Now that Rio Salado is in the process of being turned into an "urban farm" (whatever the hell that is), Rolling Hills is left as only executive course in Tempe. The course is managed by the City of Te... Continue »

Now that Rio Salado is in the process of being turned into an "urban farm" (whatever the hell that is), Rolling Hills is left as only executive course in Tempe. The course is managed by the City of Tempe, and, like most courses managed by municipalities, can be a bit more expensive than it's actually worth. In the summer, however, their email special is $12 Monday-Wednesday, and $14 for Thursday and Friday play. Very reasonable. As you can tell by its name, this not a standard flat layout. Most holes you're hitting either uphill or down, and many of the greens are raised and have false edges so balls can roll off easily. There are three Par 4s on the front side and five on the back, with the other 10 holes all Par 3s (no Par 5s). Many of the Par 4s are either reachable or almost reachable with a well-struck drive, but beware--the fairways often cant from left to right so a ball hit in the middle may well wander off into rough (which is mostly bare dirt) or brush and other undergrowth. These are great places to practice your very short game (inside 20-30 yards for a 2nd shot). There are bunkers scattered throughout the course but they have rarely come into play during my rounds. Some are sandy, others not so much. There is a decent sized driving range (which you cannot drive your carts onto) and a very small practice green behind Hole #1. No practice chipping area. There is also a bar & grill where many of the locals hang out before and after their rounds. I was pleasantly surprised at the course conditions for late August. Tee boxes were in good-to-very good condition, and the fairways were simply stellar (especially for an executive/public course). Looking at the fairway from the first tee (a short Par 4 with a narrow fairway and large drop off to the left of the green), it was simply a long green carpet. Tempe groundskeepers have been bringing it lately. Again, if you stray, you'll be in hard pan, scattered grass/weeds or bushes, so hit it straight. Greens were firm and slow. Putts held their lines, but definitely needed a little extra "oomph" to get it to the hole today. For me, there is no better place than here when I want to dial in my PW and 9-iron, and it's fun to hit drives and have a small chip to the hole. One could do worse when trying to sharpen one's game. CP