Desert Forest Golf Club Ranked the # 78 Course in the US

Desert Forest Golf Club has achieved an elite ranking once again, this time from GOLF Magazine.
 
In the just released 2007 list of Top 100 Courses in the U.S., Desert Forest was ranked No. 78, moving up from No. 79 in 2005. Desert Forest has been named in GOLF Magazine's Top 100 since 1997. Desert Forest, designed and built by Red Lawrence, opened in 1962, and is the only Arizona golf course to earn a top-100 ranking by the publication.
 
Joe Passov, architecture and course rankings editor for GOLF Magazine, said Desert Forest probably scores high in several categories for several reasons. "I can only speculate as to why our course panelists feel so strongly about Desert Forest year after year,” Passov said, “but if I had to guess, it would be that there is immense admiration for the classic, lay-of-the-land design, one that demands old-fashioned ball-striking and thoughtful course management. There's nothing forced or out of place, nor even a hint of artificiality. It's just a great test of golf, with holes that are seamlessly slotted into the natural terrain."

Barry Poupore, the general manager at Desert Forest, said the ranking is an honor. "We are very pleased to be listed among GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the U.S.,” Poupore said.  “It's a tribute to the heritage of Desert Forest and the commitment our members and staff continue to make to achieve exceptional course conditions and the overall golf experience. There is a sincere dedication to and passion for the game of golf at Desert Forest. It's a truly special place and we are honored to be recognized.”



Other Desert Forest News:

The 2007 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur will be held at Desert Forest from September 29 through October 3. This will be the 14th national golf championship that the USGA has conducted in the Grand Canyon State, which makes it a special honor. In fact, Desert Forest is one of only three Arizona clubs to host two USGA championships. That’s rare company.

Competing on their home course, Desert Forest Golf Club members Tui Selvaratnam of Tempe and Kerry Postillion of Scottsdale are gearing up  to win their first U.S. Women’s Mid Amateur Championship.

Fellow members Robin Donnelley of Carefree, the 1989 champion, and Lynn Simmons of North Phoenix, a veteran USGA competitor, could also make headlines if they qualify.

If experience means anything, then perhaps the USGA will crown a champion from the Grand Canyon state.

Selvaratnam, the runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Old Waverly Golf Club, would seem to be a favorite, but she dismissed that notion.

“It’s match play. Anyone can get hot and anything can happen,” she said. “Because of that I don’t have an advantage at all. On any given day in match play you never know what to expect.”

Postillion, a mother of three boys and a girl, is also a veteran match-play golfer. She splits time between Scottsdale and Burr Ridge, Ill., and was stroke-play medalist and runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in 1996 and 2005.

She conceded that Desert Forest members might have an advantage, just don’t count on it.  “The greens can be tricky so it helps to be familiar with them,” Postillion admitted, “especially if they are rolling fast. But if your game is on anybody can win.”

Donnelley, who is attempting to qualify this year in August, won the 1989 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Back then she was Robin Weiss, a 36-year-old real estate sales executive from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who needed 22 holes to beat Page Marsh Lea at The Hills of Lakeway G.C., at Lakeway, Texas.

The national championship catapulted Donnelley to an international stage. One of her biggest thrills was competing for the U.S. on several Curtis Cup teams (1990, 1992, 2000) and helping her country beat Great Britain and Ireland twice. “It was pretty special to be among the top eight golfers from the U.S. every two years,” Donnelley said.

Donnelley was also the runner-up at the 1998 Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Postillion or Selvaratnam, a real estate investment manager and an assistant golf coach at Xavier College Prep High School, might have the best chance to match Donnelley’s historic accomplishment.

Selvaratnam, 31, boasts a handicap index of plus 2.4.

She learned the game from her mother in Sri Lanka, following her around the course as a five-year-old child. Within seven years Selvaratnam had won her first Sri Lanka Women’s Amateur.  At 18 she left the country to attend Arizona State University where she played for Linda Vollstedt and helped the Sun Devils win three NCAA titles.

Her resume includes 23 amateur championships in 11 different countries, including five in Arizona. But Selvaratnam, who has also competed in 15 USGA national championships (through July 1, 2007) is also playing very well. The last six years she’s been the Arizona Women's Golf Association Player of the Year.

Selvaratnam is also capable of setting USGA records.  At the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Holston Hills C.C., she beat two opponents 9 and 8 (which tied Ellen Port for largest margin of victory) and 8 and 7.

Postillion grew up in the state of Washington and started playing golf at 12. After college at the University of Washington she turned pro, competing for money part time on the Future’s Tour.  

Twice Postillion has advanced to the final match at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (losing in 1996 to Ellen Port and in 2005 to Mary Ann Lapointe).

Ironically, Postillion’s biggest amateur win was at Pinehurst Resort when she beat Donnelley in the final match of the 1997 North & South Women's Amateur Golf Championship.

Postillion has won the Illinois Women’s Amateur four times and the Illinois Women's Open three times; in Arizona she’s won two AWGA State Stroke-Play Championships.

The wild card could be Lynn Simmons (if she qualifies). Simmons, also a reinstated amateur, has played in more than 10 USGA championships.

Selvaratnam has teamed with Simmons in several USGA State Team Championships and also won AWGA team titles with her. She said Simmons hits it straight and is a very good putter, skills that are needed at Desert Forest. “If you can putt well like Lynn, read the greens and remember the breaks you’ll do well,” Selvaratnam said.

Foe more information on Desert Forest Golf Club, call (480) 488-4589 or visit www.desertforestgolfclub.com