Las Sendas Golf Club

“True” Desert Golf

You’ve likely played desert golf courses where the architect has actually picked the shots for you, steering you from one patch of green to the next, negotiating contrived routings around rock formations, everything but a final putt through a lighthouse or into the clown’s mouth.

Las Sendas Golf Club, a 4-Star semi private club in the spectacular rocky foothills east of Mesa at the end of Hwy 202, just 15 minutes off Hwy 101, is nothing like some of its desert brethren. Designed to co-habitate with the natural splendor of its East Valley environment by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (his only solo design in the Valley of the Sun), Las Sendas is, in Jones own words, “true” desert golf.

Much less dirt and rock were moved in this layout than many other area courses of the same era, creating an experience that Jones describes as “a nature walk through the desert, attracting you with beauty and challenging you with shot options.”

Las Sendas Golf Club now features brand new TifEagle greens and new sand in the bunkers, making the course even more playable and forgiving, something the course might have needed with its stout 72.5/145 rating and slope from the 6,900-yard tips. You’ll likely be delighted by the quality of the test if you’re smart enough to choose tees that match your game, not your ego. The 6,400-yard Blue tees slope at 135 and the just-under 6,000-yard whites play to a still-formidable, yet fun 129 slope.

Las Sendas (meaning “the pathway”) invites you to experience Jones’ “nature walk” while being treated like a member for a day, or a lifetime, with enticing non-equity options that are very affordable and flexible. But be prepared for a challenge. Jones wants you to think your way around Las Sendas, yet knows you’ll be constantly distracted by the incredible vistas from their 1,400 foot elevation above the Valley fl oor. That’s the conundrum of Las Sendas. Hidden amidst the stunning beauty of the surrounding landscape is a hell of a golf course!

Beautiful? Pictures actually understate the grandeur of the three-dimensional view not only up/down and sideways, but out, to Camelback Mountain to the west and the Superstition Mountains to the east, and the entire Valley fl oor below. Much of your “pathway” at Las Sendas is natural as you drive through the desert, weaving between cacti that are, indeed, in-play. Many of the rolling fairways are elevated above the desert floor, leaving you options to play low into the large, steeply-sloped greens, or fly the ball in on your approaches.

Challenging? Survive the daunting two opening holes (the longest par-4 and par-5 on the front side and handicapped as the two toughest on the nine), and conquer the mountainous stretch at 4, 5 and 6, you might be in for a career round. The spectacular 4th, a favorite of Director of Golf Operations Craig Carmody, is one of the few holes on the course where you’re probably better off laying-up off the tee, short of a desert wash with a longer-iron approach straight into the mountain that’ll be looking over your shoulder for eight of the next ten holes. Trust us, and the ProLink GPS-equipped carts, the course does get a little easier from here on in.

Another design feature at Las Sendas you might not recognize until you’ve finished is that the five par-3s likely will offer the opportunity to hit five different clubs off the tee. The fifth and 11th holes play right into the mountain. The 7th, the shortest par-3 at just 120 yards from the tips, has a treacherous green with at least 5-feet of elevation change between the two tiers. Take an extra club at the uphill par-3 11th so you won’t be disappointed by its false front apron, and don’t miss the green at either of the remaining par-3s. The putting surfaces at 14 and 16 are large, but very well-bunkered.

Even if you’re not playing from the tips, take in the view from the back tees at the 13th when you leave the mountain. The views of the Superstition and Usery Mountains off the elevated tee box are breathtaking. The rest of the par-4 is downright fun, concluding with an approach across a desert wash to the green.

If you have any breath left, it will likely be taken away by the vistas behind the double dogleg par-5 18th hole. If the views to the White Tank Mountains 70 miles to the west don’t draw your eye away from the task at hand (the lakes short-right and long-left off the tee) the enticement to aim your second shot right at Camelback Mountain and carry that 2nd lake to reach the green in two will be tempting. “No guts, no glory.”

Clearly, the course is the star at Las Sendas. But the other golf-related amenities make the first trip worthwhile and future visits more likely. The clubhouse Grille serves breakfast and lunch every day and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. A newly-enlarged patio outside the Spanish-styled clubhouse makes entertaining at your private party, special event or wedding for up to 260 easier than ever. Business and charitable groups who rave about their treatment at Las Sendas include tourneys sponsored by Steve Young, Mark Grace and Steve Stone, the Mesa Firefighters and NFL Alumni. Besides a double-ended practice facility endorsed by the Tour pros who use it daily, Carmody and his staff of four PGA professionals at the Las Sendas Golf Academy can arrange a single lesson or a series to help your confi dence before, after, or between rounds at Las Sendas.

A recent Zagat survey listed Las Sendas as one of the 20 most challenging courses in the country. That’s not meant to strike fear into a golfer’s heart, but to bring out the conqueror in all of us. As Robert Trent Jones, Jr. says, “It is a Wild West Course, and you’d better bring your six-gun, because you’re going to have to shoot it here.” Happy birdie hunting.

For more information or tee times at Las Sendas Golf Club, contact them at (480)396-4000, or visit www.lassendas.com.