Bunkers at TPC Scottsdale

[Emile Bonfiglio]

Can someone tell me what is up with the edges around some of these bunker? I don't play much desert golf so maybe this is more normal than it appear.

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't been watching, but it's probably a ring of dormant tan Bermuda.  That seems to be the fashion there these days. 

[Derek Dirksen]

Agreed, they don't overseed the faces of the bunkers.  Easy to maintain and gives some contrast.

[Sam Morrow]

If anyone has played it what are your thoughts on the course overall.

[Carter Hindes]

Played TPC in November.  I would say the experience at TPC is probably the best part.  Service, caddie, etc, was phenominal and bar/clubhouse area was cool.  It was wet when we played but they had actually recieved some rainfall the day before.  Driving range was impressive.  It is large and has lots of options on where you can practice and simulate any shot.  Lots of tour players practicing when we were there.  There were some memorable holes but I felt that Greyhawk (Fazio) was a much better track.  All in all fun place to have a winter round of golf.

[Brian Stewart]

If anyone has played it what are your thoughts on the course overall.

I have played it multiple times and have very little positive to say about the course itself. I would probably rank it in the top 100 courses in AZ but I am not sure. It is an outstanding place to watch golf but a horribly boring and artificial place to play it IMO. The only time I play it is when I have friends visiting from out of town.  The staff and operations are top notch however.

FWIW, if I have friends in town and we play multiple courses it is almost universally the least favorite of the group. I can only think of one person that liked it above the other courses I take them to out of maybe 30 friends.   In fairness we normally play some pretty good golf courses but it is still always a once and done for everyone but me as the host 

[Matthew Rose]

I've played it. It's really the only tour course I've ever played, so I'm not sure how it compares to the others.

I didn't think it was overly difficult. I had a chance to break 80 from the blues. I would have had I putted a little better. I played very well but not extraordinarily well. I do remember just about every hole there, but that may only be because I've seen them on television so many times.

So I guess I was disappointed in that I thought it might have been much harder than it was. Ever since then I've wondered if most of these TPC courses weren't all built to look much more challenging than they actually were.

I was about five yards out of my max 3-wood range to go for the 15th green, but I went for it anyway, because I always would have wondered otherwise. I ended up hitting a railroad tie (the green was bulkheaded then) and it went in the drink. I made six.

The pin on 16 was in the same spot as Tiger's ace. I hit it to about eight feet but missed the putt.

I did like 17 and 18 a lot, although back then (1998) I wasn't as long as I was now (technology!) so I couldn't really take the aggressive approach on those holes. I think if I played the course today, I'd probably shoot on or near my handicap.

As for the original topic - it was April when I played it, so the grass around the bunkers was green, and not dormant.



 

[Mark Smolens]

I love the look of and playing on dormant bermuda, but just not at the prices they charge at the Tournament Course at TPC Scottsdale (the fairly recently renovated Chamions course next door is far more wallet-friendly. As noted above, the practice facility at TPC is as good as it gets. You can get a bag of balls and spend 4 hours hitting pitch shots, chips and sand shots without ever getting bored.

As for the course itself, its fun to play if only because the big kids play there. From the correct tee box, 15 is reachable for normal humans (just like the big kids), and I've knocked it on the front at 17 a couple of times. . . but I haven't been back there to play for quite a few years because the greens fees are exorbitant (tho I have the same opinion of the Greyhawk courses as well).

IMO Vista Verde and Saguaro are a much better way to spend your time if you want to play public access golf in the Valley of the Sun.

[Gary Slatter]

I've played it maybe 100 times, mostly in year 3/4/5 of its existence.   Have scored from 61 (july 10 1993 - my birthday, 1:15 t-time, around 105 degrees), to 85.   I think it's a fun championship course, in it's best shape from May through August when the bermuda is fast and firm.
The water hazard isn't too desert - like, however it adds a lot to the excitement of playing several holes (11, 12, 15, 17, 18).  IMHO one of Howard Twitty's best designs!

Thank Princess Hotels (now Fairmont) for building the practice facility, otherwise only PGA Tour members would use it!  The hotel had to spend big bucks to build the facility in order for their guests to be able to use the range!  The hotel also built the clubhouse, and paid the PGATOUR's "consultants - i.e. wives" for the "design" of the Champions Bar.  Used to be normal procedures, until the Ping lawsuit.

I think they still have to reduce the overseeding (Sep/Oct) area by 10% per year - even though they pump from their own wells water use is limited in Az and the land is owned by the city of Scottsdale, leased from Bureau of Reclammation, lots of paper work.  The last meeting that I attended regarding water use - "it takes $3.00 worth of water to grow a pound of tomatoes which sell for less than $1.00.  (Their lobby is/was stronger than the golf & tourism lobby, and who picks the bloody tomatoes?)