Apache Stronghold Golf Club

The name is just too enticing, the history too compelling, the scenery too breathtaking, the amenities too welcoming to ignore. Apache Stronghold Golf Club puts you in touch with your game in a gorgeous high-desert design by acclaimed architect Tom Doak, with the pride of Arizona’s Apache nation accompanying you every step of the way.

The name is just too enticing, the history too compelling, the scenery too breathtaking, the amenities too welcoming to ignore. Apache Stronghold Golf Club puts you in touch with your game in a gorgeous high-desert design by acclaimed architect Tom Doak, with the pride of Arizona’s Apache nation accompanying you every step of the way.

According to the local legend, an Apache Stronghold was created by the god Usen as a region abundant with everything the Apache people would need to survive. Guarded by the Chiricahuas, Aravaipas, Superstition and White Mountains, the Stronghold would be a mystical haven in which the Apaches could walk invisibly among their enemies. When you play Apache Stronghold, the sculpted figure of a warrior on horseback keeps watch on a hill above the fairways and greens, a reminder of the ancestor warriors who rode here before.

“This is one place where the course plays through the desert, instead of one where the desert is merely a picture frame for the golf,” says Doak, whose work at Pacific Dunes in Oregon and High Pointe and Lost Dunes in Michigan reminds us how talented he is at taking a truly special piece of real estate, and doing as little as necessary to make it a stunning golf venue. Doak, and the tribal leaders, agreed to try to move as little dirt as possible and keep the use of bulldozers to a minimum.

What resulted in 1999 was a spectacular complement to its high desert environment. Apache Stronghold’s 3,200-foot elevation is significantly cooler than its Phoenix and Tucson neighbors, and also promotes a little better ball-flight. Wider-than-normal fairways buffer the recreational golfer from the cruelties of the desert, but rugged washes that are maintained like natural bunkers, but staked as hazards, give players the option of taking drops, or playing out of the raw landscape.

There are no true “signature” holes at Apache Stronghold, every hole creates its own story, depending on the time of day, the prevailing weather, and your partners on this golf odyssey. From the tips, the course can be a daunting 7,519 yards with two par-5s measuring well over 600, starting right off the first tee with a 661-yard opening hole. Each move forward on the tee boxes gains you about 500 total yards on the scorecard with the Apache and Chieftan tees at a very playable 6,500+ and just under 6,100-yards. From there, only one of the par-5s is reachable by anyone other than the very longest of hitters. Number 16, the second of back-to-back backside par-5s, only measures in the mid-400s, but a split fairway, and forced carry over Gilson Wash, provide ample challenges even before you reach a green with a deep swale in the center, surrounded by high plateaus. The par-3s will invite you to use four different clubs off their tees.

It is a set of intriguing par-4s, however that truly define Apache Stronghold. The two shortest par-4s on the front nine, the fourth and sixth holes, are unique tests. Number four is known as “Twin Peaks” for the twin sand hills of mesquite and sage that stand like sentinels around the green. It requires a blind shot off the tee and either another blind shot from the left, or a carry over a small ravine to approach from the right. The sixth, “Javelina’s Back,” is a Doak favorite, drivable at this altitude from 284 or 310 yards from the middle tees. Just don’t miss the generous fairway on your way to the green.

On the somewhat shorter back nine, the challenge is in battling the elevation changes and Doak’s design features, like a split fairway at the 10th that forces a decision between the shorter (but narrower) left fairway, or a wider landing area (but forced-carry drive) to the right. Remember, while you’re touring the picturesque back nine, the Apache tribe owns all of the surrounding property and has pledged not to spoil the incredible views with any development. What you see today will be there tomorrow, and for a long time to come.

Before or after your round at Apache Stronghold, you’d be wise to avail yourself of the full service pro shop and practice facility complete with grass tee driving range and putting green. You’d also be smart to consider one of the one, two, or three-day golf schools available both at the outside facilities and a 3,600-square-foot indoor teaching facility from the staff of PGA pros led by respected instructor Dave Kluver. 

But who’s kidding whom.The Apache Gold Casino Resort is on-site with its live entertainment, cabaret lounge, 500 slot machines, blackjack and poker. Stay and Play packages are available with the adjacent Best Western hotel that includes a pool and spa. All types of outings can be arranged for any size group, whether it includes rooms, conferences or seminars for up to 400, private dining, or just golf, the convention and event staff at Apache Stronghold can handle it. The Apache Grill includes authentic Apache and Southwestern Cuisine among its offerings and the Wikiup Buffet also has a variety of gourmet dishes.

Apache Stronghold and the Apache Gold Casino Resort is located just east of Globe, within a hundred miles of both Phoenix and Tucson. Call 800-APACHE-8 or visit their Web site at www.golfapache.com for more information on the trip into the eastern Arizona hills of the Old West you’ll never forget.