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Forrest Richardson

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Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #25 on: February 21, 2015, 12:16:58 PM »
Wendell is trained as a landscape architect and land planner. I worked with him (and his firm) on a project here in Arizona that never materialized. At that time (8+ years ago) he had been doing some redesign on Kenny Rogers' 18-hole estate course:

http://money.cnn.com/video/pf/2011/06/23/smb_kenny_rogers_home.cnnmoney/

I recently heard that Wendell has prepared plans to redesign the Wigwam Gold and Blue Courses to make room for development (housing).

Not surprising that he got involved in a community golf project. His firm had been very active in planning work for residential developers. From looking at the photos (and seeing it from the air on several occasions) my take is that Wickenburg Ranch is fairly typical of a desert residential land plan — I will be interested to see it in person. From what I know it is a pleasant layout with no bold or unique design traits, at least according to the people who have been able to get out there during the last few years.
— Forrest Richardson, Golf Course Architect/ASGCA
    www.golfgroupltd.com
    www.golframes.com

Steve_ Shaffer

  • Karma: +0/-0
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #27 on: March 09, 2015, 08:19:47 AM »
May the golf gods have mercy and those who fear forced carries. There sure looks like a lot of them there.

Lots of "drop areas!"

Matthew Petersen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #28 on: March 30, 2015, 01:14:27 PM »
Played here yesterday. I really enjoyed the round and give the course pretty high marks, though I'm curious if it really has enough strategic interest to be the kind of place I travel to a lot.

Conditioning is great, as has been said. Course has been in the ground something like 7 years and it shows. Doesn't feel like a "new" course at all. The greens are in very good condition and very fast--possibly too fast for the target audience. They are also very sloping. Maybe 1 green (#3) out there without a notable tier in it? And several green had three or more sections with dramatic elevations.

The routing is good with nice views and lots of movement up, down, and around some sizable hills. Right now you get some nice views of other holes from various points of the course. Much of that will likely be lost when homes go in.

The 6 par 3s / 7 par 4s / 5 par 5s is unique, but it works. Only once do you play back-to-back holes of the same par, at 15-16.

My impression is that when the course was constructed, an "active adult" community course was not what they had in mind. I played with 3 gentlemen of that age and I don't think any of them would have wanted to make the place their "home" course. It's playable, but there are a number of very demanding uphill shots and a few fairways that are tight for an average player. Most of the drives look more challenging than they are. Lots of drives that play downhill either gently or substantially and the landing areas are often wider than they immediately look from the tee. There seemed to be good options for various tees so you're not facing unreasonable carries.

Also noticed that even since the most recent satellite images (2014), they have made a few changes to the course, most that make it more playable. Wash crossings on 1, 5, and 18 have been grassed in, which seems like a good choice.

It also seems pretty clear that the original routing began at what is now 15 and ended at the current 14th. 15 is a more classic handshake opener, and that's the area of the course where the old range is, now being converted to a shot course. 13 and 14 are dramatic holes with lakes and creeks and waterfalls.

A number of holes I really liked:

The second is a mid-length par 3 to a green that sits in a little bowl so the front hole locations are blind over a little ridge. Really liked that green.

#6 is a good risk/reward par 4 that can play as a lay up and wedge but from a blind angle to a tough, sloping green. A drive that carries a lot of water and sand could reach the green or get right in front where you;d be chipping straight into the slope of the green with a clear view. Nice hole.

#7 is a par 5 that reminded me a lot of a Jim Engh hole--downhill drive to a fairway that narrows as it turns through a saddle. A good drive and great second could make it reachable, but you probably are wisest not to try to go at the green with a long club.

#11 is a really nice par 3 without bunkers, the green runs front left to back right with a deep swale attracting balls that don't have enough carry. #17 is also a nice par 3 over a deep canyon to a green with excellent views beyond.

Wasn't such a big fan of #9, a long and steeply uphill par 5 where the green is blind until you're within about 50 yards of it. Any shot long of the green is death, which seems a bit punitive on a long uphill and blind hole. For a deeply uphill hole it plays well with portions of fairway where the ball will stop, without looking totally terraced, and no bunkers in the blind landing areas. But the green and the trouble just over it didn't work for me. But that was really the only quibble I had with any of the holes.

I have a voucher to return for a summer round. I am looking forward to that. I think it's a course that will benefit from a few plays, given the number of blind shots and the severity of some greens. Whether it's a course that offers a lot in the way of strategic options remains to be seen, for me.

Steve_ Shaffer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #29 on: March 31, 2015, 06:12:19 PM »
DELETED
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Peter Ferlicca

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #30 on: March 31, 2015, 08:11:18 PM »
Full course photo tour coming very soon!!!!   

Matthew Petersen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #31 on: March 31, 2015, 11:53:42 PM »
Full course photo tour coming very soon!!!!   

Looking forward to it, Peter. Should be a very photogenic course. I took a few, but midday sun is not the best time to get good pictures of a golf course.

Steve_ Shaffer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #32 on: May 25, 2015, 12:38:16 PM »
I played there Saturday with my wife and another couple. I can not disagree with most of the comments above.

From Dave Givnish:
The course is friendly off the tee. There's a good deal of movement in the ground as if they mostly just cleaned up the desert floor and grassed it. Some in our group thought that it might even be a bit hilly for what will be a senior lifestyle real estate community. Most of the greens are elevated and there are about a half dozen blind shots. The second is a par 3 and the shot to the green from the back tees is partially blind. Nine is a long uphill par 5. I think that the hole is called "The Hill" and that is steep enough that your second, and maybe even your third shot, is blind.

From Bill Schulz:
Wickenburg Ranch-Well conditioned housing development course that meanders thru interesting topography that will be very challenging for its targeted retirees to play because of its difficulty with greensites severely deflecting errant shots away from the hole.  A buddy of mine & myself played with a former Arizona amateur champ (in the 1990s) who shot even part & thought it tested him on all the shots from the blue 6500 yard tees we played, cannot imagine that there will be than a handful (at most) homebuyers that will be able to navigate the black 7000 yard tees.

From Matt Petersen:
Conditioning is great, as has been said. Course has been in the ground something like 7 years and it shows. Doesn't feel like a "new" course at all. The greens are in very good condition and very fast--possibly too fast for the target audience. They are also very sloping. Maybe 1 green (#3) out there without a notable tier in it? And several green had three or more sections with dramatic elevations.
The routing is good with nice views and lots of movement up, down, and around some sizable hills. Right now you get some nice views of other holes from various points of the course. Much of that will likely be lost when homes go in.
The 6 par 3s / 7 par 4s / 5 par 5s is unique, but it works. Only once do you play back-to-back holes of the same par, at 15-16.
My impression is that when the course was constructed, an "active adult" community course was not what they had in mind. I played with 3 gentlemen of that age and I don't think any of them would have wanted to make the place their "home" course. It's playable, but there are a number of very demanding uphill shots and a few fairways that are tight for an average player. Most of the drives look more challenging than they are. Lots of drives that play downhill either gently or substantially and the landing areas are often wider than they immediately look from the tee. There seemed to be good options for various tees so you're not facing unreasonable carries.



I was the only member of my group who liked the course. My wife(even though she broke 100 with a birdie) and the other couple (20+handicappers who did not break 100) will not return. I played most holes from the "short" white tees at 5744y  and played to less then my 16 handicap. I liked routing, the greens, and the variety of holes After playing a lot of desert golf on flat courses, the hilly terrain was a welcome change of pace for me but not for others in my group.  This course really favors single digit handicappers. Any of the intended home buyers there will learn course management very quickly.
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Michael Wharton-Palmer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #33 on: May 26, 2015, 11:46:38 AM »
Playing there on Friday, so I will pass comments next week.

Michael Wharton-Palmer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Wickenburg Ranch
« Reply #34 on: June 08, 2015, 09:20:26 AM »
Quite impressed with the place.
Although not very walkable, which of course was not the intent, a very nice golf course.
In superb condition, greens were wonderful and running at a fair speed for the undulations they possess.
A very goof variety of holes in terms of yardage for the respective pars and a good test for golfers of all abilities.
A second playing would be even better as a couple of the greens are semi blind and you really dont know where the putting surface lies, and as yardage books were not available that day a little hard to figure out, but that is in no way a critisism of the course merely a statement.

A very good usage of the natural landform and undulations creates a very interesting golf course that never seems samey or boring.
I would certainly travel the hour to get there again.
The short course project that is going on seems very exciting and I look forward to going back and seeing that.

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