Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Under the Radar Golf Courses

They may not be as well known, but these hidden gems deliver a great round

Scottsdale boasts 51 golf courses within the city and more than 200 in the surrounding area. With such volume, it’s easy to overlook a few hidden gems that provide an outstanding golf experience at an exceptional value.

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Starfire Golf Club

Built on the site of the old Scottsdale Country Club, one of the city’s original golf courses. Located in north central Scottsdale, Starfire is a daily-fee club featuring 27 holes of golf designed by Arnold Palmer. The layout takes players on a winding journey through thick eucalyptus, pine and cottonwood trees as they navigate three nine-hole layouts (King, Hawk and Squire). Each track presents unique challenges including many scenic par threes that carry over water, while the sporty and narrow 339-yard, par-four finishing hole of the Hawk requires the perfect combination of distance and accuracy.

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Gainey Ranch Golf Club

Located at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. Its lush greenery and sparkling waterways set the standard for Scottsdale’s classically styled golf courses. The first of the club’s three nine-hole courses, The Lakes, is a gorgeous challenge with gently cascading water features on six holes. The aptly-named Dunes course is similar to a Scottish-style links course with natural hazards and sand dunes. And the Arroyo course, the longest of the three nines, requires both power and placement, especially on the peninsular green of the finishing hole. While the club is a private facility, guests of the hotel are permitted to play.

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McDowell Mountain Golf Club

Nestled in the majestic foothills of Scottsdale’s McDowell Mountains, McDowell Mountain Golf Club offers an eco-sensitive layout that takes advantage of natural terrain and vegetation. Working under Audubon International Institute guidelines, this 7,072-yard, par-71 course features wetlands and cattails mixed with cactus and mesquite in a desert-golf oasis. The meandering front nine serves up a variety of test-your-skills par threes, strategic par fours, and a risk/reward, par-five ninth that challenges with a dramatic dogleg left, split fairway. The back nine starts off with a straightforward par four and builds the excitement with an almost-drivable par-four 16th and a gut-check par three over water on the long 17th. The uphill beast of an 18th hole features a dramatic waste bunker that puts a premium on driving accuracy.



from Official Travel Site for Scottsdale, Arizona http://ift.tt/1FLxFOV
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