Played 4/13. Thanks to JohnnyGK for setting up the round. Trail Ridge is a course in the family of 7 in the retirement community of Sun City West. It's not real long, (6566 yds, Par 72, 71.4/128) b... Continue »

Played 4/13. Thanks to JohnnyGK for setting up the round. Trail Ridge is a course in the family of 7 in the retirement community of Sun City West. It's not real long, (6566 yds, Par 72, 71.4/128) but it is very challenging. Every tee shot has a waste area or a lake as a forced carry. I think the course has the tightest fairways of the 4 SCW courses I've played so far. Many were only 20 - 25 yds wide and got narrower inside the 100 yard markers. I'd like to play it again now that I have some local knowledge. Some of the hazards are tough to see from the Blue tees. Houses line the course and on some holes they are close to the edges of the course.

Overall the conditions were good to great. Tee boxes were level and in great condition. Fairways were tight and in excellent condition. They have a lot of humps, bumps, & slopes. They give you some lies that will test your game. ( They reminded me of Karsten @ ASU where you rarely get a flat lie.) The yardage stakes border the fairways. The 2 sand traps I was in were in good shape and had plenty of sand. The greens were immaculate! They were as good as any high end course you would play in Scottsdale. They were smooth and true. I would say the speed was about 10 - 10.5 on the stimp. Just look at the photos. There isn't a mark on them. I can only be critical of the rough. Currently, it's coming out of dormancy. It's getting green, but it is very thin and short. First course I've ever played where the rough is shorter than the fairway. After my round, I asked some locals if the rough is always like this. They said no, it just needs more time to grow longer and thicker. They said by the start of summer it will be better.

Trail Ridge has the same vibe as the other courses in the SCW retirement community. Locals drive their own carts to the course. They don't have the amenities such as outside service and beverage cart. However they make up for it with a fast pace of play. The course was busy and I still played in under 4 hours. Food & beverages were reasonably priced. I paid $1.75 for a gatorade. The course has availability on weekends. Retirees play mostly on weekdays. The course is a good value at $41 walking, $50 w/ cart. Full practice facility. I would definitely recommend this course. Submitted a lot of photos.