The New
MUST-PLAY
Options In
The Valley
One of the silver linings of the economic doldrums of the pastseveralyearsisthat
some once-private and very strong
courses are now open for public
play. In the Phoenix region, two
such examples are Quintero and
Southern Dunes, both managed by
Troon. Both are a bit of a drive from
downtown Phoenix, but both are
worth the time to get there.
Southern Dunes Golf Club is a
35-minute drive south of town in
Maricopa. Originally conceived
(or mis-conceived in many people’s opinions) as a private, menonly club, this Schmidt-Curley design was recently acquired by the
Ak-Chin tribe and is now a daily
fee facility.
From the correct set of tees, the
course is fun to play and fair to every player. It’s strong enough from
the 7,600-yard tips to host regional
tour qualifying events, but there
is plenty of fairway off the tee and
open routes to every hole, making it
a good round for all players.
A territorial style clubhouse provides a popular restaurant and golf
shop; and nearby Harrah’s Ak-Chin Resort has accommodations
and a cooling casino for a little
gaming after a round.
AbOVe: southern dunes golf Club is a
35-minute drive south of town in maricopa.
leFT: quintero golf Club is the site of a
spectacular rees Jones design.
Quintero Golf Club is roughly an
hour north of Scottsdale in Peoria,
where a spectacular Rees Jones design is found. Until recently a private
course for members and residents of
Quintero, daily fee golfers now have
access to this gem. Take advantage
of it. Quintero is one of the better
courses in the region, boasting wonderful views in every direction. Set
into some rolling foothills, there is
enough elevation change and fairway movement to keep a round interesting for 18 holes.
