Arizona Golf News

Beginning Friday, Aug. 29 through Monday, Sept. 1, golfers nationwide will be asked to donate a minimum of $1 in support of Patriot Golf Day, supported by the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers Association of America. All funds raised will benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation to provide educational scholarships for families of those who have become disabled or lost their lives in the line of duty.

The program began with USGA and PGA Member Dan Rooney, who served two tours of duty in Iraq and will be returning for another tour this summer. Major Rooney, the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation, was determined to find a way to help these families through the power of golfers.

In 2007, more than 3,250 golf facilities nationwide participated in Patriot Golf Day and raised in excess of $1 million dollars. This year, our goal is to expand the number of participating facilities and exceed the overall contribution to this worthy cause.

To find a participating golf facility near you, please click: Patriot Club Listing.

The home of the 2009 Accenture Match Play Championship and eagerly anticipated Jack Nicklaus-designed Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain is set to open. With construction and grassing complete at The Golf Club, an opening date of January 17, 2009 has been scheduled.

Currently the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain consists of 27 holes of golf and a 50,000 square-foot clubhouse complex valued at $60 million. The first 18 holes, comprised of two tournament nines, are par 72, measuring 7,810 yards, while the third nine measures 3,880 yards at par 36. A final nine holes, planned for construction in 2010 will measure 3,800 yards at par 36. 

Notable past champions of the AT&T Arizona Open include Ronnie Black (’87), Danny Briggs (’93, ’95, ’97), Jim Carter (’89, ’96), Todd Demsey (’98), Dale Douglas (’65), R.W. Eaks (’90) and Kermit Zarley (’64). From 1945 to 1959 the legendary Johnny Bulla won 14 consecutive Arizona Opens.

This year the 54-hole stroke play event offers a $100,000 purse and is scheduled for September 11-13 at Desert Mountain’s Apache Course. Records indicate that an amateur golfer has never won the championship.

AT& T’s Jeff McElfresh (l) and Golfer/Desert Mountain resident Phillip Francis (r)

We Ko Pa Golf Club Head Golf Professional Brett Trenter has been promoted to General Manager at the award-winning golf facility located just east of Scottsdale on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

Trenter replaces Jeff Lessig, who moved to Indian Wells Golf Club in Indian Wells, Calif. In addition, Derek Crawford has been promoted to director of golf operations after serving as director of sales and marketing at We-Ko-Pa since the club opened in December 2001. Finally, Matt Barr has been promoted from assistant golf professional to head golf professional.

PHOENIX — James Back of Seoul, South Korea, began the day hoping to shoot under par, never thinking he would walk out of the scoring tent with his first AJGA Open victory. After firing a final-round 5-under-par 67, however, he bounded from third place to the lead and never looked back. In the Girls Division, Victoria Sungmin Park of Irvine, Calif., began the day one stroke behind second-round leader Michelle Yang of Los Angeles, but shot a Girls Division low final-round score of 4-under-par 68 to claim her first AJGA championship.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the PING Phoenix Junior is a 54-hole stroke play event held at Moon Valley Country Club. The tournament field featured 51 boys and 27 girls, ages 12-18, from 11 states, Mexico, and Taiwan. The Boys Division played the par-72 course at 7,163 yards, while the Girls Division played the course at 6,417 yards. 

The 10th Annual International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 640 Golf Tournament will take place at Club West Golf Club on Saturday, September 27, 2008. The Shotgun start will begin at promptly 7:30 am

Proceeds from this well-attended event will benefit the Hacienda De Los Angeles Charity.

Cost for the event is just $70 per person, and includes golf, cart with GPS, practice range usage and a tasty lunch after the round. In addition, many sponsorship opportunities exist as well.

For more information, contact Michael Bragone, Business Representative, at 602-264-4506 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - GolfLogix is proud to support the 1st Annual Doctors of Distinction Golf Classic and Art Invitational for the American Cancer Society. The event will be held at The Creek Club, Locust Valley, New York on August 11, 2008. A GolfLogix GPS-8 device will be included in each golf participant’s gift bag. The GPS devices will be personalized with the American Cancer Society logo to commemorate the event.

With over $3 billion at work in the fight against cancer, the American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. 100% of the proceeds from this event will be dedicated to preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer through the research, education, advocacy and patient and family services programs of the American Cancer Society.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Talking Rock, a luxury masterplanned community north of Prescott, Ariz., is allowing potential residents an opportunity to live like the locals do before committing to home/land ownership.

An exclusive Stay and Play program gives interested buyers the chance to experience all of the amenities available at the community, enabling them to get a taste of the relaxed lifestyle at Talking Rock.

Vacation ownership, commonly known as timeshare, also had roots in Europe. Sedona, located in Northern Arizona, is widely considered one of the best areas in the world to own timeshare, and an excellent selection of golf courses is one of the reasons.

Considered by USA Today Travel as the “most beautiful place in America” Sedona is surrounded by the unique beauty of the Coconino National Forest, the location for several classic westerns including Jimmy Stewart in ‘Broken Arrow’, John Wayne in ‘Angel And The Badman’, Zane Grey’s ‘Call Of The Canyon’, and the cult classic ‘The Rounders’ with Henry Fonda and Glen Ford.

It was the character of Juliet who asked, “What’s in a name,” in a famous work of literature penned by William Shakespeare. The management at the newly ordained BC Ranch Golf Club in Lake Montezuma is hoping that changing their course’s name is the first step to reminding golfers just how sweet the place is, no matter what it might be called.

Formerly known as Beaver Creek Golf Club, BC Ranch Golf Club lies due south of Sedona and about 90 minutes north of Phoenix in the mountains of northern Arizona. The course is out in the country and has a relaxed, almost bucolic nature surrounding it. Historically, the course has suffered through multiple ownership changes and unstable course conditions, creating a rollercoastertype environment for its visitors.

“The reputation we’ve had was a great layout but questionable conditions,” said Jamey Lewis, Director of Golf at BC Ranch. “It’s a great layout; it was just never in good shape. We have raised the bar and raised the quality of standards. It’s really not a crapshoot anymore for golfers. They know what to expect.”