Papago Golf Course (Phoenix, AZ)

Papago is often called the “Torrey Pines” “Bethpage Black” of the Southwest. It’s a municipal course that can hold its own against the best in the world. In fact, Gary Van Sickle of Golf.com said if it wasn’t for the summer heat, the USGA could add this to their US Open rota! 

(The thirteenth highlights the beauty of Papago. “A parkland course in a desert setting” is the best way to describe it. 402/376) 

William F Bell designed Papago in 1963, and like Torrey Pines in San Diego, another William Bell course, it quickly joined the top municipal courses in the country list. While there’s no ocean views, the Papago Mountains do a splendid job providing the scenery. 

(The 561/544 yard par five first doglegs right to a elevated green.) 

Make no bones about it, Papago will test your ability to hit a long iron or hybrid. The four par threes cover over 900 yards themselves! Add six par fours that are over 440 yards, and one quickly realizes the strength of this golf course. While length itself is part of the challenge, one must also exhibit accuracy too as the fairway and rough quickly fade to desert  for a slice or hook. 

(The short par four second plays directly at the mountain. Papago wastes no time introducing its gorgeous scenery. At 386/350, it’s a good chance at making birdie.) 

My favorite holes on the course were the par fours. They had the most variety and seemed to occupy the best terrain. The property rolls and the holes play along the high points with the desert in the low areas.

(The 442/398 yard sixth dogs dogs left past the bunker. The green is actually slightly below this point of view) 

Papago is kept in terrific shape, and it was playing fast and firm when I was there. The greens are well bunkered. At least one side of the green was covered by sand, and sometimes both sides were. Bell kept to simple geometric shapes, so greens and bunkers are round. Nowadays many architects inject artistic flair into their designs, but that was most definitely not Bell. 

The par threes are incredibly long at Papago. Three of them are well over 230 yards from the tips. Unfortunately, there’s not much variety in them, and are the holes you least looking forward to playing. Being just short of the green is always a good play for them. 

(The 243/232 yard seventeenth is just a no nonsense par three where par is always a good score. There is plenty of room behind the left trap to tuck a pin during competition.) 
(The 187/158 yard eleventh is one of the few holes with water in play.) 

The par fives are solid holes though one and ten and virtually the same hole. The ninth played as the eighteenth when the LPGA played here just so players had a chance to make eagle. It’s a short downhill par five with no real defense if the drive is well struck. The fifteenth is in a class of is own as it weaves up and down all the way to the green. 

(This view of the green on the 585/545 yard fifteenth.)
(The view of the natural vegetation that lines the holes at Papago.)     

Phoenix is known for its golf, and several highly prominent courses take up most of the discussion, but Papago deserves to be included in the conversation. It’s close to the airport and downtown, making it a great place to kick off a golf trip. I give it a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours). 

[ASU recently merged with Papago, and will become the official home of the golf team.  A more personal note: this is my 200th golf blog!! Here’s to blogging a couple hundred more!]

Cave Creek Golf Course (Phoenix, AZ)

Apparently, I picked the wrong week to come down to Phoenix. With Spring Training starting up, many of the courses doubled their green fees. Looking for value, I found myself playing at a couple city owned tracks. 

(The 208 yard 17th has a baraitz feature where the flat area is short of the green, and the swale is the front half of the green. A par here is darn good score.) 

 Cave Creek was just a few miles from where I was staying. It was built in the ‘80s on a reclaimed parcel of land. A large wash cuts thru the property, and the best holes take advantage of it. This is the most popular course in Phoenix! That fact is a great statement to how well Jack Snyder designed the course. 

The bunkers are used judiciously, and the water hazards are placed in strategic spots to make players think twice. The greens though are the best part of the course. They are beautifully shaped, and various pin positions change the shot needed to best attack the hole. There’s plenty of open ground for high cappers to keep the pace moving. It’s very well done in that regard! 

While several of the holes skirt alongside the wash, only two play over it, eleven and eighteen. Eleven is a fine par five that plays across then up and over to the green. 

(I’m a big fan of the diagonal carry over the wash....

...a good drive brings the green reachable in two shots.)

As one can tell by the above pics, Cave Creek is a bit brown. This allows a magnitude of shots to be pulled off by the golfer. These imperfect conditions make a very fun round! 

As much as I want to discuss Cave Creek, it’s Jack Snyder who I am most interested in. His father worked with Emil Loeffler, and he was trained by his father to be a course superintendent. His background gave him a huge advantage in understanding everything that goes into designing a golf course. He understood exactly what makes a course profitable. 

(The 18th green funnels precisely where pin is in the pic. The tee shot is much more dangerous than the eleventh, since a ball that fails to make the fairway will roll into the wash. The last two greens are quite different than the rest, but the reason, according to my playing companions, is the ground hasn’t finished settling.) 

Both times I played Cave Creek, the parking lot was packed full of cars. I dont doubt the claim that is the most popular course in Phoenix. While it might not architecturally be worth seeking out, I enjoyed playing here very much. The quality of the green contours bumps the course up one. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth 30-45 min drive). 

Atlantic National Golf Club (Lake Worth, FL)

Jack Nicklaus once said “Joe Lee never designed a bad golf course.”  To me, this is a reference to Lee’s ability to shrink the target, especially for good players. Pin positions can be tucked behinds bunkers or a treacherous slope. 

His experience as a teaching pro helped him recognize what made good players struggle and what made duffers and recreational players move along. 

Atlantic National has plenty of room to drive the ball in fairway, and plenty of short grass to miss the approach shot. It’s interests come when a golfer is trying to gain an advantage. Several cape style holes and a couple diagonal hazards highlight these playing characteristics. 

Most people would recognize Atlantic National as being a typical Florida golf course, which is basically water, sand, and wind on a flat piece of land. 

There’s plenty of room to choose how much risk one wants to take. Lee presents difficult shots, but there’s also opportunities to bail out and try to use one’s short game to save par. 

The green complexes are quite difficult. They are well bunkered, and usually on the corners or in the front. High shots that bite quickly are the best way to attack the course. This is the main reason why Nicklaus loves Lee golf courses!  

The above pic illustrates just how tough the greens are! “Be below the hole” and “don’t short side yourself “ are two of the most popular phrases i think you’ll hear here!  

Atlantic National was in excellent condition when we played it.  The greens were very fast too! For me, this is what made Atlantic National stand out. Several high scores from good players stood out as well. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth 30-45 min drive). Lee was very prominent in Florida, so one can play many of his designs. This is a well respected public option.