McCormick Ranch Golf Club – Pine Course

McCormick Ranch Golf Club – Pine Course, as the name implies, is an 18-hole golf course dotted with statuesque large and mature pine trees and is designed by architect Desmond Muirhead. Unlike the palm course, the pine course is a bit narrower. It features 7,187 yards of golf from the longest tee for a par of 72. The course opened in 1974 and still maintains its traditional design. A golf trip in this place makes golfers fall in love with the strong-looking yet eye-pleasing pine trees which gives an everyday-is-Christmas-day vibe.

This popular course has been recently renovated with outstanding new greens, bridges, and sand traps . The resort facility looks antique but is well maintained which will surely make its visitors feel the sensation of the 70s. The narrow fairway of McCormick Ranch Golf Club – Pine Course issues a challenge for average golfers – both men and women. The tees give the most enjoyable golfing experience. This makes a golf trip easy and at the same time difficult depending on the skills of the golfers.

Both courses, the Pine and the Palm, lie next to each other. What fascinates the visitors more is the cattle ranch history of the place, where Arabian horses and Angus cattle used to dominate the place now known as one of the premiere golf courses in Arizona. Referred to as the “Mad Scientist of Golf”, Muirhead used the term “golf course community” to describe the McCormick Ranch Golf Club – Pine Course. It’s a very straight-forward course yet astonishingly difficult to surprise the players. The scent of the air breeze, the sound of the pine leaves, and the magnificent view of the surrounding make this pine course a smart option for an ideal golf vacation.

Ocotillo Golf Club

Also known as one of Arizona’s finest daily-fee courses for providing its guests with high standard course condition and customer service, Ocotillo Golf Club offers an extreme golf vacation experience. A getaway experience from the urban world, this golf club provides a refreshing and unique setting – from the award-winning facilities, wide rolling fairways, strong mature tees, to the different mountains, hill views, and many more. This undisputed golf club has many interesting wonders that’s worth more than a praise.

The three 9-hole courses of Ocotillo Golf Club played in combinations with various ranges of yardages give the golfers challenging rounds. Aside from the gaming aspect of the club, it also features the luxurious facilities associated with an elite private golf facility. When craving for aesthetics, the golf resort has lots of colorful flowers and other epic views such as the gigantic mountains, dark blue waterfalls, and mirror-like lakes which will absolutely feed the eyes. Ocotillo golf resort exceeds the expectations of a typical golf trip. The facility is a wise choice to create indelible memories for weddings, birthdays, anniversary celebrations and class reunions.

No wonder why it has received awards and recognition. The club is listed as one of the top 50 resorts of Golf World Magazine 2009, top 100 golf shops of Golf World Business Magazine 2006, and rated four and a half stars by 2008 Golf Digest Magazine’s Best Places to Play. Its breathtaking scenery, top golfing facilities and a challenging desert course layout make golf trips at the Ocotillo a heavenly retreat for golfers anywhere. Ocotillo Golf Club never fails in providing the guests with high class recreational experience. It’s really worth a visit for golfers who wish to encounter a one of a kind vacation.

Desert Canyon Golf Club

A golf course that has a great view is great. One that has an excellent playability is even greater. But if a golf course offers the best views of Nature and offers an unequaled quality of game – the kind that combines fun and challenge altogether – then it must be the best. This is what the Desert Canyon Golf Club in Arizona is. And for the last 30 years, it has been proving itself as the best choice for golf vacations in Fountain Hills. AZ.

The Desert Canyon Golf Club is known for its majestic views of the Red Mountain, the Four Peaks, the Sonoran desert, and the canyons and mountains of Fountain Hills. The view doesn’t end there. Being at the Desert Canyon affords its guests a view of the highest fountain in the world – the 550-feet fountain in the middle of the desert, northeast of Phoenix. The 18-hole golf vacation destination may be short, playing only at 6,550 yards from the back tees, but it doesn’t come short of challenging. It plays uphill for most of the holes, causing a battle against the desert wind, and has open but tight oak-lined fairways. Golfers also have to try their best shots at the strategically set doglegs and the dramatic elevation changes innate in desert golf courses.

The qualities that make the Desert Canyon Golf Club the best have not remained unrecognized. Apart from its countless golf trip patrons, Golf Digest has awarded it as one of its ‘Best Places to Stay’ and the ‘Best Public Golf Course’ from 2005-2008 by Market Surveys of America. For it to last 30 years without being overshadowed by its younger and larger neighboring courses, it leaves no question that the Desert Canyon is indeed the best.

The Raven At South Mountain

It has received a 4.5 star rating from Golf Digest and has been recognized as the number one in Guest Service in North America – these are just some of the numerous awards that makes The Raven At South Mountain a must-visit golf course in North America. What makes it more fascinating is one of its makers is a former golf Champion Tom Lehman. Its background alone makes it very interesting, what more personally experiencing this premiere golf vacation destination?

The Raven At South Mountain should be on top of the list when planning a golf vacation for those who seek the very best that Arizona golf has to offer. The place is surrounded by tall, refreshing trees circling the rolling fairways. A chain of desert mountains makes it more captivating. Raven provides on-site meeting facilities good for 200 people. Situated just minutes away from the Sky Harbor Airport and downtown Phoenix, this golf club a perfect place of businessmen and golfers on the go. A meal, a snack, and a drink are included with every green fee.

Because of its reputation as one of the top courses in the area, the Raven At South Mountain has been given the honor of hosting such huge events as the Arizona Stroke Play Championship. Raven is proud to be associated with their 2001 World Series Champions and Arizona Diamondbacks, serving as their official home golf course. Effortlessly, the Raven lives up to the prestige of its maker, and of everything good said about it. For a superb golf trip experience, there’s just no thinking twice about choosing the Raven.

Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio

In looking for a golf vacation destination, the course and the facilities are the core factors that golfers consider. Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio is one golf club which gives its visitors great convenience with its above average facilities and adequate course. Considered as the shining jewel of the Pointe Hilton Resort in Phoenix, the course has been recognized as one of the top 25 golf courses in Arizona, and one of the top 50 public courses in America. It is also been rated 4 stars by Golf Digest. These are just some of the things that make Lookout Mountain interesting.

According to visitors’ feed backs, Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatiohas quality facilities and a paradise-like environment. The resort alone makes the place almost perfect. The mountain scenery feeds the viewers’ eyes, not to mention the fascinating swimming pools, tennis court, fine dining, and other first class accommodations. A restaurant that serves delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals is also available. Moreover, the golf course is just a stone’s throw away from the guest rooms. So the guests don’t have to waste time in going to the course. They can enjoy endless rounds of golf right on! The field’s dramatic elevation make it a really big challenge to the players. Visiting this golf club is like having an all-in-one golf vacation.

 No wonder why Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio has received so many honors, recognitions, and awards. It satisfies a guest’s need of fun and enjoyment in golfing. To put it rather simply, it’s a highly recommended golf trip destination for golfers who wish not only to play a typical golf game but also for those who thirst for a heavenly vacation.

Las Sendas Golf Club

Golfers always thirst for challenging courses. Aside from that, they seek golf trips which would feed relaxation to their spirits. These qualities can be experienced at Las Sendas Golf Club. Also known as the “green and brown course” because of its desert and grass fields, the place also serves guests with convenient rooms, dining, and other necessities that are surely satisfying.

 Giving golfers eighteen superb holes of challenge and fun, Las Sendas Golf Club greatly attracts many golfers, both amateurs and highly experienced players to develop and improve their golfing skills. As expected from a Robert Trent Jones design, fairways move spontaneously on the constructed swales and contours, and main lay of the land. Las Sendas requires critical thinking and strategy to play it well. Mere ball-hitting would never be enough. Therefore, players must have their best angles through correct positioning. The greens are very subtle. It requires precision to avoid the balls to slip past the hole. So much for the great challenge it gives, Las Sendas also brought the entire club to a higher level by giving its visitors the first class experience they deserve. Brand new carts with the latest braking technology, full cart paths to lessen the wear and tear on the desert, and on-course facilities such as halfway house and new bathrooms were also added to take the supreme golf experience to the optimum. Only Las Sendas defines the golf vacation that professional golfers dream of.

 Las Sendas Golf Club has been rated as one of the top 100 golf courses in the nation, top 10 in Arizona, and ranked 12th as the most challenging. What makes it unique from other courses is because its true desert course quality. Accuracy and consistency are the keys will make every round fulfilling. Las Sendas, indeed, has all the qualities and characteristics for an ideal golf trip.

Raven Golf Club at Verrado

 The Raven Golf Club at Verrado is perhaps one of those golf courses that can lure one into thinking that it is an easy, relaxing course. True, the views of the White Tank Mountains is breathtaking and a delight to the senses, but this shouldn’t fool anybody. This championship golf course 25 miles outside of downtown Phoenix goes beyond the pretty little course it appears to be. It has some of the most dramatic elevation changes and the most unforgiving bunkers among all the other golf vacation destinations in Arizona.

Half of the Raven Golf Club at Verrado plays on mostly level terrain while the other half gives a heart wrenching twist to an otherwise ordinary golf trip as it sits on the slopes of the White Tank Mountains giving the course highly dramatic elevation changes. The fairways are wide and friendly, but the bunkers are a make or break and requires the golfer to carefully plan a shot when a bunker is nearby. Some of the greens are easy, but the others are not, thus the entire play at the Raven necessitates versatile plays – perfect for players of all handicaps to find their own level of challenge.

To complete the golf vacation, the Raven Golf Club at Verrado offers services fit for royalty. They have some of the most excellent golf resort amenities and staff including the gastronomic indulgence offered at their western-inspired Cocina Grille. This is where the atmosphere is easiest at the course, when the guests can relax and breathe after an exciting, heart pounding round of golf. And that, perhaps is the best way to cap off a day at the Raven Golf Club.

TPC Champions Course

A golf course owner never would spend some millions of dollars on a golf course for nothing. A lot of work, money, and results are expected to come out of a major course renovation – expecting the old one to come out better than anything it has ever been. The $12million overhaul on the TPC Champions Course delivered. The golf vacation destination that used to quietly stand behind the shadow of its more famous sibling course Stadium (home of the FBR Phoenix Open) as the Desert Course, now stands as its equal in both beauty and playability.

The former Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish design was revamped by Randy Heckenkemper, keeping the original beauty of the golf trip haven, only adding a little more edge to the play. It meanders through the desert following its natural edgy contours giving a little more than an upbeat of the heart on the closing four holes. The TPC Champions Course was made in such a way that golfers cannot trust a single type of play but approach each shot in so many different ways. This makes it a versatile course that can accommodate players of various handicaps.

Not a single cent has gone to waste in the renovation of the TPC Champions Course. The former easy Desert Course has elevated its status into one of the most exciting sites for golf vacations in all of Arizona. The now challenging layout coupled with the naturally breathtaking scenery of the Arizona desert have created a championship layout worth more than a single visit.

TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course

The pro-tournament that draws the largest crowd attendance in all of the world finds its home in a golf course surrounded by the Sonoran desert and the McDowell Mountains in Arizona. Every year, a huge following of golf fans flock the TPC of Scottsdale’s Stadium Course to cheer and jeer for their favorite pros for the FBR Phoenix Open. The Stadium Course, along with its sibling course, Champions, make up the 36-hole Tournament Players Club (TPC) of Scottsdale operated by PGA Tours. The Stadium Course, because of the Phoenix Open fame, also draws so many golf trip enthusiasts during post tournament season.

Pro- or not, the Stadium Course‘s par-3 16th hole never fails to make a lasting impression and a heart-wrenching impact. Course designers Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish have intended the hole as just a bridge from the 15th to the 17th, but it’s simply the most exciting hole there is on the course. The holes at the Stadium seem easy, like the 17th, but could break any champion’s heart if taken all too easily. The golf vacation destination was made exactly with the FBR Phoenix Open in mind and so the level of difficulty should never at all be surprising.

The best thing about the Stadium Course is its perfect, unparalleled views of the Sonoran desert and the McDowell Mountains. Anyone who visits the course is treated to such breathtaking vista all the while enjoying a fun round of golf or any of the course’s amenities while being serviced by its excellent staff. With or without the tournament, the Stadium course will, without a doubt, be a best seller in golf vacations because of its unique offer of desert golf – complete with a challenging layout and the best of desert scenery.

The Boulders South Course

The Sonoran desert is beautiful, there’s not an iota of doubt in the truthfulness of that. Many of Arizona’s top golf vacation destinations have parts of the Sonoran desert in the picture. In the high desert, where millions of years old boulder formations surround, one golf course stands majestically – a rare breed of ruggedness and beauty that is now known as one of the best, most scenic courses in Western United States – The Boulders South Course.

The Boulders South Course is one of the two world-class Jay Moorish designed courses in the Boulders Golf Resort. The 18-hole par-72 championship golf trip spot’s signature shot is the 5th hole that requires a shot over an enormous rock formation. Getting past it definitely takes off a boulder-like lump in any golfer’s throat, all the while anticipating the coming shots that may be the same or even more difficult than that. All the challenging layout of Moorish’s design, plus all the drama of the naturally rough desert terrain, set against even more beautiful Sonoran desert views will surely take any golfer’s play to the next level.

There is no doubt, therefore, as to why the Boulders South Course has bagged such honors as a Platinum Medal from Golf Magazine, one of the “Top 25 US Resorts” by Golf Digest and “Top Five – Best in the West” by the Links. It has all the classical elements and definitions of desert golf in all of its 18 memorable holes. Not to mention, the Boulders Resort offers the best amenities and services including a top of its kind spa treatments at the Golden Door Resort making the best golf vacations better than it can possibly be.