We recently played the Classic Club and Tradition Club--2 excellent Arnold Palmer desert courses in the Palm Springs area. When we heard that Arnold Palmer designed a course in Scottsdale (Wildfire),... Continue »

We recently played the Classic Club and Tradition Club--2 excellent Arnold Palmer desert courses in the Palm Springs area. When we heard that Arnold Palmer designed a course in Scottsdale (Wildfire), we wanted to give it try. But we accidentally showed up at ANOTHER Arnold Palmer course called at STARfire (which happened to be just down the road from the Wildfire-Palmer course).

Assuming that Starfire would be another course in the mold of the Classic Club, Tradition Club, and Aviara (all Palmer courses), we decided to stick around. Bad assumption.

Starfire has a lot of good things--three friendly greeters grabbed clubs from our car, and loaded up our cart; the pro shop and restaurant folks couldn't have been nicer; the green fees were only $28(!); the course was empty; and the greens and bunkers were in very good to decent shape. Maybe enough good things to overlook the fairways (which were in very rough shape).

But the course layout is nothing like Classic Club or Aviara. While there are a few interesting par 3s, the course is fairly straightforward, winds among houses, and borders several busy streets. It seems like it offers a good value for the price; but it's a far cry from what we assumed was the typical Arnold Palmer layout/experience.

I played Starfire as a relaxation round of golf on7/20. We teed off around 915 with very little play on the course. The course went through recent renovation and is now one, 18 hole course called Th... Continue »

I played Starfire as a relaxation round of golf on7/20. We teed off around 915 with very little play on the course. The course went through recent renovation and is now one, 18 hole course called The King and one, 9 hole course called The Mulligan Nine. They also added a driving range.
Overall, the course isn't overly challenging save for a few holes. The King 18 isn't going to beat you up with length or forced carries. Starfire is a fun course to get out and hit the ball with some forgiveness throughout.
Course conditions were typical for July in Arizona. Bare spots on the fairways and very little rough. I was not in any bunkers but they seemed to be in decent shape. Some of the tees were set in uneven spots and hard to get a tee in them. The greens were a highlight. They putted nicely and were receptive of well struck shots. However, they were full of un-repaired ball marks created by lazy golfers.
Starfire isn't a trophy course but a fun place to get out and hit the ball for a cheap rate.

Played Starfire on the 18th of February at 3:10pm at $29 twilight rate. Showed up early in hopes of being allowed to go out as a single because I was paired with an unknown grouping of three people an... Continue »

Played Starfire on the 18th of February at 3:10pm at $29 twilight rate. Showed up early in hopes of being allowed to go out as a single because I was paired with an unknown grouping of three people and luckily enough they let me start with a well known local at 2:50 instead. Awesome. The pro shop is near the bag drop just past the dining area so easy to find and all staffers were present and helpful.

The course itself looked in presentable shape for a few weeks away from Spring. The tee boxes were easy to find and always seemed ready to accept a tee. The fairways were near perfect, knowing some landing areas that were close to the green being divot filled I would attempt to lay-up or go for the green, THEY WERE BAD in some areas. The bunkers were overwatered in some areas because of recent rain but none of them were crusty. The rough was 1-3 inches high so rather consistent and green around fairways. Greens were rolling great even though there seemed to be pitchmarks every one step, definitely something I'd keep an eye on. All in all the shape wasn't anything noticeable and didn't keep me from playing good golf.

This Arnold Palmer designed course has 3 nines, King/Hawk/Squire. We were scheduled to play King to the Hawk for completion of 18. King was a great combination of gettable par 5s and risky par 3s with no par 4 bearing incredible difficulty or requirements on the long irons. A rather tame and attackable 9 holes designed by a go-getter golfer.

On our way to the back 9, there were 3 FOURSOMES waiting on the first hole. NOPE. I wish I could say we stuck it tough and played through but we couldn't. I wish I could write a review for the rest of the course but I can't. Ranger needs to facilitate better timing between groups or this course needs to be avoided until the summer, which is when the local said it could be enjoyed to its full potential. Wouldn't return to play until then.

I played the the Squire and Hawk nines on 10-31-16. The staff from the pro shop to the starter and rangers was very friendly and helpful. We had a 1:02 tee time but we able to start about 15 minutes... Continue »

I played the the Squire and Hawk nines on 10-31-16. The staff from the pro shop to the starter and rangers was very friendly and helpful. We had a 1:02 tee time but we able to start about 15 minutes early. The course was just coming out of over seeding and was playing with a 90 degree rule with the exception of 3 holes. The fairways were in very good condition but were wet in some areas due to the recent watering of the over seeding. The few divots in the fairways had been filled with sand/seed mix. The greens had a few ball marks (most had been repaired) and were playing slow but rolled true. The bunkers had plenty of sand but were crusty on top. The tee boxes were mostly very good but several of the 3 pars had severe divot damage. The course is flat, narrow, and tree lined with seven holes having water in play. While it looks fairly benign the course provides plenty of challenge with four tees to choose from. This is a course I would gladly play again when I am in the Phoenix area.

Played 6/4. $22 rate. 2:38p tee time. King/Hawk nines. Wanted to play a course that wasn't very busy, so I could help a friend of a friend with their golf game. The course was perfect for that sc... Continue »

Played 6/4. $22 rate. 2:38p tee time. King/Hawk nines. Wanted to play a course that wasn't very busy, so I could help a friend of a friend with their golf game. The course was perfect for that scenario. Only saw one other twosome on the course and we let them play through. The course was okay for what we were there to do, but there are condition issues.

I would keep the maintenance alert at yellow for the summer. They are doing major work on the tee boxes which were in desperate need of leveling. My guess is they are going to take all summer to fix them. None of the people who work there could tell me when they would be finished. Greens were fair. Speed was 10-10.5. They were a little bumpy and some greens had bare patches around the edges. Fairways, rough and sand were in good condition. Homes are very close to the edges of this course.

The practice facility has chipping and putting. The range is only 100 yards and is for wedges only. Beverage cart came around 3 times. POP was less than 3 1/2 hours. Right now I'd recommend not playing the course this summer, but I'm glad they are fixing the tee boxes.

Played 8/22. Used my summer pass. Paid $10.90. 12:30 tee time. Starfire has 3 nines. We played "King" & "Hawk" this time. Both nines are reasonably short. Together they add up to a 6106 yard P... Continue »

Played 8/22. Used my summer pass. Paid $10.90. 12:30 tee time. Starfire has 3 nines. We played "King" & "Hawk" this time. Both nines are reasonably short. Together they add up to a 6106 yard Par 70. 68.9/123. It's a traditional style course. Generally flat, tight & tree lined. Houses and busy residential streets define the edges of the course. Overall, it was in fair condition. The hot summer has taken its toll.

The "King" is the best of the 3 nines. It's a Par 36. It has 3 par 3's, 3 par 4's, and 3 par 5's. The Par 5's are reachable in two. Fairways, rough, & sand were all in good shape. Greens were fair. they had some bare spots. Tee box on #8 is in terrible shape. It's like teeing off on a hump.

The "Hawk" is considered the second best of the 3 nines. It's a Par 34. It has 3 par 3's and 1 par 5. The tee shots on holes 5 & 7, require a draw ball flight because of the trees. It was in fair condition. It had some bare spots on the fairways & rough. Greens had more bare spots as we played. The worst greens were #s 6,7, & 8. Submitting pics of the Hawk.

Service was great. All the way from outside service to beverage cart. Two of us had the summer pass. The girl at the front desk gave our third player the pass rate. They have chipping & putting, but no range. Good inexpensive course to play in the winter.

Played 6/4. Went out as a single and played at 2:00pm. 6/1 I bought a 112 Day pass to play 4 courses. The Legacy, Silverado, Starfire, & Mtn. Shadows. You pay $112 for the pass and you get to play... Continue »

Played 6/4. Went out as a single and played at 2:00pm. 6/1 I bought a 112 Day pass to play 4 courses. The Legacy, Silverado, Starfire, & Mtn. Shadows. You pay $112 for the pass and you get to play these four courses for the cart fee until 9/17/10. Some restrictions apply. The pass makes sense if you think you are going to play them at least 6 times this summer. Paid $10.90 green fee & cart. Starfire has 3 nines. The King, The Hawk & The Squire. I played Squire & King.

This is an older traditional style golf course. It's a relatively level course. It has more than a few holes with water hazards. Tight tree lined fairways that make you pay more attention to your ball flight. Houses line the course and they define the out of bounds. If you stray at all off the course you will hit one. Whichever of nines you play, the course is only about 6000 yards from the back tees. Squire/King is a 6048 yard Par 70. 68.8/120.

The 'Squire' is a Par 34. It's the shortest of the three nines. It has 4 Par 3's. The course was mostly in good shape. I thought the greens were very good. They rolled smooth and true. They were a nice medium speed. I'd say 9-10. They were even a little soft underfoot & you could make a ball mark on them. The sand was good. The rough was nice. 2-3 inches & the ball sat up on it. Fairways were good, but had a few hot spots. The only disappointment was the tee boxes. They are small, they have many divots, & most are not level.

The 'King' is a Par 36. It's probably the best of the three nines. It has 3 par 3's and all have water hazards on them. It has three par 5's, 2 of 3 are reachable easily in 2 shots. Conditions were the same as on The 'Squire, including the tee boxes. No practice range. They do have a practice putting green. Outside service was helpful. Saw the beverage cart 3 times. Played in 3 hours. Took photos.

Played this course 25th Apr, the course is in a good condition, three 9 holes altogether. Fairways are lush and greens are kinda fast. However the course doesn’t have range, only putting greens for wa... Continue »

Played this course 25th Apr, the course is in a good condition, three 9 holes altogether. Fairways are lush and greens are kinda fast. However the course doesn’t have range, only putting greens for warm up. A lot of water hazards come into play especially on Par 3s, but its really fun.
I played with a gentleman who played this course during his high school years in 60’s, so I got to know a little bit of history of this course. This course used to be call Scottsdale country club with only two 9 holes on the west of Hayden Rd, and about 15 years ago they added another 9 hole on the east of Hayden Rd. Arnold Palmer modified the course during that time as well. To my opinion the newly added course is more fun to play because its water hazard. Overall, l liked this course a lot, will return for another round of golf.