First time out after being away for a couple of weeks. Knew I was not going to get all 18 in, so decided to change things up and play tees that were unrated. I normally play the Green tees, which is 1/2 Black and 1/2 Gold. So half the black/gold tees I never have played. So played Gold on my normal Black tee holes and Black on my normal Gold tee holes. Would have to play that version a few times, but on first impression... Some of the Blacks I normally do not play, glad I don't, because there are some LONG holes from there...lol.

Beginning to get in "summer shape" although still clearly "shoulder season" condition. Firming up and drying out as the temps rise.

Tees and Fairways still very lush and well maintained. Sand almost always immaculate. Rough plays better than it looks when the Bermuda is still not completely out of dormancy everywhere. Mowed low but still will grab your club.

Greens very good, but not what they were a few weeks ago. Firm and smooth. But easier to putt once you get the speed down because they are not nearly as quick as they were in prime season.

Customer service excellent. Recommended.

Milder, wetter winter set this layout up for hopefully a longer plush shoulder season now that hot temps have returned. Still green, lush and playing very firm now that above 90 is again the norm.

Greens very firm and roll medium fast with few ball marks. Sand almost always excellently maintained here. Fairways/tees mowed low and very well maintained. Weak point if you consider 8/10 weak is the rough which is mowed low and a mixture of grasses, some coming out of dormancy, some already nice and lush.

Great practice facility, good restaurant, customer service always a ++ here. Recommended.

Course continues to be in fine shape, albeit a notch below what it was maybe a month ago. No recent rain and warmer temps have the course dried out again.

The back 9 will be closing for 3+ months soon to redo the sprinkler system. Not sure if that is a factor or just what I wrote above. However, putts I was running 3-5' by the hole a few weeks ago are now coming up 2-3' short. They look nice, but they went from medium fast bordering on too fast for recreational golfers to medium slow in about 2 weeks.

Fairways lush and nice to play from, lots of rolls. Good POP rough, you can almost always spot your ball from 50 yards away. Tees very well kept up, lush with few divots and the sand is among the best around here.

Course completely unwalkable because it is so spread out. Nice restaurant, excellent driving range with multiple practice areas. Almost always excellent customer service. Highly recommended.

Played twilight today in very windy conditions.

Tee boxes immaculate with almost no divots because they are prepping them daily to have them looking sharp for the shootout next week. Same for the fairways. Firm, cut down and lush which produces some ridiculously long drives.

Sand very well maintained. Rough just long enough to be penal but not overly penal. Large green roll well and are firm. You have to play for release even on high, soft shots. They have many of the areas around the greens cut lower than usual. Nice for playing bump and run shots up/over mounds around greens. However, the flipside of that is approach shots barely missing greens won't stop right beside the green and will roll to a collection area.

Really nice, lush range that has 2 practice chipping greens. Snack shop at the turn, above average golf course Restaurant @ the Lodge.

Customer Service always very good. Well stocked pro shop. Carts have very good GPS systems. Highly recommended.

Played twilight twice this week. Temps in the mid 70's and breezy have dried the course out after all the recent rain.

They always try and get the courses looking and playing their best around "Shootout" time, the Member-Guest tournament which is next week. With the wet winter, the course is definitely lusher than it was last year at this time.

Tees boxes and fairways are immaculate. Fairways cut down and firm, they play like the fairways @ the Masters on TV. Drives rolling, and rolling and rolling. Sand well maintained. Lare greens firm, smooth and medium fast. Rough not overly penal, you can almost always et decent club on the ball.

Snack stand at the turn, full service restaurant inside the Lodge. Driving range very lusg and well maintained. Customer service always top notch here. Highly recommended.

A wetter than average winter has this layout about as lush as it will ever get. Now that things are drying out... if you do not like lush, firm and fast on both the fairways and greens, then do not come here right now. Currently PGA Tour quality. Enough said.

Finished off the Arizona portion of my terrific golf week by playing the always terrific We-Ko-Pa Golf Club's Saguaro 18. This is just a gem in Fountain Hills and a must-play if you're in the Phoenix area.

Just a day after playing the far-narrower and more penalizing Troon North, We-Ko-Pa was a bit of fresh air with its wider fairways and more open native areas that actually make it fairly common to find your ball if you're off the mark in terms of the fairways. But don't be fooled - the Saguaro course is no walk in the park. It's a terrific layout with plenty of risk-reward and just some outstanding views and it's always fun.

Conditions are pretty outstanding from tee to green. The fairways are mostly lush and perfect, the rough is minimal on the fairway edges but in great shape if you're out there, the greens are in tremendous shape and hold shots really well and the tee boxes and bunkers are in fine shape. There's really absolutely nothing to gripe about. And at We-Ko-Pa, there rarely ever is.

POP moved along nicely as we mostly had the front nine all to ourselves and only caught the group in front of us late into the back nine. Plenty of cart service throughout the day as well and a very helpful and fun staff. Just a great experience from top to bottom.

My majestic week of golf continued across the state this time when I was fortunate enough to play a round at the iconic Troon North Monument course outside of Scottsdale, AZ. It was a bitter cold morning but thankfully the blue skies came out and warmed up the experience by around midway through the front nine.

What a course! What perfect conditions! What a credit card bill! Yes, everything you may have heard about Troon North is true - fairways are perfectly manicured carpets, greens are flawless and fast, rough is lush and penal, bunkers are the fluffy perfect stuff and the big range of tee boxes allows for a great experience at all levels. You've read all that.

And despite that all being true, I'm just not sure that this course merits its VERY hefty price tag. The conditions are perfect - no doubt about that. The carts are luxurious and well-appointed. The clubhouse is modern and sleek and the staff is inviting and knowledgeable. The layout? It's tough. Really tough. There's a par 5 with a 200 yard carry uphill into a narrowing canyon that maxes out at around 30 yards at the mouth. There's not much here besides fairway and death. Miss it and you're doomed. But hit good shots and be rewarded.

The greens are thrillingly fast and perfectly surfaced. They are very slick and require pretty perfect tee shots to hold the greens, and if you don't, you're rolling off into very difficult collection areas. I saw quite a few off on one side then off on the other shots from my group. It's a challenge.

All that being said, the greens fee was north of the $425 mark and while that is certainly reflective of the quality of the course, it's not a fee that I would be willing to pay all too often. But I'm not going to complain one bit about the experience as it was world class and if you have the means, you will love this course ... if your game happens to be sharp that day.