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A desert course to Talk about
Posted: Wednesday February 02, 2000 03:06 PM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As a Midwesterner, I'm not a big fan of desert golf. I like green things. Like grass and trees. I like shade. I like golf in October, brisk breezes and red-orange leaves blowing across fairways. I even like the Leaf Rule. (You know, when you can't find your ball, blame it on too many leaves and don't take a penalty -- a rule no doubt invented by a Midwesterner.) Phoenix in January is just about guaranteed to make you a desert golf fan. My week in town for the Phoenix Open featured nothing but Chamber of Commerce weather -- cool nights; pleasant, 70-ish, brilliantly sunny days; and even more brilliant sunsets. It also featured a trip to one public golf course you should put on your must-visit list: Talking Stick, on the east side of Scottsdale. It has two things going for it: 1) It's designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, who, instead of producing courses in mass quantity like some other hot architects, produce courses of terrific quality; 2) Talking Stick is on an Indian reservation. That's good because the Indians don't have to abide by local government regulations that restrict golf-course irrigation to about 90 acres, which isn't a whole lot. Talking Stick, therefore, has wide, grassy fairways and large greens. It's as green a course as you'll ever see in the desert. Did I mention that I like green? Oh. I thought so. The first time I played Talking Stick's North Course -- the longer and slightly more challenging of the two layouts -- was when it first opened two years ago; all there was on-site was a trailer for the clubhouse and 36 holes of golf. From my viewpoint as a golfer, that wasn't just sufficient, it was ideal. I have to admit, however, that the new, adobe-style clubhouse is relatively inconspicuous, tastefully done and pretty cool. A nice touch is a roaring fire in the open pit between the golf shop and snack bar, which took the bite off the early-morning chill (low 40s). Not as cool -- but I suppose inevitable -- is the modestly sized casino that now sits next door to the golf courses. The courses are located on a piece of unpromising, dead-flat desert. Yet Crenshaw and Coore, making use of several desert washes and shrewdly placed bunkers, created a strategic gem. Take the par-4 12th on the North Course, for example. It isn't particularly long, but a large wash -- a waste area -- split the hole into two fairways. The left fairway, snuggled against an out-of-bounds fence, provided an easier straight approach into the green but a more dangerous target. The right fairway, the bailout for those less bold, required an approach shot that must carry the wash, which crosses in front of the green, and also brings the out of bounds behind the green into play. The design turned what could be a boring, short hole into a dicey, strategy play. Two members of our foursome bombed tee shots out of bounds left. The other two, including me, drove into the wash. I was going for the left fairway but my tee shot failed to follow instructions to draw back to the left. Failing to follow instructions is a common problem of my golf ball. I got lucky, though, because I got a good lie on what is essentially hardpan, then wedged onto the green and sank a long birdie putt. That's not how I planned it but, hey, it worked. Another hole, the second, is a reachable par-5 ... if you dare. The green is dangerously close to another out-of-bounds fence, which makes you think twice about blasting a fairway wood at it. But if you bail out right, your approach shot must carry two gaping bunkers. Plus, the further right you lay up, the more the out of bounds comes into play in case you happen to skull or blade the approach -- not that any of us ever commit such hackers' sins, right? Talking Stick's North Course is much more forgiving than your average desert track. The fairways are wide and the desert areas beyond them are fairly clean -- mostly packed sand, prairie grass and a few shrubs. You can hit a shot off-line and have a good chance of finding and playing it. Many desert courses are nothing but rocks and cactus off the fairway, leaving your errant shots almost certainly unplayable, if not lost. It is difficult to shoot a low score on the North Course but not too difficult to shoot a mediocre score. That's the definition of a good design, especially for a public golf course in a high-tourist area such as Scottsdale. After six weeks away from golf, I was able to shoot 76 despite some shaky shots. If I'd played some tight desert course, there is no chance I would have broken 80. I left Talking Stick feeling that I'd like to play it again and again. Winter golf in the Phoenix area isn't cheap; Talking Stick charges $110 for a weekday greens fee, which includes a cart and all the range balls you can hit. But I felt as if I got my money's worth. Hey, if you want to see green in Phoenix, you've got to cough up a little green, if you know what I mean. Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle is a regular contributor to the magazine's Golf Plus edition.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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