[Steve_ Shaffer]

This public course was recently purchased by Phil Mickelson and was renovated by the original architect, Randy Hekemkemper, with a view towards making it "more playable.". PM talks abouts the changes:

http://golfmix.com/blog/video-phil-mickelson-explains-changes-at-mcdowell-mountain-golf-club/?utm_source=golfmixnewsletter&utm_campaign=3f71a72a4a-golfmixe-mail101811&utm_medium=email

Here's a recent article.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2011/10/13/20111013mcdowell-mountain-golf-club-reopens-mickelson-inspired-makeover.html

Here is a hole by hole description:

http://www.sanctuarygolf.com/sites/courses/mcdowell.asp?id=1114&page=66553

I think I'll stop by during my winter hiatus.

[Dave Givnish]

Steve

Sanctuary/McDowell Mountain was a reasonably good public course.  The improvements sound like they will add some length to the back nine and improve aesthetics and pace of play on the rest of the course.  The views of the mountains are good there but there are power lines bordering the course.  It's tucked back into a residential community, so set your GPS to find it.

What is interesting to me is the membership model that Mickelson/Loy is putting together.  They are linking a number of courses under one umbrella.  The members will get access to "a few" tee times per hour.  Will this work at a $5k down and $600 monthly dues?  The positives are that four of the courses (Rim, Chaparral Pines, Quintero, Blackstone) used to be high-price private clubs.  Rim and Quintero are the best architecturally of the group.  The others are nice, friendly courses but are not "must-see" for a short golf trip to Scottsdale. The negative is that a member would have to drive a minimum of 45 to 50 minutes to play one of the other courses unless they lived over on the west side.  I hope that it works for them.

Dave

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Dave,

I never played the old Sanctuary GC as I heard it was "too narrow." I'll give it a try now.

I'm not sure about The  M Club although Blackstone and Quintero would be 2 very attractive options for me.  Bill Huffman reports that both clubs may be for sale:

http://www.azgolf.org/LiveLearnPlay/articleDetails.asp?Category=37&Article=688&CategoryID=4&SubCategory=2

Blackstone hit the market at a high point and I think the developer was overly optimistic about selling memberships at 75K there. The membership cost has been dramatically reduced but still the numbers of new members is not happening. Quintero is another story.

[Jerry Kluger]

I really like Blackstone - it does have the Jim Engh containment mounding which some people don't like but I found the course to be in great condition and a lot of fun and I believe it has 5 par 3s and 5 par 5s and a good variety of par 4s.  The clubhouse is spectacular.

[Dave Givnish]

Jerry - I played Blackstone once.  Good, not great, course with a very nice facility.  Put me in the don't like column on the mounds when intentionally missing a green on a par-3 put you closer to the pin than hitting the green with your shot. They are just in a bad location and came online at the worst time. 

Steve - Sanctuary had a narrow hole or two on the front, but the back nine was more of an issue.  It was packed into a tight area.  I enjoyed playing it quite a bit.   It is centrally located, so the improvements should help drive traffic there.  It's only a couple of miles from the Princess and a number of the Scottsdale hotels.

Rumor mill has Quintero and Blackstone deals close to done, and Golf Club Scottsdale with a new buyer.  I don't think GCS would transfer ownership in season so I doubt that one is accurate.  The Valley still has too much capacity in public golf.  No courses are closing though.  The private clubs at the higher end are recovering well and are filling up. 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Here's Phil on The M Club:

http://vimeo.com/30378948

I've played Blackstone three times and enjoyed the experience on an Engh course in the desert. It's different,interesting and has a good mix of holes, some of which are very good. If The M Club offered a seasonal membership, I'd be very interested. Blackstone did not offer a seasonal membership.

[Dave Givnish]

Check with Terravita.  They may still have the seasonal membership but it isn't easy to get a tee time.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Dave,

I have an inquiry into The M Club about a seasonal membership.

I've heard the same thing about Terravita being very busy in season. They do not offer a seasonal membership:

http://www.terravita.com/GolfMembership?ssid=193666

Tatum Ranch does offer a seasonal membership:

http://www.tatumranchgc.com/layout9.asp?id=195&page=3697

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Now that I am full time in the PHX area, I finally played the renovated McDowell Mountain yesterday with 2  friends who played the "original." Paid $48 via golfnow. Rates were much higher in prime season and will lessen even more after green aerification season which starts soon. Both were impressed with the changes. I liked the course and will return evn though it's about a 45 minute drive in non rush hour traffic..  The greens were fast and the fairways were fast and firm. Driving accuracy is still important although some holes were widened. Nice club house too.

Phil's "M Club" never got off the ground.

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