Had buddies come up from Tuscon and waited to play a higher end course and take some bite off their drive. This course is in S Valley so it's a tad off the beaten path. Since the price is higher I n... Continue »

Had buddies come up from Tuscon and waited to play a higher end course and take some bite off their drive. This course is in S Valley so it's a tad off the beaten path. Since the price is higher I never make it down there during summer when N Scottsdale has all you could ever desire. Being this is a Troon course I knew service and conditions would be top notch. Whirlwind did not disappoint! The practice facility with extensive pitching and chipping area was outstanding. As well as multiple well maintained putting greens. The staff is waiting upon your arrival with outstanding club drop service.

The course was immaculate. Not a brown spot or blade of grass out of place anywhere. The bunkers were the white crush granite but it a little more course than the powdery stuff at TPC Scottsdale. The greens rolled true and rolled medium / fast. A hair under perfect speed IMHO but I like them fast. This was likely due to keep pace of play which is always appreciated. The greens were on the firmer side but not what you would expect for AZ summer green firmness. They held shots well and would leave a minor divot. For a desert course there were no blind shots what you see is what you get. The greens reminded me of TPC and Palm springs greens. Elevated greens protected by bunkers with area to miss that would penalize and run off. The fringe wasn't moved super thin, nor the greens fast enough where the ball would run completely. The ball would stop on the fringe, which was a welcome relief as this course would be a bear playing fast and firm. A challening but very fair course. Doglegs and large elevated greens are the defence here. The greens are the type that provide me the most challenge - subtle breaks and breaks that underbreak as opposed to how they look. In order to make the course more playable every flag is on a flat area where there is no break so shots within 12 feet hold which helps makes scoring fair. The starter did an excellent drop describing how to underplay break and don't leave a putt outside the hole within 12 feet. I'm a feel putter so I could not make a decent length putt all day as the ball would stop break a few feet from the hole. I was warned but burned a ton of edges. Great views and natural desert surroundings. The only negative is the routing does not return to the clubhouse after 9. There was no halfway house and only 1 cart girl so our group was running dangerously low on alcohol. So make sure you load up on refreshments before playing ;) Will definitely play again. They used to have nationwide tournaments here and it's where they host the kornferry qualifier. It's easy to see why. A tough but fair test of golf.