Fly, Fly Away — A Golfer’s Guide to Spring Training

Talking Stick Golf Club
Talking Stick Golf Club
by Kirk Tourtillotte
It’s the start of a new year; 2015 is gone and 2016 is here. Lots of exciting changes are underway for the Seattle Mariners, too — new GM, new manager, many changes to the team on the field. It’s all the excuse you need to head on down to Phoenix for Spring Training. What is more fun than sunshine, golf in the morning, baseball in the afternoon and a steak for dinner?
We will leave the baseball and dinner choices up to you, but here are some great options for golf in the Valley of the Sun, if you plan on visiting Peoria this coming March.
Talking Stick Golf Club, part of the beautiful, four-star rated Talking Stick Resort, located in Scottsdale, features 36 holes of well-manicured fairways and deep bunkers around the greens.
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore are the architects of these gorgeous layouts, the result of minimal dirt movement to uncover the golf course beneath.
“One of the things we are most proud of,” said Coore, about his teaming with Crenshaw, “is that every one of our designs is completely different. Minimalism is just a current catch phrase. We try to let the site dictate our design. If we’re designing a course in Hawaii, the course is going to look like Hawaii. Go to Sand Hills in Nebraska and it is totally different. We take what is given to us and lay it as quietly on a piece of ground as we can.”
Try the North Course, just over 6,500 yards from the No. 2 tees. This is an open, windswept, low-profile course, and one that encourages you to play a lot of different shots, depending on what angle you take. One can fly the ball to the hole, roll it from off the greens, chip and run — anything your imagination can handle. The greens are only slightly crowned.
Most holes are framed with desert areas, which gives a real feel of separation from the other golfers and holes. I found the greens a challenge to read, which speaks more to my game. But, I would warn you to read the greens twice before putting.
This is a first-class resort golf experience with a well-manicured driving range and chipping/putting areas to warm up for your round. For more information and tee times, go to www.talkingstickresort.com.
Top Golf, Scottsdale
Top Golf, Scottsdale
When you finish your round at Talking Stick, stop into Top Golf, which is literally right next door. If you haven’t heard of Top Golf, you are in for a treat.
This is the golfer’s equivalent of a high-end bowling experience (on steroids) at a driving range — three decks packed with sports bars, TV screens, great food and drinks and a driving range right out of an Xbox One game. Golfers (friends, groups) have fun taking shots at targeted greens while scoring points like you’re a playing a video game. Top Golf started in Chicago and has spread throughout the Midwest (Texas, Illinois, Ohio) and now two locations in Greater Phoenix. New locations are opening in Oregon and California in 2016. Go to www.topgolf.com for information on Top Golf.
Silverado Golf Club
Silverado Golf Club
A hidden gem in Scottsdale is the Silverado Golf Club. A public golf facility that opened in 2000, designed by Ross Graves and Jack Gilmore, Silverado Golf Course is a 6,300-yard, par-70 desert golf layout that offers great views of the surrounding Mummy and Camelback Mountains.
Featuring three sets of tees, many of them elevated, the golf course is friendly to high- and low-handicappers alike. Narrow fairways and strategically placed bunkers, as well as a few water hazards, make the course challenging. The back nine is the more interesting side, highlighted by the 14th and 18th holes. No. 14 is a demanding par-5 at 535 yards, and the finishing, signature hole is a 157-yard par-3 that plays from an elevated tee to a large, well-guarded green surrounded by water on three sides.
The clubhouse includes a pro shop plus restaurant/lounge serving full menus for breakfast and lunch. The outdoor patio is a wonderful place for dining or for parties and special events. The views from the terrace of the gorgeous 18th hole are spectacular. There is no range on property, but there is a short-game area for chipping and a large putting green.
And with the course location near the heart of Scottsdale, there are plenty of dining, lodging and clubbing options available in close proximity. Go to www.scottsdalesilveradogolfclub.com.
Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
Another Scottsdale treasure is the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, featuring 27 holes managed by Troon Golf. This is a beautiful resort setting, and a completely enjoyable round. Try playing Copper tees on the Mesquite (front nine) and Ironwood (back nine), totaling close to 6,400 yards.
Both nines have the generous fairways and massive greens, which will make your day. You won’t lose a number of balls here as you can at other Desert courses (i.e. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, more to come later), and Kierland’s large greens offer big targets for approach shots.
The fairways have a canyon-like feel, often with sides that allow you to drive your ball to one wall and then let it trickle down into the center of the fairway. You’ll find the greens to be tiered, full of dips and undulations. But, the good news is that you can find your line and make your share of putts. The real challenge can be from the bunkers, which come into play in just the wrong spots on the fairways and everywhere around the greens.
Some of our favorite holes were the 353-yard first on Mesquite, a gentle downhill par-4 to start your round. The 394-yard, par-4 No. 2 on Ironwood is a birdie hole with a good drive, and Ironwood’s No. 9, a 474 yard par-5, is a fun finishing hole with water from tee to green on the right side.
The staff is friendly and helpful and the practice area (driving range, putting greens) is perfect to warm up your golf game in an truly awesome resort setting. For more information on stay-and-play packages at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, go to www.kierlandresort.com.
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes
Last, but not certainly not least, is the very challenging, spectacular Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, another Troon-managed property that was designed in part by Seattle’s own Fred Couples. As I mentioned, this is a challenging course, not for the faint-hearted — full of fairway bunkers (some in the middle of the fairway) that will force you to make decisions in your risk vs. reward game throughout the round.
With tee placements that stretch the course from 5,100 yards to more than 7,500 yards, and featuring over 110 bunkers, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes tests even the most accomplished golfers, yet still provides the rest of us with an unforgettable day of golf.
Perfect course conditions coupled with a relaxed and welcoming environment (thanks to their staff) makes for one of the most unique and enjoyable golf experiences in the Valley.
Playing the blue tees at nearly 6,500 yards is enough of a challenge for any 12-handicap. I chipped in for a birdie (from the greenside bunker) on the 145-yard par-4 No. 4, which provided a real pick-me-up for the rest of the front nine. The back nine proved to be more challenging for my game, as those pesky fairway bunkers grabbed hold of a number of my drives. My favorite was the 507-yard, par-5 13th, known as “Journey,” that starts with a forced carry over a large waste area, then turns into a dog-leg right on your second and third shots. Eight bunkers lead the way on the fairway to a slightly elevated, undulating green. No. 18, a 406-yard par-4, is a great finishing hole that starts with a waste area in between the tee box and fairway, gentling doglegging right to a green protected with water on the right side and bunkers on the left and backside.
For more information on tee times, go to www.akchinsoutherndunes.com.
As I mentioned, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club is managed by Troon Golf. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon Golf is the world’s largest golf management company, overseeing operations at more than 200 courses located in 31 states and 31 countries. I’ve been fortunate to play a number of Troon properties in a number of locales and have enjoyed every one of them.
Sun, golf, baseball and steak — yep, this is going to be a great way to start the New Year.

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