Talking Stick Golf Course
There are a couple of different
meanings behind "talking stick". One of the most
convincing is that the talking stick was an ancient calendar of
important events for the Pima tribe. Some of the events
depicted on the "talking stick" are that of harvests,
droughts, solar eclipse, and festivals.
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, together as a team, have created the magic of Talking Stick Golf Club. Two uniquely different courses offer many options according to the golfer's level of playing skill. Located on and owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the North and South courses blend with their tranquil desert surroundings to provide a serene yet challenging day of play.
The North course is a Scottish links style
course and will play longer with deep, well-placed bunkers.
The South course is a more traditional style golf course and has
tree-lined fairways and four holes with water hazards.
North Course: "Talking
Stick's North course, with its broad, angular holes rewards thoughtful
play through the rise of its many options according to one's level
of skill. Its low-profile, slightly crowned greens and close-cropped
approaches encourage running as well as aerial assaults."
- Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
.
South Course: "The South course, with its tree-lined fairways and raised greens defended at the sides offers a more straightforward style of play." - Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
Greens: Tifdwarf Bermuda
Fairways: Tifway 419 Bermuda - overseeded during the cool
season
Events: Talking Stick has hosted several prominent events
since its opening in January of 1998:
- PGA Tour Qualifying School 1998, 1999
- USGA Mid-Amateur 1998
- AGA 4-Ball Championship 1998
- National Club Championship for Women 1998
Talking Stick rated Arizona state's best
Russ Christ
writing in the Scottsdale Republic Newspaper on Mar. 18, 2006
had this to say.
There's 10 different criteria that Golfweek's
'America's Best' raters use to evaluate the courses,"
Craig Horan, managing editor of Golfweek, told the Scottsdale
Republic. "The raters play the courses, assign numbers
from 1 to 10, and the results are compiled."
The criteria includes intimacy of routing; quality of feature
shaping; natural setting and overall land plan; interest of greens
and surrounding contours; variety and memorability of par-3s,
par-4s and par-5s; basic quality of conditioning; landscape and
tree management; and the "walk-in-the-park" test.
The "walk-in-park" test is a crucial variable, because
it refers to the extent that the four-plus hours spent on the
course under review are worthwhile as an overall outdoor engagement.
While the five Scottsdale courses in the top 10 are known internationally,
Talking Stick's North Course is the only one not attached to a
real estate component because of its ties to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa
Indian Community. It also has the most affordable peak-season
greens fees, though that wasn't part of the evaluation.
It rewards "thoughtful play through the rise of its many
options according to one's level of skill," co-architect
and former Masters champion Ben Crenshaw said in a course brochure.
"Its low-profile, slightly-crowned greens and close-cropped
approaches encourage running, as well as aerial assaults."
Paul Richards, a rater from Chicago who played the North Course
last year, said the architects deserve most of the credit.
"It's amazing that Crenshaw and (co-architect Bill) Coore
took what was essentially a flat, uninteresting piece of property
and made it into a great golf course without moving a lot of dirt,"
he said.
"It has great variety," said Scottsdale resident Jay
Anderson, a vice president of Johnson Bank and a scratch tournament
player (he has won the club championship the past two years at
Desert Mountain Golf Club). "To score well, you have to hit
the ball long and straight, but there is room for the higher-handicap
player to recover if they hit a poor shot."
One of the best holes at Talking Stick is the demanding 471-yard
(from the back tees) No. 18, a par-4 called "Trails End."
The finisher is one of eight par-4s that stretch more than 430
yards and features a slight dogleg-left tee shot to a generous
landing area. The drive must clear twin fairway bunkers on the
right side to set up the best approach to a 36-yards-deep green,
fortressed by bunkers on both sides.
Though the entrance is narrow, the subtle sloping green widens
toward the back and accepts running shots from the ground.
"You would think you're in Scotland playing a links golf
course if you didn't know you were in Arizona," said Scott
Heideman, Talking Stick's director of golf. "It has 360-degree
views of all the major landmarks in Scottsdale, and it's a purist's
golf course in every sense of the word. It looks like it's been
here a long time.
"It's an honor to be chosen, considering everything that
is factored in. I think the golf course raters appreciate the
fact that it's not contrived. The only surprise was that we didn't
make the top 100 Modern list (courses built since 1960)."
Russ Christ is a correspondent for the
Scottsdale Republic.
We recommend the following accommodations for our clients who wish to play on the Talking Stick Golf Course.
Copper Wynd Resort ***** Fountain Hills Fairmont Princess ***** Scottsdale Four Seasons Resort ***** Scottsdale Millennium Resort *** Scottsdale |
The above rate must be booked and be fully paid in advance
(30 -120 days) This secures your tee times at a lower rate than
the regular advance fees. Tax is applicable to the above rates.
Tax at this time is 7.7% These rates are only valid for clients of Golf and Ski Vacations. |
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Please click on the property
below to take a look at the rates and descriptions.