Mark's Foursome Conquers Camelback Golf Club
SCOTTSDALE - Summer golf in Arizona separates the men from the boys. All my life I've heard stories about the Scottish and the extreme playing conditions that they take for granted. I used to think that they were the leather of our golf community until I teed it up with my usual threesome out at Camelback last week.
The temperature is 108 degrees (sizzling). Let me bring you up to speed. Craig works in acquisitions, Gary is a plastic surgeon, and Tanner is the bartender at Tequila's. This group makes for a very interesting round regardless of how well or poorly each plays.
Each of my friends are avid and one could say amateur connoisseurs of the game. Each has a completely different viewpoint of what they expect of a nice golf experience. Sometimes as a golf professional, I look past some of the obvious things that complete the whole golf experience.
Craig appraises the mansions that surround the golf course, Gary keeps us amused with surgery stories and Tanner rates the beverage cart drivers. I spend the afternoon laughing at my buddies and provide small tips that keep them on the playing field.
When we arrived at the Camelback Golf Club something was missing. Oh, yeah....the clubhouse! Camelback is under serious renovation and construction. If you've been to Camelback you will remember that there are two 18-hole Championship courses.
The Indian Bend course remains open and the Padre course is gone completely. The new course is being designed by Arthur Hills. I have been told that the new course is supposed to rival Troon North and Grayhawk. These are very high expectations for a traditional style course competing with target desert that most tourists seek when traveling to the valley.
Arthur Hills has designed a couple of very well known courses back east, Champions in Kentucky and Bay Harbor in Florida. He also designed Stonecreek in Paradise Valley, so don't get your hopes up too high. Hopefully he has a larger budget and isn't under some kind of medication as he seemed to have been when designing Stonecreek.
The course will tip out at 6800 yards and will feature 6 lakes and tiff 419 fairways and Bent grass greens. The clubhouse will be over 36,000 square feet with a 22,000 square. ft. golf shop. The name of the course has not been determined, nor the name of the new course.
The Head Golf Professional (Mr. Todd Howard) informed me that the green fees should be comparable to Troon North. Get ready for that 2nd mortgage on your home before arriving.
The Indian Bend course is a flat, traditional golf course that has some length, very few trees and monster homes aligning the fairways. Craig snapped a drive that landed in someone's swimming pool that was big enough to have the Olympic time trials.
Fairways are defined by knee-high rough and very few trees. Overall the golf course offers no shade, no views but does have very cute beer cart girls. Hey, I'd pay $25 bucks to watch my buddies bean Charles Barkley's house anytime.
July 5, 2001