Overview: Troon North Golf Club is a 36 hole resort in Scottsdale, Arizona ... composed of the Monument Course and The Pinnacle Course. While the Monument Course is considered the "signature" course ... Continue »

Overview: Troon North Golf Club is a 36 hole resort in Scottsdale, Arizona ... composed of the Monument Course and The Pinnacle Course. While the Monument Course is considered the "signature" course at Troon North, the Pinnacle Course was designed by Tom Weiskopf in 1996 to complement the Monument Course. The Pinnacle Course provides a little bit more of a links type feel with a continuous layout that returns to the clubhouse only after the 18th hole. Troon North has been a fixture in the Scottsdale golf scene for 30 years and is one of the original true "desert" golf experiences in the Valley of the Sun.

Clubhouse: Promptly greeted by a player assistant when I drove up to the bag drop. Was taken care of smoothly and efficiently when I checked in at the pro shop and was quickly taken care of by the outside service team when I went outside to get my cart. In my opinion, the clubhouse has not really changed in the past 15-20 years and is due for an update. Everything was clean but it's time to give the clubhouse a new look.

Course: Was excited to play the Pinnacle Course because it has been closed for summer maintenance since 6/1. The course had just re-opened last week and I was looking forward to see what type of shape the course was in because of the record breaking heat that we have had this summer in the Phoenix metro area. I was not disappointed at all. As with most courses, the fairways had a little amount of casual water due to the amount of water that has to be placed on them to keep them in good shape, but the bermuda grass was thick and lush and except in a few spots was not brown at all. Bottom line ... they were in great shape.
The bent grass greens were smooth, rolled true, were of medium speed and were very receptive. Each green had only a few pitch marks that were not repaired, but it was understandable because of the amount of water that needs to be placed on bent grass greens to keep them alive in the desert during the summer months. The Pinnacle Course and Cascata are some of the best greens that I have putted on in the past couple of years. I was in only one bunker and the sand was of very good quality and was easy to hit out of.

Final Thoughts: Troon North, as stated earlier, is one of the standards when people think of when they discuss true desert golf. Tees are perched on pedestals above the fairways, but you must navigate the fairways that run through desert. There are numerous forced carries to target landings in the fairway and/or green complexes. Some of my favorite holes were the par 5 5th hole that has a split fairway choice after your tee shot, the uphill par 3 8th hole that has narrow green complex and finally the par 4 10th hole that is framed in the distance by Pinnacle Peak. The Pinnacle Course is a must play when you come to the Valley of the Sun.