My Quest to Check Off Golf's Best Experiences

#18, "St. Andrews," Par 4, 365 Yards


Straight away to finish the Monument Course.  Water and sand down the left is to be avoided and another bunker on the right pinches the fairway at about 260 yards.  A huge green awaits your final approach shot.  

Troon North is a really nice golf complex.  Both courses are solid, and the facility is nice to complement it.  A nice range, good practice greens, good food and drink in the clubhouse, and nice locker room.  Just a good golf experience.  Is it worth $300 or so during prime season?  Maybe, maybe not.  It probably caters mostly to golf vacationers that time of year with warm weather and the possibility of playing golf being what makes it worth it.  If you only have one course to play in the Phoenix area, this gives you a nice taste of desert golf.  More undulations than on many courses, great mountain views, saguaro cacti, lizards, jack rabbits, and wash areas--this one has it all.  While I'm not sure I'd be thrilled to pay $300, playing during the summer for less than $100?  A complete steal!

#17, "Westward Look," Par 4, 455 Yards


The #1 handicap hole on the course, this is one long par 4.  A wash works its way across the fairway at about 285 yards from the gold tees.  The typical drive will probably leave around 200 yards into a large green with the only trouble being a bunker on the right.

#16, "Lone Mountain," Par 3, 234 Yards


Picking the right club is the key here.  It's 234 yards, but plays downhill.  The sand is all short, so going a bit long isn't horrible and the green is 39 yards deep, so it's big enough to handle a long club.  I guessed right and knocked one close and made a short putt for birdie.

#14, "Spanish Dagger," Par 5, 541 Yards


This is one of the holes where my advice is to hit to where you can see.  The second shot gives you a chance to carry some desert into a blind landing zone.  If you know this course well and know the line maybe it's worth the risk.  However, having played this course only once and in a tournament, I just played my second to where I could see it, and took my chances with the third from there.  The green is wide, but the shallowest on the course. This is one tough par 5.

#15, "Canyon Pass," Par 4, 283 Yards.


I wish I had better pictures of this one, because this is probably the most memorable hole on the course.  My only objection to the design is that it's a short par 4, so there should be somewhat of a decision to be made from the tee.  In my opinion, there isn't one.  There's way too much trouble around the green to consider pulling driver.  My recollection is that I just hit a 5 wood toward the center bunker and was left with less than 60 yards into the green.  The boulders around the green are something!

#13, "Four Peaks," Par 3, 206 Yards


Both par 3's on this side play over 200 yards from the gold tees.  This one has sand and water on the right, but an ample area on the left to bail.



#12, "Desert Holly," Par 4, 411 Yards


Keep it away from the fairway bunker on the left.  It's 267 yards to reach it.  You may or may not want to hit driver here.  A drive of about 240 can be landed in a really fat part of the fairway.  A longer drive brings the left bunker into play, but presents a more reasonable yardage for the approach.  The green is good-sized but well guarded by sand as well.

#10, "Illusion," Par 4, 384 Yards


I liked this nine better, and I'm trying to convince myself it wasn't because I shot 35 on it.  The fairway slopes right to left with bunker on the left side, so a fade into the hill is the ideal shot shape.  A bunker guards the right side of the green on the front half.

#11, "Dynamite Ridge," Par 5, 504 Yards


Like the 9th, no bunkers until you face your second shot.  The hole is narrow though.  Just get your drive out there.  You can think about going for it in two if your drive is long enough....I did.  A shot aimed at the right half of the green or a high draw is the play.  Tons of room is out on the right, for a manageable up and down on an approach that doesn't get to the green.  All-in-all, not a very hard hole if you can keep it straight.

#2, "The Quarry," Par 3, 165 Yards 


With homes neatly perched above, the green on this par 3 runs diagonal away from the player so pin placement is important for club selection.  Two bunkers are on the right.  This hole shouldn't present too many problems as it's only a 7 iron or so.  If ending up short is a concern, keep it left.

#3, "The Monument," Par 5, 544 Yards


The namesake of the course, the huge granite boulder in the middle of the fairway is 236 yards from the gold tees and can be very much in play.  Laying up short of it isn't a completely crazy idea because you certainly don't want to have to play around it for your second shot.  It's about 265 through the fairway on the line of the left bunker and 287 yards through the fairway on the line of the boulder if you want to just fly the ball over it..  From there, it's about a 90 degree turn to the right with a rather tight landing area.  You're probably not getting home in two, so just pick whatever layup club will keep you in play and give you a confident swing into the green.

#4, "Balancing Rock," Par 4, 370 Yards


Not much to worry about off the tee.  The landing area is fairly wide with no fairway bunkers on either side.  Just get it out there.  The second shot is a bit more stressful, but it should be with a short club.  Bunkers flank either side of the green, which joins the 14th hole as the two shallowest greens on the course.  This one is only 28 yards deep.

#5, "Swale," Par 4, 435 Yards


A fairly bland hole here.  The length is the main challenge, with no bunkers or other hazards on this hole.  Contours border this green on the left, but the green is 40 yard deep and one of the larger greens on the course.

#6, "Gamble," Par 4, 295 Yards


Short par 4's are one of Tom Weiskopf's specialties, and this one is no exception.  After a yawner at the 5th, this is a pretty fun hole.  To stay short of all the bunkers is only a shot of about 215 yards, but it's much more fun to go for it, right?  The main hazard to avoid if you pull driver is a bunker that's 259 yards from the gold tees and on the guarding the left half of the green.

#7, "Ironwood Wash," Par 3, 190 Yards


A deep green of 41 yards with bunkers on either side.  A mid-to-long-iron must be hit to this one.  

#8, "The Peak," Par 4, 403 Yards


With a desert wash running on a diagonal and away from the player from right to left, hitting it down the left side allows for the longest drive.  It's hard to see the wash from the tee, but trust me, it's there!  A bomber can carry the whole thing with a drive of about 304 yards at the shortest point, but that's not me.  250 yards or so is a pretty safe distance right down the middle.  From there, just hit it over the wash and up onto the green.  Long is the place to miss on this one to avoid the bunker that fronts the green.

#9, "Hell Bunker," Par 5, 520 Yards


A long and straight par 5.  No bunkers will come into play off the tee, but a fairway bunker will possible come into play on your second shot which sits on the right side of the fairway.  Plenty of room awaits on the left though, and the right side is the harder line to come in from anyway, so there's no reason to take on that bunker.

#1, "Hidden Green," Par 4, 411 Yards


The opening hole at the Monument was actually the start of my back nine.  It's about 220 yards to be level with the fairway bunkers on the left, and about 278 yards through the fairway from the gold tees.  The safest line is a bit to the right of the fairway bunkers.  As is the case with every desert course, I'd recommend to play it safe and do whatever you can to keep your ball on grass.  It only to what you can see.  It doesn't come into play on this hole, but you'll have opportunities to carry desert areas where you don't have to.  Resist temptation and keep your ball in play.  Balls that land in the desert can bounce a long long way and it's not worth hunting with the rattlesnakes in most cases.

In June, 2013, I checked the state of Arizona off the list, and played seven courses included in the Golf Magazine Top 100 list.  Though there were no weak courses played this week, the two courses at Troon North were the highlights of the trip.  Making it even more fun, my two days at Troon North were as part of a tournament on the Golf Channel Amateur Tour.  And, to add icing on the cake, it was a tournament that I won!  So, as is the case with a few of my reviews, so the photos will be from the perspective of a spectator, but in this case, only the back nine of the Monument.


Now that I'm done tooting my own horn, Arizona golf is different.  Being from the Northeast originally, and living in the Midwest now, you can't really compare desert golf to what I'm used to.  Sure, there are versions of target golf in other parts of the country, but the target golf that weaves through desert washes, with mountain vistas, cacti, and Southwestern wildlife is just a different feel.  What's more, the target golf that the desert presents hypothetically gives you a chance to recover (with a little bit of luck), while target golf elsewhere often means a lost pall and a penalty stroke.  Don't get me wrong, there are penalties associated with being in the desert, and unplayable lies are common, but sometimes you get lucky and can get back on track without a penalty.


So, June in Arizona...was I nuts?  Maybe, but there is truth to the dry heat thing.  That is, as long as you get out early enough.  We played at around 8:00 each morning, so we were deep into the back nine before it got to the day's peak heat.  Hydration was obviously critical, but all the courses do a fantastic job of giving you constant access to water, with water jugs attached to the carts at each course.  What's more, if you're tough enough to brave the elements during an Arizona summer, you're rewarded with incredible deals.  The highly rates courses in the Scottsdale area will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 or more during peak season, but during the summer are well under $100.  


When I thought about desert golf in the middle of the summer, I assumed that courses would play rock hard.  Boy was I wrong!  In fact, every courses was super soft, at least at these times of day.  They water then so much overnight that there were puddles on some fairways, and in many cases, my drives ended up within a yard or so of its pitch mark...sometimes behind it.  So, the courses tended to play at least to their stated length due to the lack of roll.


Another couple tips regarding desert golf to the inexperienced.  First, never go into the desert without a golf club.  Make lots of noise when you're in there, banging your club against the ground and dragging your feet.  The reason is that rattlesnakes are around--they'll warn you with their rattle as long as they're not surprised by you.  At that point, it's your job to stay away from them.  The desert will scratch golf clubs if you try to play from it.  A couple of the people I played with even said they carry desert clubs, which were old junky clubs that they weren't worried about damaging.  However, if you're playing by the 14-club limit, that's not really an easy thing to do.  So, just a cost of doing business out here.  If you're playing with a brand new shiny set of irons, either don't hit it in there, or don't play it out of there.  Finally, beware the cacti, especially the cholla (sometimes known as "jumping cholla").  Their branches are very brittle and will break off with the slightest contact.  The needles are nasty and difficult to get out of clothes/skin.  I watched one go through a playing partner's shoe!  So, stay away from them.


Back to Troon North.  There are two courses here.  The Monument came first.  It opened in 1990 and was the work of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish.  The course was named for the huge granite boulder on the 3rd hole, known as "The Monument."  The Pinnacle course came next, in 1996, and was the solo work of Tom Weiskopf.  This one is named for Pinnacle Peak, which is visible in the distance.  What you see now isn't the original routing.  Some holes were moved from one course to the other to create a more natural flow where the course is routed the way the land dictates.  Though the Pinnacle course is rated a bit higher, I actually thought the Monument was a bit more memorable.  Boulders are featured a bit more, where Pinnacles makes use of frequent carries over desert washes.  I was "wow"ed by more holes on the monument.  However, it's possible that some of this was dictated by my mood, because I simply played better on the monument, which led to me having more fun and being more engaged in my round.


It's also somewhat curious that Golf Magazine puts seven Arizona golf courses in their Top 100 You Can Play list, while Golf Magazine doesn't feature a single Arizona course in its Top 100 Public Courses.  I know that desert golf is somewhat controversial and many people aren't enamored with it, but to completely exclude every Arizona track from the list is interesting.  


Today, the Monument plays to a max length of 7,039 yards from the black tees with four other teeing options.  I'll quote the gold tees in my write-up, which play to a par 72 from 6,716 yards with a rating/slope of 71.6/137.  In my tournament, we played a mix of the gold and silver tees to create a makeshift combo tee that played around 6,400 yards.  

Troon North Golf Club (Monument Course)

Scottsdale, Arizona




Checked off the Bucket List June 8, 2013



Golf Magazine:

#52, Top 100 Courses You Can Play (2012)

#4, Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona (2012)