Starfire at Scottsdale
C.C. a satisfying
breather, nothing to
build a trip around

By Chris Baldwin,
Senior Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (March 20, 2006) — Sometimes you're doomed by comparisons of circumstance. For quarterback Jim Kelly, it's being held up to that Joe Montana guy. For "Goodfellas" star Ray Liotta, it's the truth that James Gandolfini does it so much better. For Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club, it's as simple as its 85260 zip code.

If Starfire was in Kansas City or even Prescott, Ariz., it would be worthy of plenty of attention.

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In the Phoenix-Scottsdale golf heaven resort corridor, this set of three nines with the Arnold Palmer imprint simply comes across as just another golf course. One that's in good (though not close to great) shape with a few interesting holes albeit. But just another course nonetheless.

While playing this sometimes short, sometimes narrow, sometimes very entertaining mash of courses, you're liable to end up wondering why you aren't at Troon North, Grayhawk, We-Ko-Pa, Boulders or any of the other clear Scottsdale show stoppers. Can't help you there. Even with its $125 high season greens fee — one that can be less than twice much as some of the Scottsdale kings — it's difficult to make much of an argument for Starfire as an alternative.

It's better to think of Starfire as a breather between wonderful beatings. For after your game's been battered around by a few of those Scottsdale beasts, you and your pocketbook may both be dying for a rest.

Starfire at Scottsdale Country is a great second course of the day play. You can show up at 3 p.m. on one of those wonderfully long no-daylight-savings-time rollback Arizona winter days and often get on for $43 specials. And yes, chances are you will get in a full 18 in that scenario.

Starfire is flat and short enough to be a super quick play. In fact, it may be all over with so fast that you think it's prom night all over again.

And that doesn't mean you won't feel good about it in the morning.

"This is the course I go to when I want to get reassured about my game," local golfer Matt Polland said between chips on the practice range.

Soothing cup of tea type golf doesn't mean bad golf.

There is a particularly nice run of holes on the Squire nine. Not coincidently, this nine incorporates some of the original holes from Scottsdale Country Club. (Palmer's team designed the King nine completely and redesigned some of the Squire and Hawk nines.)

Nos. 5-8 on Squire bring some needed drama into your Starfire round. These are holes where water becomes either friend or foe.

It starts with a straight shot over water to a green that's very reachable (a 175 yard par 3 from the tips), but bunker buffeted. This isn't an island green in the truest technical sense, but your fairway's the lake. You're either clearing water or hearing a plop.

The No. 7 shooting- fountain/pond-in-the-center-of- the-fairway hole on Squire is hardly the only one with some unique character at Starfire. Hawk's No. 6, a 385-yard par 4, has two sets of twin palm trees guarding the green, providing a field goal-like shot between them.

It's all just a warm-up for No. 7. This 324-yard par 4 has a big pond with a high shooting fountain right in the middle of the fairway. There's enough fairway grass on either side for a golf cart to pass and that's about it. And everyone thinks Donald Trump's waterfalls are garish?

From the tee, it just looks there's a geyser shooting straight out of the grass, with the pond not visible at all. It's a cool, visual effect.

No. 7 is actually an old-school Scottsdale hole. From back in the time when the girls wore poofy skirts and golf apparently required getting enough air on your drive to clear a high shooting fountain. This is the original first hole from Scottsdale Country Club, built in 1953.

Rather than focus on history though, you're likely to be thinking about the idea of water knocking your ball out of the air. It's not likely to happen — the most difficult 18-hole combination out of these three nines is a 123 slope rating, par 68 (Hawk and Squire). Starfire is about as hardcore as John Tesh.

Its length maxes out right around 6,100 yards for 18 with the King coming in at 3,253 yards, the Hawk at 2,840 and the Squire at 2,782 yards. You'll see a lot of older gentlemen out on Starfire, a lot of distance-intimidated folks in general. You needn't carry a big driver to post a decent score here.

"It evens things out with my boyfriend," said local golfer Cami Turnbow. "The thing I like is that it's not all about how far you can hit it."

If it worried about measuring up, Starfire at Scottsdale would be in a world of hurt. This zip code can be so cruel.

The verdict

Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club isn't on the short side for purely design shotmaker's course reasons. This is no Wigwam Blue out in the Phoenix West Valley. There simply isn't a lot of space here.

Starfire is crammed in around Hayden and McCormick roads, some of the busiest streets in traffic obsessed Scottsdale. Playing at Starfire, you'll never forget that.

Car noise is a constant companion during your round. You are crossing over roads on your golf cart, weaving through communities.

It's particularly bad on the Hawk nine. Here the cars sometimes seem close enough to identify by muffler sounds and the houses are steps — short steps — from the fairways. In many cases these aren't very pretty houses and certainly not golfer-friendly ones.

Many of Starfire's neighbors have big chain link fences up with padlocked gates and huge no trespassing signs. You can see the golf balls piled up in many of these yards, unreachable to any hacker with even one of those super stretchable ball retriever gizmos.

One of the strangest sights can be found on Hawk's 479-yard, par-4 fourth hole, however. Here golfers teeing off find themselves staring down a hulking kid's playground set shrouded by a golf ball (hopefully) repelling giant green tent right off the right edge of the fairway.

Atmosphere isn't exactly country club serene at Starfire.

It's all about perspective. If Starfire's your breather course, you're not going to be bummed. The greens are huge, the fairways are narrow, the cart girls (or guys) are nonexistent (at least on this afternoon).

Starfire's three nines sometimes seem to have as much consistency as fleeing comedian Dave Chappelle, making your choice more important. Just make sure you land Squire as one of your nines and get into that water-run stretch.

You'll forget your troubles.

Dining out

The greater Old Town Scottsdale area is home to many of the best restaurants in Arizona. Chef Nobuo Fukuda works wonders with his counter side tasting menus at Sea Saw (480-481-9463), producing dishes every bit the equal of New York's more famous Nobu at a third of the cost.

For a happening, mingling spot, you only have to go down the alley behind Sea Saw and open the unmarked door to the Kazimierz World Wine Bar (480-946-3004). Sure, this forced, faux mysteriousness is a little cheesy, but once you get inside the comfortable place where the Phoenix area's thirty-somethings relax with a selection of 1,800 wines to choose from, you'll forgive it. Make sure you try the Country Pate.

Stay and play

Your high-end accommodations escape palace is the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (1-800-257-7544). This sprawling AAA Five Diamond resort offers huge pool complexes that are open 24 hours a day. No more fitting your schedule around the pool schedule.

Add a spa that just may take pampering to new heights with its own private waterfall pool and this is real luxury in a town with too many pretender hotels claiming that distinction.

The Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort (602-997-2626) is far enough away from the hustle and bustle to provide a relaxing getaway retreat and close enough to easily reach all the areas you want to visit. This sprawling complex includes a meandering, slow-raft-lounging pool and a putting practice course. There are a good half dozen golf courses easy within a 10-minute drive.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.