Got to sneak out yesterday (8/19) and play Oakcreek with my father in-law on a 12:30pm tee time on an unusually but wonderfully cool day in Sedona with a slight breeze all day that didn't affect club ... Continue »

Got to sneak out yesterday (8/19) and play Oakcreek with my father in-law on a 12:30pm tee time on an unusually but wonderfully cool day in Sedona with a slight breeze all day that didn't affect club selection. Staff here is always friendly and those in the know can sign up for wonderful email/text deals that although prepaid, offer great discounts on this course, even better than GolfMoose/UnderPar deals. Got out a few minutes early in spite of the fact course parking lots were packed and there seemed to be more play here than at any time previous.

Tees: Mixed bag as some of the blue tees we played were chewed up quite a bit, hole 8 comes to mind. Others weren't nearly as bad but better conditions are expected here as almost all the holes have tee marker locations that bring untrimmed trees into play, so you need those extreme edges of the turf between the markers to shape shots and avoid branches on your tee shot.

Fairways: Excellent condition. This has been an unusually stormy monsoon season and no more than 24 hours before my tee time, Sedona got pelted with heavy rain so the fairways were plenty soggy (imagine walking on a firm waterbed) but very playable, as maintenance crews here do well with pumping water out of play. Roll wasn't nearly as good as it was last time I played here with Matt P., but lies were still good.

Rough: Depending on what part of the course, it could be fairly penal. There are tons of trees here so the areas directly under or next to the canopy of trees are always thicker and harder to get out of. More than a few times I simply took my medicine and hit a wedge out, it was that thick.

Sand: The most disappointing part of the course. Naturally, this course (as well as Sedona GR and even Seven Canyons) uses red rock dirt in its sand and after a rainstorm, it's the last place you want to be in. It's rock hard, doesn't drain well, and the "sand" makes it impossible in greenside bunkers. Thankfully was only in one bunker and it was a fairway one so it wasn't awful, but they could stand to add tons more sand (or dirt if they so wish) to the bunkers.

Greens: The highlight of the round; they were visually pleasing, rolled incredibly well (with speeds varying from med-slow to incredibly fast), and tested you just enough to keep you on your toes.

ETC: As mentioned, staff is friendly. Carts have ice in chests and ball cleaners, but no GPS. Saw a beverage cart for the first time ever and they are encouraging people to call in food orders on #8 so you can easily swing by restaurant and pick it up at the turn. Lots of parking behind the clubhouse. Small and intimate property with amazing scenery. Pace of play here is always good. To give you an example, today was the slowest round I have ever played here and it was still a touch under 4 hours. Highly recommend.