Overview: Lookout Mountain Golf Club at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort is managed by Troon Golf. Lookout Mountain is a resort style course that is located in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve ..... Continue »

Overview: Lookout Mountain Golf Club at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort is managed by Troon Golf. Lookout Mountain is a resort style course that is located in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve ... which is in the north central part of the city of Phoenix. The first 6 holes are very straight forward, but the course definitely changes after that. The last 12 holes have some definite elevation change ... especially #7 and #10.

Clubhouse: The clubhouse has not changed over the years and what is very strange about that is that you have to actually go to the resort for the bag drop and the pro shop. After you pay for your round you drive your cart about a quarter of a mile to the starter area, the practice facility, the practice putting green and the actual course. Check in was easy and all the player assistants and the starter were very friendly.

Course: Phoenix got about 3 to 4 inches of rain over the past week to 10 days and this has allowed the Bermuda grass to really thrive and grow. I drove by the course about a week ago, and I noticed that #1 and #18 looked in really good shape. So, I decided to play there because I have not played there in a few years.
The tee boxes were in very good shape the first few holes, but as the round went on they definitely got a little bit worse with more bare spots appearing on each tee box. The fairways were in good shape and had good coverage. The bermuda rough was about an inch in length and was not really that penal. The sand traps were a mixture of those that were in good shape vs those that had little sand and/or pebbles in them. What was the best part of the course were the greens. They were in very good shape, rolled smooth and probably ran at about a 9.5.
As stated earlier, the first 6 holes are pretty straight forward, and the rest of the course is very enjoyable. #10 is the signature hole (Picturesque Point) and drops about 100 feet from the tee box to the fairway. From the tee box you have a beautiful view of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve to the south and south west. I also really enjoy holes 12-14 ... those 3 holes are a little more like target style desert golf.

Final Thoughts: While Lookout Mountain is not as good as the high end golf at Quintero, Troon North or Wekopa, it is still a very enjoyable course that has beautiful views and is centrally located in the Valley of the Sun. I thought the course price of $50 was very good for this time of year, and would suggest that you play this course.

played the blues(6500) on a friday 6/25 first out at 630am with another single,a fun loving fast golfing local named ken, WOW is my first and lasting impression..all the staff I ran into were friendly... Continue »

played the blues(6500) on a friday 6/25 first out at 630am with another single,a fun loving fast golfing local named ken, WOW is my first and lasting impression..all the staff I ran into were friendly and helpful,saw the cartgirl twice during the round.tee boxs were in very good shape and mostly flat/fairways were generous and great coverage of green grass/rough was maybe a couple feet of thicker grass before the desert and rock coverage took over.The range is just 300 yards from the first tee (with ball included)chipping and sand bunker area also.Starter shack with Ice machine and water and snacks on your way to the putting green and then the first tee box.greens were very consistant speed and great coverage...first six holes are very average for most courses/but then then you start going up the hills/the elevation changes did not disappoint/wonderful views and mostly hitting down the hill/#10 is their signuture hole...awesome!! highly recomend will play again when in town.

I played Lookout on Saturday, 6/22, and teed off around 1:30. The rate was $39 including range balls. The customer service from the employees I encountered was vastly different than the majority of ... Continue »

I played Lookout on Saturday, 6/22, and teed off around 1:30. The rate was $39 including range balls. The customer service from the employees I encountered was vastly different than the majority of customer service you may experience on a daily basis. I brought my son along to ride and maybe hit a few shots since the course wasn't overly busy, but the pro checking me in offered to let him have a set of rental clubs and play free of charge. He was very accommodating and seemed genuinely interested we have a good time at 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of the summer.
The conditions I encountered were vastly different than sdscratchorbust's previous review from 2 months ago. The course was mostly dried out with very little grass. Many of the tee boxes were not in level spots. The fairways had numerous bare spots throughout the course. Well placed drives ended up in nearly bare dirt. I had a number of well placed shots continue to roll and roll through the fairway and rough and into the desert. The greens were in similar condition with very little grass to accept full shots or chips.
My son and I had a great time and he enjoyed seeing the course for the first time but I'm not sure I would recommend Lookout given the current conditions.

Played here yesterday at 2:50 with a coworker on a teeoff.com deal (Site is getting better)

I really enjoy this course but this is one of those ASTERISK courses where you have to manage your expect... Continue »

Played here yesterday at 2:50 with a coworker on a teeoff.com deal (Site is getting better)

I really enjoy this course but this is one of those ASTERISK courses where you have to manage your expectations and take the good with the bad.

It cracks me up that Lookout Mountain is a Troon managed course. This is definitely the pimply redheaded stepchild of Troon courses. I don't think they could have a more confusing set up if they tried. Goofy does not describe it's a dumpster fire. I was talking with the manager in the tee shop as I waited for my partner because it is impossible to find if you haven't been there before. He was trying to sell me on them not having space etc. But I was voicing my opinion on how the setup, amenities, and pro shop of this place are an absolute joke and unacceptable for a Troon course. The course has potential to be one of the best, if they just put some lipstick on this pig, however the economics may not make sense.

This course has THE worst opening hole in the entire valley. With the biggest eye sore of a drain next to the first green. I don't want to continue to be negative. But just wipe everything about the first hole from your mind when you play. The next two are ho hummers.

I've only played this course during summer, but wow is this course way more fun when the conditions aren't rock hard.

The greens are near immaculate now. They were soft without being mushy. They were absolutely smooth as glass. They were rolling. Only one hole had ballmarks I noticed. I made 5 birdies and burned two more edges from deep.

The fairways are lush right now. There were some yellow spots and some bare spots around the green but nothing egregious. In most cases there was perfect lush grass around all greens.

Tee boxes were lush and minimal divots. Bunkers were more course sand but consistent.

With the recent rain, all the flowers and trees were in full bloom. It was a perfect day and the course was stunning. The par 3's here are epic. My favorite in the valley. I love the elevation changes here, and elevated greens. All the greens here slope from back to front, with some very severe. During summer they are rock hard which adds quite a degree of difficulty because a few of the greens are tiny slivers.

The key here is to stay below the hole on all holes and you will score. The soft greens made for easy scoring. The course is a blast to play. I think it's one of the best values in the valley. Go into it knowing its a train wreck to begin but turns into one of the best with some of the funnest reachable par 5's you can play. Must play right now.

This was my second round yesterday. Not the most convenient geographic pairing with Gold Canyon, but they were two of the courses I was interested in that weren't recently aerated. Plus, a $28 11:30 h... Continue »

This was my second round yesterday. Not the most convenient geographic pairing with Gold Canyon, but they were two of the courses I was interested in that weren't recently aerated. Plus, a $28 11:30 hot deal helped with the appeal. The check-in and set-up of this place is confusing. Make sure to park up top at the Pointe Hilton resort, where the actual golf shop and carts are located. Then, you drive all the way down to the course a block away, where you check in again with a starter in the smaller pro shop shack. Steady groups had gone off in front of me, but were mostly twosomes and threesomes. He called me to the tee with a twosome, but they didn't show up. Then he announced another single to join me. He never showed up. Finally, another unannounced single drove up and we played together. I ended up waiting on the tee about 10 minutes as this was sorted out. Didn't matter anyway as we quickly caught the groups ahead and waited there on out. Total pace fine, though, at just under 4 hours. It was pretty toasty out there, so nobody was dilly dallying too much in front of us. Course conditions were just okay. Tee boxes were fine. Fairways were very inconsistent. Some overly fluffy/lush spots and a lot of thin/soft/muddy spots, many of which were aerated. Kind of a bit of everything on the fairways. Rough I found to be more consistent, but also plenty of iffy spots to find. I can say is it looks like they are putting in work to even things out, though they may want to mark some of the worst areas off as GUR. Bunkers pretty firm with even coarser sand/gravel than Gold Canyon in the morning. The greens showed signs of a verticut or something like that. However, they were very receptive, providing a ton of bite, and they rolled pretty well at medium speeds. Just a tad bumpy here and there, but smoother than they looked. This course definitely has multiple personalities. The first few holes and the final two holes are less than exciting and feel like a low-end muni track. Then, the layout starts to perk up some toward the end of the front nine as the target areas shrink and elevation changes come in. The elevated tees on the 10th are awesome and that begins a stretch of fun target holes before ending with a couple more snoozers. I wasn't completely enthralled with this course, especially after playing something like Dinosaur Mountain earlier, but it definitely has its moments to put it right on the edge of recommendation depending on the price and seasonal conditioning.

Played here Friday at 4 with a coworker for $38 This is a really fun course. A lot of the local courses in the city are relatively flat, but this course has some extreme elevation changes. It's a ... Continue »

Played here Friday at 4 with a coworker for $38 This is a really fun course. A lot of the local courses in the city are relatively flat, but this course has some extreme elevation changes. It's a shame the opening 3 holes, especially the eye sore first, are absolute turds in the punch bowl because the rest of the course is first class. Once you turn into the mountain the course completely changes and is brilliant desert mountain golf. Fairways, sand bunkers, and tee boxes were all good not great. Standard brown patches desert dried turf. Most of the tee boxes were great a few had some mounds drops off. The greens were quick but rolled extremely true and had minimal ball marks. Bunkers were fine very consistent. The views are tremendous on this course. There are some spectacular holes requiring shots over ravines into elevated greens. The final 4 par 3's here are special and are everything you hope and dream for in desert target golf. I highly recommend this course for all skill levels. My coworker doesn't drive it far or well so like a lot of golfers he wouldn't have fun at a lot of the target forced carry courses out here. So it can be a challenge to find a course that suits both people. That is what I feel makes this course so special. The course is shorter 6,550 from the blues and the fairways are wide before they pinch down, so average golfers who don't drive it far and want to play an elevated desert track can play here and have a blast. Likewise if you bomb it you can attack this course. The par 5's are all easily reachable with a good drive and mid iron. But the par fours you have to be very accurate as the fairways pinch if you want to let the big dog eat. The views from the tee boxes here are tremendous. This is a must play for the phoenix area especially visitors.

I am a Trron card holder: we had a tee time for 2. The staff were very friendly, the driving range tees were a little worn, but the practice facility as a whole were very good. Yardage chart/sheet was... Continue »

I am a Trron card holder: we had a tee time for 2. The staff were very friendly, the driving range tees were a little worn, but the practice facility as a whole were very good. Yardage chart/sheet was given to us, it is imperative to make sure you have one of these as the course can be challenging at times.
The greens and traps were excellent and the overall layout was great, looking forward to coming back to play!!

Played in late March while there on vacation. Thought the staff was very friendly. Our 3 some was paired with a single. Teed off on time and pace of play was good. Course was in great shape I thou... Continue »

Played in late March while there on vacation. Thought the staff was very friendly. Our 3 some was paired with a single. Teed off on time and pace of play was good. Course was in great shape I thought. Played 5 rounds out there this trip and it was probably my 2nd favorite course of the 5. Played from like 6400 yards. Hit driver 7 times. 3 woods and hybrids were sufficient off some to keep it in play. Have played almost 20 courses in the area and it was in top half anyway. Enjoyable course with lot of elevation change. If you're looking for a true 'desert' course probably not it, but does have a few nice views of the mountains.

Came here on a recommendation as never played in Phoenix area before. Able to book as a single a month in advance at a discounted rate. Had weekday am tee time. Weather was great. Course staff wer... Continue »

Came here on a recommendation as never played in Phoenix area before. Able to book as a single a month in advance at a discounted rate. Had weekday am tee time. Weather was great. Course staff were friendly. Range balls included in green fee. Got paired up with a nice guy from Vancouver & a couple from Toronto. My riding partner had played here two weeks ago, and said course conditions were scruffy. He was right. Little pebbles and sand on fairways. Front 9 had really wide fairways so it was easy to keep tee shots and hybrid approaches in play. Traps had very little sand, so clubheads bounced off hard pan bottoms. Greens were rock hard/slippery fast. Rarely found a ball mark to fix. Back 9 was tricky with some unfair shots. For example, #10 had a left to right slant after a big drop from tee box. I hit a straight 150 yd approach from middle of fwy down the throat to green middle. But, I found ball pin high in right greenside bunker 20 feet below green. Hit up and out to green and ball rolled back into trap. Wow! Pace was on slow side, about 5 hours; lots of waiting in fwy for group ahead of us to clear green. If I ever play in Phoenix again I will try elsewhere. I'm use to better conditioned courses for less $ in Orange County & Long Beach.