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mark chalfant

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help re We Ko Pa (Scott Miller) Phoenix
« on: November 15, 2005, 04:33:41 PM »
I would appreciate thoughts regarding the character, routing, greens and  strategy of this course.thanks 1

Greg Stebbins

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Re:help re We Ko Pa (Scott Miller) Phoenix
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2005, 09:06:01 PM »
Mark,

Funny you should ask, I just played We-Ko-Pa last Thursday.  I think I should start by saying that I probably didn't get a true feel for the course since the rye overseed happened recently and the course was playing slow and soft.  We are talking green speeds of around 7 or 8 and the fairways were long enough to produce fliers.    

That being said, I think it is one of the better courses in the Phoenix area.  I thought the course really showed what options width can give you off the tee.  Many tee shots really are about angles to extra wide fairways seperated by bunkers or desert scrub to create a multiple fairway effect.  

The only problem with this is that carts must always stay on the path!!  This means that you may have to get out of your cart and walk 80 yards across your fairway to your ball.  Everywhere you look, you see people carrying their own bags, not for the whole round, but because the ball is so far away from the cart that you are afraid to not take the correct club with you.

The other thing I didn't like was that all the par 5's are between 580 and 600 yards.  I would have liked to have seen a risk/reward reachable par 5.  

Thinking about it, I don't remember enough about the course because you have to keep the carts on the path.  You hit a tee shot, drive through some desert, look at the yardage book, and hit your next shot.  You don't get a good feel for the place that way.

Since all the courses in Phoenix are this way during the fall, I'd check it out before the courses at Greyhawk or Legend Trail because it is a more interesting layout in my opinion, and the great views of Pinnacle Peak are a plus.


A_Clay_Man

Re:help re We Ko Pa (Scott Miller) Phoenix
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2005, 10:25:47 PM »
I too won't bore you with a hole by hole accurate account, but the overall impression I left with, was positive. Scott Miller took many of the core principles, and used them  effectively, in a modern desert golf marketplace. There was decent movement to the fairways, a good mix of holes. The greens did not suck, maintenace was at a real premium due to the no-cart policy. Combine all that with the beauty and the seclusion, and what you have, is a step up in the under $100 green fee market.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2005, 10:26:59 PM by Adam Clayman »

Darren_Kilfara

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Re:help re We Ko Pa (Scott Miller) Phoenix
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2005, 08:07:25 AM »
Adam, what time of year did you play the course? I've been looking into booking a tee-time at We-Ko-Pa in March, and it certainly doesn't qualify as being "under $100" then...

By the way, how walkable is We-Ko-Pa? If carts are that problematic to use, is it better to walk even on a hot day?

Cheers,
Darren

Steve Pozaric

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Re:help re We Ko Pa (Scott Miller) Phoenix
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2005, 04:03:40 PM »
I really enjoyed We Ko Pa earlier this year.  Maybe not the best from a GCA standpoint, but, in any event pretty good.  I think my overall feelings about the course were assisted by the fact there is no housing around the course.  

I think it is walkable from a doability perspective.  HOWEVER, the advisability is pretty low -due to the fact there are not walking paths and you would do a lot of walking on the concrete or walking through brush filled desert with the risks that that entails (I am not sure if walking is allowed in any event).
Steve Pozaric

tomgoutman

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Re:help re We Ko Pa (Scott Miller) Phoenix
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2005, 06:01:04 PM »
March is a good time to play the course. I think it is a more interesting course than many of the higher priced ones in the area. A big plus, for me anyway, is that it is on an Indian reservation and therefore is not wall-to-wall houses (e.g., Troon North).