Played Sat 6/29, 12:02 tee-time. 117*, light breeze. Yes, you read that right: 117*. You'd figure the course would be empty, and you'd be wrong. Was paired with another single AND a couple by the st... Continue »

Played Sat 6/29, 12:02 tee-time. 117*, light breeze. Yes, you read that right: 117*. You'd figure the course would be empty, and you'd be wrong. Was paired with another single AND a couple by the starter, and the round took almost 4.5 hours to complete thanks to a walking 3-some ahead of us playing from the tips and who would not yield. Okay, to the review. Talking Stick is a 36 hole resort course attached to the TS Hotel & Casino and it plays accordingly. Wide open fairways that are close to impossible to miss (with the OB on many holes, it's better to slice than hook if you miss your shot). Mild carries over desert but nothing extreme. Bunkers throughout the course but, IMO, rarely come into play, even around the green. If you miss long, or run through the fast greens, there's little penalty: just short mown grass and no sand behind any of the holes. The course is 7133 yards from the tips; I played the second option (Gold), which measures at 6510 yards and rated 69.7/120. The Par 3s are all pretty straightforward, with only one (#11) measuring over 200 yards. The course offers only two Par 5s, neither of which are reachable for the typical golfer. Interestingly, none of the Par 4s are under 350 yards in length, and six are well over 400 yards, so there are a lot of long irons/hybrids needed to reach a GIR. With the placement of the sand done in such a way that there are only a few risky holes. I hit only one fairway bunker and no greenside bunkers. The bunker I was in was in great shape: plenty of soft conditioned sand. Most were similar, though I did spot some that were hard and crusty from watering and poor drainage. There are no water hazards on this course. Tee boxes in very good shape, except for the Par 3 8th hole, where there was substantial chewing up. Fortunately, the tee areas are so large that it should be easy for them to adjust holes slightly to give you a pristine area just about anytime. Fairways were green and full, though I ended up in a divot one occasion (they don't provide sand for your divots). Greens were fair at best; by far the worst hole was #1, with at least half the green seemingly dead or dying. The rest were hard and fast, holding few shots into them. As for putting, there is A LOT less break than you think; it took me about 6 holes before I finally just started putting no more than 1-2 balls outside the hole and that seemed to work fine. A phenomenal driving range with balls stacked in pyramids waiting for you. Sadly, the huge practice putting green is out of commission right now, completely dug up and undergoing replacement. Electric carts with ice chests, and the starter provides you with a nifty course guide to help you with the layout, which is very helpful as there is no GPS on the carts. Service was cordial, not great but not rude, either. This place is also full of critters: prairie dogs everywhere, saw a coyote meander across the 3rd green, and horses grazing by other holes. Always nice to see that. I paid $31 with GolfNow; not sure if it's worth the $75 rack rate in season though. CP

Played the North course for the first time on 04/19/13. This course was just OK for being a Troon course. There was nothing really special about it. Completely flat throughout with no "WOW" factor. Te... Continue »

Played the North course for the first time on 04/19/13. This course was just OK for being a Troon course. There was nothing really special about it. Completely flat throughout with no "WOW" factor. Tees, fairways and bunkers were nice, and the greens rolled true and were very fast, but they were HARD as concrete!!! My buddy hit a very nice 9-iron into 12 from about 135 yes, landed it 3 feet from the hole and it bounced 10 feet in the air and went 75 feet past the hole and off the green. What should have been a nice birdie putt turned into a long downhill chip. Maybe the South course is better, but I don't think I could recommend the North course, nor will I return there to play it. Much nicer courses in the area.

Played 12/7/11 9:30am tee time. Like the other 2 Troon managed course we played earlier, we found the course to be in great condition with the exception of the greens that has not filled out complet... Continue »

Played 12/7/11 9:30am tee time. Like the other 2 Troon managed course we played earlier, we found the course to be in great condition with the exception of the greens that has not filled out completely due to recent cold weather? Since the course sits on a desert in the middle of nowhere, at first it may give off an impression that all the holes are same. However, we quickly noted and appreciated how the designers worked to try to give us a different challenge on each hole. Very enjoyable 3 1/2 hr round. Would like to go back and play the South next time we visit.

Talking Stick Golf Club Course Review
Scottsdale Arizona Golf Course Reviews

Played Talking Stick North today. This course is much tougher than it may look. The fairways were decent size and there is no real rough HOWEVER this is a desert course. If you miss the fairway you... Continue »

Played Talking Stick North today. This course is much tougher than it may look. The fairways were decent size and there is no real rough HOWEVER this is a desert course. If you miss the fairway you can pretty much be guaranteed that you will be under a tree/bush, behind a tree/bush OR you may not find it at all. If you can stay in the fairway you have a good chance at a good score.

The greens were like grass. On this day the greens weren't filled out yet and there is A LOT of break on pretty much every green. The bunkers were pretty good although I was in one that was more mud than sand. Most of the greens are pretty well guarded by bunkers so make sure to take enough club but not too much because the greens were pretty firm - at least today.

The range was outstanding, the cart girls were making their rounds with regularity. All in all I would recommend this course and plan to play again hopefully with better results than I had today.

Played Jan. 5/10 for the first time today. Rate of $90. I've played the South course a few times and wanted to try the North course. They are very different courses, the North more of a like style.... Continue »

Played Jan. 5/10 for the first time today. Rate of $90. I've played the South course a few times and wanted to try the North course. They are very different courses, the North more of a like style. We played from the gold tees, and there was a stiff breeze today. There are some long par 4's, and at times they played more like par 5's !! The greens are very large, with lots of undulations and some very subtle breaks, make sure you read the greens from all angles. There were actually lots of divots in the fairways, which surprised me as most of the Troon facilities are immaculate. They don't supply "sand bottles" on the carts so that you can fill in the divots. There seem to be 2 types of bunkers, some of the fairway bunkers can be quite thin (sand wise) while the green-side bukers tend to be fluffier. There is no rough to speak of, as an earlier review said, it's fairway (which are very wide) and desert. As mentioned earlier it can play very long. Customer service was good, and cart girls around regularly. I would play it again, but the rack rate still is too high.

first course i have played without rough...wide fairways, butif you miss you're in the desert. a flat course, pretty straight forward (what you see is what you get). great practice facility.

first course i have played without rough...wide fairways, butif you miss you're in the desert. a flat course, pretty straight forward (what you see is what you get). great practice facility.

greens airified over a month ago and still almost unplayable, no point lining up your putt because it will bounce in any direction, flies all over, in the cart, buzzing around your face, crawling all ... Continue »

greens airified over a month ago and still almost unplayable, no point lining up your putt because it will bounce in any direction, flies all over, in the cart, buzzing around your face, crawling all over you, gross!! way too much money for this course, play somewhere else!!