 7-31. Had business in Mesa and wanted to get in a quick round, not crowded and finished in 3 hours. Old Air Force base course, very flat. First played here when they added 9 holes. The 9's have been reversed since my last visit. Shame because the original 18th is a very good finishing hole. Tee boxes are being reseeded in places, more needs to be done. Greens were very bad. Some puts were air borne many times. Fairways and rough were good, though. Course in better shape in winter, but very crowded and very slow then. Greens are bermuda and have lots of grain. Good course to play in summer because of all the trees and no houses to block the wind. Worth the price.

Played this course on 6-19-11. Several of the greens were in poor condition with large patches where there was no grass, just slightly moist dirt. Other greens were in pretty good shape -- so basicall... Continue »

Played this course on 6-19-11. Several of the greens were in poor condition with large patches where there was no grass, just slightly moist dirt. Other greens were in pretty good shape -- so basically, inconsistent. Noticed the same inconsistency with fairways and tee boxes, some were green and in fair conditions, others dry and thin or uneven (tee boxes). I only paid $14 so I wasn't expecting resort conditions, and for the price the course was in reasonable shape -- except for the several bare greens.

Pace of play was good, the course had several groups out playing, but it wasn't packed. There were some hackers in front of me that were taking their time, but kindly let me play through. I play a bit of army golf myself (left, right...) but was able to finish my round in 3 hours.

The course is a traditional style course with tree lined fairways. Errant shots may still be playable unless a tree blocks your shot. I like that there are no houses around the course.

The cart lady (older woman) was very professional and I saw her twice on the front nine, though as it was late in the day she was ending her shift and I did not see her on the back nine -- she gave me a heads up about this. She kept my cup filled with ice, which was appreciated as it was a very hot day. On her second go round she filled up my cup of ice while I was making one of my many trips in and out of a bunker. The guy in the pro shop was polite as well, and another member of the staff asked me about my round when I finished -- so all in all good customer service.

The driving range is between the 9th and 10th fairways. I just happened to be playing optic yellow golf balls that day and the range balls were yellow as well and quite a few were in the fairway or rough near these holes. Thankfully, my yellow was a slightly different tint or I wouldn't have been able to find them. I was never hit into, but the range wasn't that busy. One odd thing about this course's practice facilities which could be a good thing or a bad thing is that you have to pay to use the putting and chipping area. The fee is something like $5 an hour, so it's not ridiculous, and I could see the benefit as you'd probably have the area mostly to yourself as I'm sure most players will prefer no-fee alternatives.

One plus I noticed with this course is it would be very easy to walk or use a push cart on. Tees are located pretty close to the previous green. Despite some sketchy summer playing conditions, mostly on the greens, I'm considering this course as a regular for walking nine holes during the winter. The reasonable rates, good customer service, pace of play, and mostly decent conditions, as well as ease of walking make it a repeat for me. As a high handicapper the course has ample nuance and challenge in it for me. Scratch and low handicap golfers may either find the relatively flat course too tame, or a welcome respite from tricked out desert foothill courses. This course saw me notch my highest score ever most likely due to the summer afternoon heat (I learned my lesson), and the 30 mph wind. I thought the lack of desert/waste areas where I usually lose my ball would have translated into lower scores, but no dice.

One final note, the sand in the bunkers seemed decent to me, not too thin, no rocks, and no pooled water. Of my many shots that found the bunker none were in a buried lie. I did notice one bunker that had some prairie dogs living in the face.

Played Thurs 5/13/10. Course not crowded at all, pace of play excellent. Very polite and helpful pro shop/starter. Driving range and putting green in excellent condition. No coolers allowed on the cou... Continue »

Played Thurs 5/13/10. Course not crowded at all, pace of play excellent. Very polite and helpful pro shop/starter. Driving range and putting green in excellent condition. No coolers allowed on the course, but at least cart girl came around 5-6 times during the round.

The course itself itself is flat, but protects itself by having tee boxes that do not line up with the fairways, forcing you to make adjustments. Trees line both sides of the fairways, which is kinda unique for Phoenix golf and can cause problems if you're hooking or slicing. Fortunately, with limited traps and water a very errant shot can still end up with a good angle to the green from an adjacent fairway. Bunkers were soft and allowed you to play any shot you wanted out them. Greens are smallish, and had some pockmarks and dead areas, but were firm and very fast as the day got warmer. Some of the white tee boxes were very uneven, forcing you to stand 4-6 inches above or below your ball on a tee shot, but otherwise were in good shape. Definitely worth the summer rate price.

CP

Played Sat 3/29 in the afternoon. Course is flat, as befitting a former air force base. Fairways are lined with trees, not houses, which is nice. Greens are often multi-tiered and sloping, fast and ch... Continue »

Played Sat 3/29 in the afternoon. Course is flat, as befitting a former air force base. Fairways are lined with trees, not houses, which is nice. Greens are often multi-tiered and sloping, fast and challenging to read, but very fair and in very good condition. Most fairways also give you good opportunity for your shot. The only complaint the two regulars I played with had was that the tee boxes are average to mediocre in condition.

Almost impossible to hit a shot OB on most holes. A slice often ends up on a parallel fairway, leaving you a shot through the trees (not a common shot here in Phoenix). Some long holes, generally straight, but the doglegs some fun risk/reward if you try to cut them. Watch out for the lake hole par 3 on the front nine; local knowledge is that you always need one more club than you think to make it to the green.

Service was friendly, the locals were, too. Another nice, inexpensive course on the east side. I was told the conditions actually improve in the summer, as the bermuda grows in while other courses get thinner.

CP