I made the trip to get away from the local reseeding taking place in the Phoenix valley. The first thing I noticed is they have repaired the access road to the pro shop, along with rejuvenating the p... Continue »

I made the trip to get away from the local reseeding taking place in the Phoenix valley. The first thing I noticed is they have repaired the access road to the pro shop, along with rejuvenating the practice area. It looked straight out of the TPC in Scottsdale. Beautiful. The first thing I asked Rudy, for anyone who has played this course, you know who he is, what is going on with the nice improvements? He stated they have hired a new Greens Superintendent from Casa Grande who has really turned the place around. The only drawback is the driving range and putting is closed until next week awaiting their respective re-do's. As for the course itself....Night and Day from last April 2012. Fairways are nice and green. Half of the bunkers have very nice sand in them, and work is being performed on the other half. Not only to fill them with sand but with reshaping them to their original shapes. As for the greens.....Perfect. Best greens I've putted on since I arrived in Arizona 7 years ago. There are a couple of greens with small bare spots, but these are on the edges where it is easy to take a ground under repair drop. The only major downfall was the amount of water sprayed onto the course. I was first off in the morning and had to play Lift, Clean and Place on nearly every hole. On my 2nd 18 the course dried up considerably and only had to clean the ball of a few times. There are 2 holes cart path only because of numerous bare spots in the fairways. #6 and #7. Those holes were like a big mud puddle with the amount of water on them, but compared to my last visit they are coming along nicely. If they keep up with the improvements this course will make it back to the Top Five in the rankings within a couple of years. To me it's still the best course, by far, in the southwest desert.

I played Apache Stronghold Sun Feb 17th. It took me 80 minutes to drive there from east Mesa. You can read the previous reviews; mine is virtually identical. Great layout and staff (Rudy is great).... Continue »

I played Apache Stronghold Sun Feb 17th. It took me 80 minutes to drive there from east Mesa. You can read the previous reviews; mine is virtually identical. Great layout and staff (Rudy is great). Pretty bad conditions, but surprisingly playable.

The most noticeable bad thing is the fairways. Very thin and at this time of year dormant. However, the ground is soft, so shots aren't all that negatively affected. The bunkers are just dirt pits. There might be some soft sand somewhere out there, but mostly the bunkers are hard dirt. Fortunately for me I was only in one, and I picked my shot out of it fine. The tee boxes grass was spare, but not that bad for the most part.

The greens saved the experience. Not to say that they don't have problems. There were plenty of nasty sand-filled scars on many of them, and some just plain torn up areas. But the cups were located away from the worst of it, and the bent grass putted beautifully on most of them. I logged 34 putts, which is pretty close to normal for me.

One thing to mention is that the cart paths are dusty dirt. My bag ended up more dusty than I've ever experienced. But a few whacks with a towel after the round solved that. On the plus side range balls are gratis and they provide chilled water to start and there are ice chests of bottled water spread around the course.

This was my first time on this course, and I'll definitely be back. I'm very interested to see how the course plays with some green on the fairways, and there are quite a few holes that I'll have a lot better idea of how to approach next time on this very interesting layout.

If you are looking for pristine conditions, hit the back space now. If you want to see/play one of the best layouts I have ever seen, then make the drive. I would rate it above the Kapalua Plantati... Continue »

If you are looking for pristine conditions, hit the back space now. If you want to see/play one of the best layouts I have ever seen, then make the drive. I would rate it above the Kapalua Plantation course if it weren't for the conditioning. It is the first Doak course I've played and I can't wait to play another one. This place just has a mystic feel about it. The next time I make the trip I will play it from the 6500 yard tees, where I should be, not the Blues, and see how it defenses my game. Forget Troon and the TPC, make the trip, but don't forget I told you so about the conditions.

Apache Stronghold Golf Club Review
San Carlos Arizona Golf Course Reviews

This is one of my favorite layouts of all time. Tom Doak is brilliant in his design of this course throughout the canyons in an area that is otherwise bleak and desolate. The problem with this cours... Continue »

This is one of my favorite layouts of all time. Tom Doak is brilliant in his design of this course throughout the canyons in an area that is otherwise bleak and desolate. The problem with this course has always been the conditions. It has been poorly run and poorly maintained throughout the years. That may be changing. Played on back to back days 6/25-26/2011 and the course is in as good a condition as I have ever seen it. I attribute that to a new director of golf, who in talking with him, has exciting plans to bring the course back to the conditions that once had it rated a Top 100 course in the country. The greens were in good condition . . there were a few bare spots, they they are much fewer than in past visits. The tee boxes were very good. The course plays as mostly dried bermuda, so it doesn't look great from tee to green, but it plays very well. The service at the clubhouse is fantastic. The starter Rudy seems to be of the belief that when you show up to play you should be treated as if you are at Spyglass he is so attentive to any of the golfer's needs. I am excited about the progress I have seen at this course under the new director, and am doubly excited about what could be ahead! This layout is one of the best you'll ever see, and with conditions improving (still need to do something about the bunkers) it is well worth a drive to play!

Played this course twice this weekend (7/17-18/2010) and it continues to amaze me that I love this course so much. The course was shut down for a while last winter and I expected conditions to be ter... Continue »

Played this course twice this weekend (7/17-18/2010) and it continues to amaze me that I love this course so much. The course was shut down for a while last winter and I expected conditions to be terrible. Even when the course was operating daily the conditions are never going to be confused with a resort course. But I was surprised at how good the fairways and greens actually were. Yes, there are some bare spots on the fairways and greens. I have come to expect that at this course, but they were not nearly as prevelant as I expected them to be. I am of the firm belief that this is the best layout I've played in Arizona. Every hole presents different options on how to play it. Every shot presents different options on how it should be played. Tom Doak did a magnificent job in designing this course and having it fit in with the surrounding mountains and desert landscape. It is unfortunate that the conditions are not resort-quality, but that's sort of the charm of the course. I will say this . . the starter "Rudy" would fit in at any course I've ever played! He is top-notch . . makes you feel welcome and comfortable before your round. Don't head to Apache Stronghold expecting great conditions. But if you do go, be prepared to be amazed at the layout of this course.

No one will ever confuse the conditions at Apache Stronghold with those found at a high dollar resort course. Frankly, the course is rough around the edges, and could certainly use some TLC and maint... Continue »

No one will ever confuse the conditions at Apache Stronghold with those found at a high dollar resort course. Frankly, the course is rough around the edges, and could certainly use some TLC and maintenance. But it is a great layout and design which more than make up for the maintenance issues. This is a Tom Doak designed course, and has been ranked very highly in the golf mag list of "courses you must play." I highly recommend playing this course. There are always some type of "stay and play" packages available. The course is located a little to the east of Globe. It's about 2 hours from either Phoenix or Tucson, but well worth the drive to stay and play. Doak is a minimalist . .he doesn't like to move a lot of dirt when designing the course (See Brandon Dunes) . . so the course is a sprawling layout that takes full advantage of the natural canyons, elevation changes, and natural hazards (arroyos) throughout the layout. There are numerous dogleg holes, and an endless amount of risk/reward shot opportunities. There are no (zero) houses around the course. Apache Stronghold is owned and operated by the Apache tribe and they have vowed not to build any houses on or around the course. There is peace and serenity throughout your round. No sounds of traffic, or stereos, or fear of slicing a ball into someone's pool! The course is bermuda, so it dies off in the winter. There is no overseeding with winter rye, so the fairways are yellow in the winter. But when we played last weekend, they were green and very playable. I've traveled to Globe twice now for the "stay and play" package . . once last Thanksgiving, and once this past weekend. I'm already checking the calendar to see when we can go again. The customer service was excellent and everyone was intent upon making sure we had a great golf outing. This is a delightful course. Could it use some "fresh paint"? Yeah . . but will that prevent me from playing again? . . Not on your life!

Played 4-12-08. Greens hadn't been plugged and sanded yet, so patchy from winter. Course always has very thin fairways, the way many players like. But taking divots is very easy. One of my favorite co... Continue »

Played 4-12-08. Greens hadn't been plugged and sanded yet, so patchy from winter. Course always has very thin fairways, the way many players like. But taking divots is very easy. One of my favorite courses, views are terrific, layout is challenging. Course condition is not always that good. Greens are usually good. Always have stay and play specials.