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Scott_Burroughs

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Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« on: March 20, 2002, 05:40:33 AM »
You want a departure from Ross?  This is about as far from Ross as you can get.  In the desert, huge piece of land with holes spread far apart for development, lots of forced carries, nothing close to similar bunkering, yadda, yadda, yadda.  If I didn't already know who designed this, I'd guess someone else.

« Last Edit: April 29, 2005, 02:54:43 PM by Scott_Burroughs »
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Rob Hallford

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2002, 06:12:09 AM »
C'mon!  You SURE this isn't Ross?  Short walks from green to tee, strong, well-defined routing, no housing around the course...  Vintage.  Sorry to give such a strong hint, but the locals call it Cactushurst.

indy
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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Mike Hendren

Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2002, 06:23:17 AM »
More Ross -  Please!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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Scott_Burroughs

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2002, 06:49:18 AM »
With as W I D E as this aerial is, an appropriate name would be Scrollbar Canyon.  :)

I'll be gone again from 10-1, so I'll have to give some somewhat revealing clues now.

This course has had its share of exposure.

It's a rather difficult course.

The routing notwithstanding, this course is an "original" of a sort.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:03 PM by -1 »
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Jeff_Lewis

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2002, 06:58:30 AM »
I think I got it from the boulder in the hole at the bottom of the picture....If i am right, this is one of 3 similarly named courses all named after a fourth course, is the work of a now defunct partnership and is a textbook example of how a course experience deteriorates post-housing.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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redanman

Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2002, 07:08:42 AM »
Nice practice putting facility at this place.  From the air you see how much it is spread out, much more than I realized playing it.  The first tee is the pinnacle though.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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THuckaby2

Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2002, 07:16:11 AM »
AHA!  So I had it correct.  Thanks, redanman!

I'd call this course "over-rated."  But it has to get a high rating to achieve that, so take it for what it's worth.  It's damn well overpriced in any case.

TH
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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THuckaby2

Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2002, 07:55:52 AM »
OK, a wise man has taught me the error of my ways and I am here to say I was COMPLETELY WRONG in my guess.  Good pic, Scott - you got me!

TH
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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Scott_Burroughs

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2002, 09:43:07 AM »
I think I got more than one of you.  Jeff doesn't have it.  Bill has it, I think, though he may throw some of you off with the "pinnacle" comment.  

When this course was "exposed", the difficulty got under the players' skins.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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THuckaby2

Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2002, 09:48:14 AM »
Aw heck Scott, my batting average on these is along the lines of Rod Carew.  You've gotten MOST of them on me!

And yes, Bill is right... and yes, he threw me off big-time with the pinnacle comment, which is indeed a great clue that clueless me wrongly interpreted. He's also the wise man who taught me the error of my ways!

TH
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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Scott_Burroughs

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2002, 10:40:38 AM »
The course is Desert Highlands, in north Scottsdale, AZ, an early Nicklaus design.  It is considered the "grandfather" of modern desert course design (an "original").  Limited turf acreage, "island" fairways between the cacti creating numerous forced carries, surrounded by sandy waste areas and then desert.  It supposedly is still one of the best, despite more high-profile courses since.

The skins clue was reference to the fact that this was the original home of the Skins game, starting in the early-mid 80's, back when it held some interest, always on Thanksgiving weekend.

The course is still one of the toughest as it slopes out at 151.  Virtually all fairways are surrounded by waste areas that are several feet abruptly below fairway level.  It's almost all fairway or nothing.

It is also extremely private, and has had little exposure since the Skins games.  Supposedly Fuzzy Zoeller was turned down for membership years ago, whatever that means.  Maybe
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:03 PM by -1 »
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RJ_Daley

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2002, 10:41:20 AM »
Is this the kind of course you can sink your claws into?  I don't know it.  I was trying to use a ruler to see if the distances from green to next tee appear worse in the pic than they may be in reality.  None appear to be more than 100-150 yards.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

redanman

Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2002, 03:20:30 PM »
The pinnacle comment I made was very obtuse.  The first tee is on the south slope of Pinnacle Peak, quite a bit of aesthetics (View in this case!).  I didn't get back to post that "The Estancia" actually owns the rest of Pinnacle Peak!  This course to me is a pretty interesting concept, the closest thing to Pine Valley in some ways in that it is fairway or the highway, although, it doesn't work as well as the Valley because you seldom have a recovery when off the green stuff.  There are some really good holes here.  The 11th and 13th are two of the really good alternate fairway holes.  The 13th (Very far right of the picture) is slightly punchbowled to reward the carry to that fairway with a really big reward for pulling it off.  Back to back 3's 15 and 16 followed by BTB 5's 17 (The closest thing to a conventional hole on the course) and 18.

Replicated, reincarnated and imitated many a time, the desert course, this is still one of the most thrilling albeit demanding courses around, and maybe the very best of the Scottsdale desert courses.  The clubhouse and putting green are among the very best without being trendy, over the top or outrageous.  For me this place beats the pants off the Estancia in creativity, some semblance of humility as a club and a roller coaster difficult time.

Another thing is that if you play the back tees, the forced carries are very long and greens are actually relatively close to tees.

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by 1056376800 »
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Scott_Burroughs

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Re: Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2002, 05:41:50 AM »
I forgot to add from my early comment about who I would immediate think was the architect if I didn't know already.  This looks like a dead ringer for a Pete Dye course from above.  Sharp edges to the fairways, abrupt turns.  It almost looks like The Ocean Course without the ocean (AOTD #8).
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:03 PM by -1 »
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Bill Brightly

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Re:Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #14 on: November 27, 2007, 07:08:16 PM »
Bump!
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Matt_Cohn

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Re:Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #15 on: November 27, 2007, 09:21:56 PM »
Does it really end 3-3-5-5?
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Steve_ Shaffer

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Re:Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2007, 09:44:32 PM »
Matt

Yes, it does end 3-3-5-5. The course rating/slope from the tips is 73.9/151. It's a fun course to play, great 18 hole putting green and great clubhouse.


15@145y

16 @244y


17@570y

18@524y


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John Kirk

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Re:Aerial of the Day #51 - 20 Mar 2002
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2007, 11:49:44 PM »
Gee, those pictures are quite pretty.

Comment about the 16th hole picture.  At 244 yards, I wish that little right front right bunker wasn't there.  It takes away the possibility of bouncing a ball onto the green from the little ridge there.  We recently had a brief discussion about Jack Nicklaus's design philosophy, and I think that little bunker says a lot about how he designs courses.  No slop allowed; this shot has to be straight at the green, and you don't get to use the ridge to bounce it on.
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