December notebook:
Phantom Horse
adds an island green

By Rebecca Larsen,
Associate Editor

All the changes seem designed to help this course, which was built in 1988, keep up with the newer courses in south Phoenix like the Raven and the Legacy.

Phoenix architects Forrest Richardson and Jack Snyder originally laid out this course, which used to be called the Pointe Hilton Golf Club at South Mountain. The course was renamed Phantom Horse in 1998, a name taken from a nearby hiking path at South Mountain Park.

According to Bruce McNee, director of golf at Phantom Horse, CMX, a local engineering and architectural firm, designed the changes that make use of some new property made available at the course.

"Until a year ago, we had a road, East Point Parkway, that ran through here that was a favorite shortcut for thousands of cars driving past the resort," McNee said. "We moved that road, and all of a sudden we had all this new material to work with. Now the 18th finishes right in the middle of the resort. It really enhances the experience."

One of the most striking parts of the $2.5 million redesign is the new pro shop right next to the green on the new 18th hole. The old golf shop is four flights up from the parking lot where golfers arrived. The new one, opening by mid-December, will be down at the golf course level.

That new 18th with its island green makes for a fun finishing hole.

The 18th is now a par 4, 362 yards from the back tees, and plays downhill with a slight dogleg left. In fact, you can't see the green from the tees. This hole is actually the old No. 1 with the areas for greens and tee boxes reversed.

Due to the changes, almost every hole on the course has been re-numbered, which could confuse you if you've played here before. Best to put the past out of your mind and start fresh. For example, the old No. 18, a downhill, par 3, 230 yards from the back tees, was extremely popular with players. The basic layout of this hole has been retained, but now it has become No. 17 with a different layout for the green. It will still have the same elevation changes as before but will be shorter: 170 yards from the back.

In a way, this course has something of a split personality. The first nine holes have a very traditional feeling - lots of green grass, palm trees and water hazards.

The back nine takes you to a higher elevation where it's more of a desert-target style course and where it's more peaceful with less traffic. One of the most famous holes on the back nine is No. 12 - a par 5 also known as the "Jailhouse Steps." You play along a rambling fairway with ease until you hit a series of deep bunkers that run up a little cliff in front of the green.

Although the front nine has more grass from tee to green, it is far from being a snap because serious water hazards lurk everywhere. Be especially careful at No. 2, a 390-yard par 4 that slopes drastically from left to right where a bubbling brook trails along the fairway. Club personnel told us that this hole - still rated the toughest on the course - used to be much more narrow before the renovation. Staying dry is a little easier now.

If you go

Fees at Phantom Horse run from $40 to $99, depending on the day and time. Phantom Horse is located at 7777 S. Pointe Parkway in Phoenix. The course is a par-71 and measures just over 6,300 yards, about 100 yards longer than before. Phone: 1-866-444-0992 (602-910-6821). Web site: www.phantomhorsegolf.com. If you're interested in staying at the resort (it has 640 suites), check out wwww.pointesouthmtn.com.

Besides offering golf, the Pointe also has water slides, an athletic club and spa and six tennis courts.

Get ready for a big MLB spring training

The Phoenix area is expecting a really big turnout for Major League Baseball's spring training season this year - kicking off in late February and going through March.

If you're thinking of traveling to the Valley of the Sun during that time, you might want to make your hotel-golf-baseball reservations early.

Everyone hopes that the all-California World Series will inspire fans from the Golden State to drive down in droves. The San Francisco Giants (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com) have their spring training facility in Scottsdale; while the Anaheim Angels (http://anaheim.angels.mlb.com) are based in Tempe.

In addition, the Kansas City Royals (http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com) and Texas Rangers (http://texas.rangers.mlb.com) will move their spring training from the Grapefruit League in Florida to the Cactus League this year. The new Rangers-Royals facility, Surprise Stadium, will hold its grand opening on Feb. 27 in the West Valley town of Surprise. The new stadium at 1560 N. Bullard Ave. cost $48.3 million.

Another sure hit with sports fans - both the baseball kind and the Phoenix Open crowd - probably will be the new Fox Sports Grill in Scottsdale. It's the first in a planned nationwide chain of premium sports bars being built by B & B Restaurant Ventures in Westlake Village, Calif., and Fox Sports.

Arizona course guide Phoenix non-desert golf Course review: Talking Stick Golf Course

Features of the restaurant include a state-of-the-art TV lounge, an outdoor putting green, billiards room and glass enclosed wine cellar. Regular on-site broadcasts of Fox Sports shows have been promised.

The American-style food is better than average. Among the offerings are Maryland-style crab cakes, crispy calamari, "grilled" Caesar salad, lots of burgers, ribs, pork chops and fish.

Golf course could bite the dust

Planning continues for a foreclosure auction to be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 27 for the Thunderbirds Golf Club in South Phoenix. Staff at the course said some home builders have visited to look at the property.

The club, only about a year old, was built by the Phoenix Thunderbirds in partnership with a local landowner Luther Alkhaseh. The Thunderbirds is a non-profit organization that puts on the Phoenix Open every January.

Shortly after opening, the course ran into economic problems due to a drop in tourism after Sept. 11. Then this July there was another drop in business because of an outbreak of illnesses caused by contaminated water among visitors to the course. The water problem was solved, and business bounced back a bit. But in the fall, the owners defaulted on a $6.5 million loan held by Bank One.

According to Greg Leicht, director of golf at the course, calls have picked up from those interested in finding out more about the sale. It will be held at the law offices of Quarles & Brady Streich Lang, 2 N. Central Ave., Phoenix.