Local Golf News

This IS Big!

Before you say, “Oh boy, another shopping center golf store,” look at the name PGA TOUR and look behind the name, at the people behind the idea to connect you to a golf experience that was previously reserved for the TOUR pros themselves. Then you’ll likely understand why the two new PGA TOUR Superstores opening this fall in Chandler and Scottsdale are something different, and special, and certainly something you haven’t seen before.

So what’s different? Lots of golf shops have clubs, some will even help fit those particular clubs they do have to you. But the PGA TOUR Superstore caters to the entire golf lifestyle, with a complete range of equipment, expert assistance, state-ofthe- art technology, apparel and an assortment of accessories, artwork and “stuff you haven’t seen” anywhere else.

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."

Las Sendas Golf Club, the East Valley’s premiere, upscale daily-fee golf facility has just gotten better thanks to an elaborate green replacement project.

After a brief closure, the course is reopened, ahead of schedule, and each hole’s putting green now features beautiful tif dwarf sod.  The practice facility has also been converted to this hearty grass.

In honor of two prestigious golf awards recently given to JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, the property invites guests to book an Unlimited Golf Package and enjoy the ultimate Tucson golf experience.

A readers' poll in the June issue of Condé Nast Traveler named Starr Pass one of the Top 100 Golf Resorts of 2007, noting the award-winning course's outstanding design and the staff's excellent service. Meanwhile, the August issue of Corporate & Incentive Travel will announce a 2007 Greens of Distinction award. This honor, also bestowed by readers of the magazine, gives Starr Pass high marks for its meeting facilities, overall hospitality, golf staff, course condition and design, and tournament arrangements.

The new Pine Canyon Clubhouse at Pine Canyon Club in Flagstaff has been named one of five finalists for a 2007 Gold Nugget Award for Best Public/Private Use Facility.

Twenty years after its inception, the Desert Course at TPC Scottsdale is being completely rebuilt under the direction of golf course architect Randy Heckenkemper – who served as part of Tom Weiskopf’s original design team in 1987. The project was initiated by PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties in collaboration with the City of Scottsdale to elevate the course to PGA TOUR tournament quality as well as provide local residents with an outstanding amenity that complements the Club’s Stadium Course – home to the FBR Open. Construction on the course began in January 2007 and is scheduled to be completed in November 2007. Consistent with the quality of the new course and as a tribute to the many “champions” who have made contributions to the game of golf and to the community of Scottsdale, the new course has been renamed the Champions Course.

Marriott’s Canyon Villas at Desert Ridge, straddles the border between North Phoenix and North Scottsdale. The surrounding Arizona landscape is the stuff of Hollywood Westerns – looming desert mountains that turn a rich purple in the setting sun, towering cactus that cast long shadows across the desert loor and evening skies that look as if they were hand painted. Yet all of this is just minutes from exceptional dining, shopping, nightlife and of course world-class golf and spas.

Sanctuary Golf Course at Westworld was recently recognized by Zagat America’s Top Golf Courses 2007/2008 as one of the top “women-friendly” golf courses in the country.

Talking Rock Golf Club, located in Prescott, Arizona, was among six OB Sports courses honored in Golf Digest’s “Best in State” Ranking for 2007/2008. The ranking, which was published in the May 2007 issue of Golf Digest, featured the rankings of the top courses in each state. The courses recognized on this prestigious list were ranked by Golf Digest panelists who evaluate courses based on seven different criteria.

Five OB Sports-managed golf clubs, including three Arizona gems, were honored in Golfweek magazine’s “Best State by State Public Access Courses” rankings. Golf clubs honored include:

- Longbow Golf Club debuts on the Arizona list at No. 20.
- We-Ko-Pa Golf Club’s Saguaro Course ranked No. 1 in Arizona
- We-Ko-Pa’s Cholla Course ranked No. 3 in Arizona
- Sandia Golf Club debuts on the New Mexico list at No. 10.
- Three Crowns Golf Club makes the Wyoming list at No. 2.