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Played 10/3 with Johnny GK, SeveB, and tklabunde. I always have a great time playing with other GKer's. For a course that is about to go into over seed in a few weeks, the conditions were amazing. Fairways were lush. The rough was in great shape. It was thick and lush as well. Not real long and you would get a good lie, but you needed to catch your shot clean. Come in a little heavy and it would twist your club head. Greens were nice too. A little softer than in the past, since you could make a ball mark. They rolled true and were medium-fast. (10-10.5) Putts above the hole can get away from you if your not careful. The course just had a complete sand trap renovation. I took some extra shots out of them to get a good sampling. They are fantastic! When you twist your feet in them, It's all sand underneath. No more 1-2 inches of sand then rock hard ground. They have all new rakes. On one side they are just like most you would use with teeth. Flip the rake over, and the backside is ridged. If you use the backside you can leave a smooth surface with no teeth marks in the sand. Would like to see more courses go to these rakes.

October is a tough month to play in AZ. Just about every course is in some sort of flux as far as conditions. Get out and play Trail Ridge if you can before the over seed. You won't be disappointed. It's a great value. Food and drink are very reasonable. It's not real busy after 12p weekdays and on the weekends. POP is 4 hours or less.
5 Likes.
Played in the skins game on 3/22. It was good to get out and play with some GKers. We had a great day to play, the weather was perfect. The condition of the course was very good. JohnnyGk's description of the conditions in the previous review are right on the money. I'll just reiterate that the greens were excellent. They were medium fast (10.5-11). They rolled smooth & true. They were soft under foot and held good shots.

The layout of the course is simple and right in front of you. (The only exception is #14 which I'll put in the "tips" section.) It plays through a housing community but, the houses don't encroach on the course. While the course is not long, I thought some of the tougher holes were the Par 3"s. Also, I found it counter productive to try and over power the course. If you drive it past the 100 yard markers, the fairways start to get really narrow. Even though you may have a short shot, it might be a tricky lie.

Trail Ridge has a good practice range, chipping and putting areas. It's got that nice Sun City West retiree vibe. The POP is under 4 hours. The food & beverage are a great deal. I got a hotdog & a beer for under $5. The course is an all around great value. Thanks to Pat and JohnnyGK for putting together another fun outing.
6 Likes.
Played 2/9. I got an online rate of $75+tx included range balls for a 12:30p tee time. JohnnyGK just added this course to the data base. It used to be a private club just for members. Now it is partially open for public play. It's members only for the preferred tee times of 8am - 12pm 7 days a week. The public can play 7am - 8am or after 12pm any day.

It's not a long course, (less than 6600 yards) but it plays tight and is very difficult around the greens. (slope of 146) It's a Pete Dye design with the typical railroad ties look he's famous for. The over all conditions of the course were good to great. The greens were smooth and true. They were medium fast, probably no more than 10.5. What made them tough was all the slope, tiers and the edges of the green that would run your ball off. We were lucky we got paired up with a member that day. There were a least 3 tee shots where we would never have known where to aim.

They have a good full practice facility. They have beverage cart service and a ranger out on the course. Outside service seemed more concerned with the members than us. POP was 4 1/2 hours. If you want to get the private club experience for less than $100, I recommend this course. Just make sure you are accurate off the tee and bring your short game. Submitting 1 photo.
3 Likes.
Played 2/16 with theclubwhisperer. $52 online rate for a 12:23p tee time. Encanto is a Phx. Muni that is a straightforward park style golf course. It's flat and mostly wide open. It's a 6404 yard Par 70. 69.5/114 from the Blue tees. It does have a "Tips" set up which makes it a little longer. The course is on 15th Ave. just south of Thomas Rd. The Pro Shop, practice range and the front nine are on the east side of 15th Ave. The back nine is on the west side of 15th Ave.

The conditions of the course were mixed. I would concur with Jackbyrd's review from 2 weeks ago about the greens. They roll smooth and true. They were a little thin in some areas but not real bad. They played medium-fast, maybe 10.5-11. I rated them a 6, along with the sand traps. I thought they were in good shape too. They seemed to have ample sand. The fairways I rated fair. They were over seeded with rye, but there was a lot of divot damage, bare spots, wild grass and weeds growing out there. ( A guy we were playing with, bombed one down the middle of the fairway on a Par 4, only to find it half buried in a patch of clover.) The rough was poor. It played very inconsistent. You could get a bare lie off of dirt, a lie off of dormant bermuda, next it's buried in thick rye thats in a wet spot. Then you get a break, and it sits up nice on a clump of grass. It's anything goes. Tee boxes were level and in good shape.

Encanto has a practice range with chipping and putting green. The driving range is kind of small, so if you want to go there to hit balls, I would go early when there is still grass on it. There was a beverage cart that we saw once, from a distance. No outside service. My parting take on Encanto is it should be an easy course to score on, but the course conditions make it tougher than it should be. Shout out to the guys we were paired together with Zac & Connor. They helped show us the course and were fun to play with. Photos posted.
4 Likes.
Played 1/20. 10am tee time. $51 rate included cart. Went out to Coyote Lakes last week to play with a friend who had recently moved into the community. It's in the town of Surprise, which is between Sun City & Sun City West. It has the vibe of a retirement community course, but it does have outside service and an on course beverage cart. It's a desert type course that is a little over 6300 yards. Many holes are tight off the tee and the fairways are tilted L-R or R-L. In the fairway I didn't have many flat lies. It's best to try to stay on the high side of the fairway if you can.

Conditions: Fairways were in very good shape. So was the rough. It was over seeded and is very thick in some cases. Sand traps were in good shape as well. The greens were nice. They rolled smooth and were medium fast. They have multiple tiers and have quiet a bit of slope on them. What I didn't like about them were the ridiculous pin placements they had that day. Why would you put pins 1 or 2 steps from the edges of the green? Why put pins right on the slope between to tiers of the green? I understand that the course had an outing that morning. It was a 4 man scramble. What were you trying to do, make it so a scramble team can't shoot under par? The other issue the course has is with the Green tee boxes. The green tee boxes are terrible. Not one tee box gives you a flat lie to hit from. All of them are humped giving you a sidehill ball below your feet or a sidehill ball above your feet. On the tee box rating scale, I would have given them a negative # if that was possible.

Practice facility was fair. They don't have room for a full driving range, so you have to hit the plastic cayman balls to warm up. The practice green and chipping area were fine. The course was really busy for a Monday. The round took over 5 hours to play. No ranger in sight. Would I play it again? Probably, just because I have a friend who lives there. Would I recommend it to others? I would because it is a good value. Just don't play from the tips and try playing on the weekend when it might be less busy.
3 Likes.
Played 9/22. Two weeks before the skins game. 10:07 Tee time. Course was wide open. POP was 3hrs. 20min. Here's your scouting report.

Generally conditions were good to very good. Tee boxes were in nice shape. Sand traps were very good and had enough sand. Fairways were lush. Rough has grown in nice and thick in some places. It gives you those nice juicy flier lies. The greens were good for the end of summer. They were soft enough to hold shots. They were at medium speed, maybe 10.5. They were getting thin in some areas.

Course Notes:

The course is mostly flat and very straight forward. There are mature trees and more water hazards than most of the courses we play in the desert. The course is not long, so driver isn't always the best club off the tee.

Hole #5 is a short Par 4 339yards. The prudent play is a shot that will only go 200-220 yards. If you hit a shot that can go past the 100 yard marker, you can reach the lake.

On the Par 5 Hole #17, watch your distance control if its a back pin on the green. The lake wraps around the back of it and anything long will find the water.

Hole #18 has a creek that you can't see from the tee, which cuts across the fairway at the 100 yard marker. Unless you can carry a drive 260 yards, I would lay up short of 250 yards.
4 Likes.
Played 5/25 in the first AZ skins game outing. Thanks to Johnny & Pat for setting up such a fun time. I thought what you did was real generous. For $39 you got green fee, cart fee, practice balls, $14 skins game, Closest to the Pin prizes, and GK swag. You just can't beat that!

Other reviewers have nailed the conditions. My review from 6 weeks ago is pretty extensive and still holds. I do want to update 3 things since then. The rough has improved. It's thicker then it was before. The greens, which were aerated 4 weeks ago, have come back in excellent condition again. I do want to echo sixpez's comment about the course suppling a hole map. It would really help first time players. The water hazards can be hard to see on some holes. I think #14 got everyone. Especially since the tall lake grass was cut down.

The staff was great from the pro shop to the player assistant. I learned the reason that they make you start on #10. It's so the early tee times don't have to tee off directly into the sun on #1. Good practice range. Nice chipping & putting area. Our pace of play was 3 1/2 hours. We had no one in front of us. Hope this is one of many more AZ GK outings.
4 Likes.
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.
7 Likes.
Played 3/22. Rate was $56 + tax included cart. 12:50 Tee time. Played with The Club Whisperer, who was playing in a tournament at Lone Tree that Sunday. The course has a pretty good layout. It is very wide open. Even if you stray off the course you can find your ball in the desert and easily play it. The signature hole is probably #12 which is a Par 3 with an island green. This course is one of the Pre-qualifing sites for the Phoenix Open.

Conditions of the course varied from fair - very good. Greens were very good. They were firm and held good shots. They rolled smooth and true. They were med-fast, 10.5 - 11 on the stimp is my guess. The only issue they had was other players not fixing their ball marks. The fairways were good with the exception of a few holes that had a lot of divot damage. Hole #11 was in pretty bad shape. The rough was in fair shape. It's starting to come out of dormancy. It is cut very short and the ground underneath was rock hard. You had to pick it real clean or your club would bounce into the ball. I'm being kind calling the sand traps fair. They don't really have any sand in them, just packed down dirt. This made fairway traps easy to play from since they didn't have high faces. The green side traps, on the other hand, were very difficult. The chunk and run was your only play. The tee boxes were in very good shape. We played the tournament tees which don't see a lot of play.

Customer service was very good. Outside service was friendly and helpful. We saw the beverage cart twice each side. Practice range and putting green were in good shape. No chipping area though. I took photos either on or close to the tournament tees. The course is over 7000 yards from them. Sad to see the "Lone Tree" is no more. It died a few years ago and now there is just a stump. The did plant a new tree in its place. Currently, I wouldn't recommend this course. The conditions were disappointing, especially for this time of year and the fact that they were having a tournament in two days.
8 Likes.
Played 2/22 with Chilipalmer99, the club whisperer. and JohnnyGK. Big thanks again to JohnnyGK for setting up the round. Echo Mesa is another course in the family of 7 in the retirement community of Sun City West. It is an Executive course. 4157 yards, Par 60. (60.3/95) I went in with low expectations. I thought... How good could this course really be? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. It was great! The course has 6 Par 4's and 12 Par 3's. The holes set up to play in perfect symmetry. Par 4's on #1, #5, #9, #10, #14, and #18. You never play more then 3 Par 3's in a row. The course has a good mix of Par 3's. The lengths vary between 108 yards to 235 yards. Some holes have some formidable water hazards and deep bunkers. Greens were large. They were tiered and had some slope to them. Found them a challenge to read. Over read putts all day.

Overall the conditions were good to great! Fairways and greens were excellent. Fairways were tight and got tighter as you got closer to the hole. Par 4 #10 is drivable at 290 yards. Greens were great . They held good shots. They rolled smooth and true. They were large, tiered, and had a lot of slope. We played from the Blue tee boxes and they looked pristine. The sand traps were in good shape. They had plenty of sand in them. Rough was dormant bermuda. It seems that's the industry standard this year. The dormant bermuda is firm, but you get a decent lie most of the time.

Echo Mesa has the laid back vibe of the other courses in the retirement community. Most of the locals drive their own golf carts to the course. They don't have the amenities such as outside service and beverage cart. However, they make up for it in many ways. There is a fast pace of play. We played in 3 1/2 hours. Food & beverage was reasonably priced just like the other courses in the area. The course has availability on weekends. Retirees play weekdays. The course is a good value at $39 walking, $48 with cart. Full practice range. I would definitely play it again. Submitted photos.
13 Likes.
Played 2/21 thanks to Johnny GK for setting up the round and coming out to play. Had a good time at Pebblebrook. It's a fun course. It's a par 72, not real long, (6410 yards 70.0/120) but it has a challenging mix of golf holes. It has more water hazards and mature trees than your typical desert course. Some fairways are tight with rolling hills, giving you a variety of lies. I found out rather quickly that it is best to keep things below the hole. Above the hole, the course can play very fast. The course has ample rough. Houses line the course but they don't crowd it. The one hole to watch out for is #18. You can't see the creek that cuts across the fairway in front of the 100 yard markers from the tee.

Conditions were good to very good. The tee boxes, fairways, sand traps, and greens were very good. Blue tee boxes were level and didn't have as much play as the White tees. Fairways were in nice shape. The ball sits up giving you a good lie. Sand traps were well placed. They had a variety of shallow and deep sand traps. They had plenty of sand. The greens were firm and fast. You could just barely make a ball mark on them. (It rained the day before.) They could hold good shots with spin. They rolled smooth and true. The rough was dormant bermuda cut short.

Pebblebrook G. C. is one of a group of seven in the retirement community of Sun City West. It has a full practice facility. Most of its play is by the local retirees who have their own golf carts. Playing here you will notice some differences over other courses in the valley. You won't see outside service or a beverage cart. The retirees don't need or won't use these services. With that being said there are real advantages to playing here. Food and beverages are inexpensive for golf course prices. ( See the photo of the snack bar Menu!) Stock up before your round and at the turn. The course has the most availability on weekends. Retirees like to play during the week. The pace of play was fast. We played in 4 hours. It's a good value for this time of year at $41 walking, $50 with cart. Twilight rates after 2 pm. Submitted lots of photos.
10 Likes.
Played 2/9 with Chilipalmer99 and some of my friends. Thanks to Johnny GK for setting up the round. It was a lot of fun. Grandview is a very good golf course. It is one of a group of seven in the retirement community of Sun City West. I liked the layout. It starts as a typical desert course on the first 5 holes. #6 is a short Par 4 with a lake in the middle. It's a hole where you need to be accurate and smart. Playing the back nine, the course seemed to toughen up with more water hazards and greens that were more sloped. Watch out for your tee shot on #13. A creek runs across the middle of the fairway and connects the 2 lakes on the hole. Fairways can be tight, but there is plenty of rough. Houses line the course but they don't crowd the course.

Conditions were good- very good. I thought the tee boxes, fairways and sand traps were very good. Tee boxes were level and had a good surface to play from. Fairways were in nice shape and gave you a good lie. Sand traps were numerous. They had a heavier granular sand which produced a good lie most of the time. The rough and greens I would say were good. The rough is dormant bermuda that is cut short. Ball sits up on it. The greens were firm. They could hold high shot with spin if you played for it to release. You couldn't really make a ball mark on them. If you were above the hole with a chip, you had a hard time controlling the speed. They did roll smooth and true when putting.

It's a different vibe playing Grandview. With seniors and retirees dominating the landscape, you have to expect a few trade-offs. After the round my friends and I went into the pro shop to ask them a few questions. We asked why they had no beverage cart? They said they had tried it in the past but it didn't work. No one bought anything. They said " the locals like to bring their own stuff." They all live nearby and drive their own golf carts to the course. There wasn't any outside service either. Again, something they don't need or use. Don't let these two things deter you from playing here. Here are four tips why you should play Grandview.

Buy the drinks you need before you tee off and at the turn from the Crooked Putter Restaurant. Drinks were cheap. $2 beers. When is the last you had a $2 beer at a golf course?

The pro shop told us this course is least busy on the weekends. The retirees play mostly on the week days.

If you like a fast pace of play, this course is for you. It was somewhat busy. We had foursomes in front and behind us and we played in exactly 4 hours. It's great that they have a player asst.

It's a great value to play here. It's $41 walking, $50 w/cart. A bargain around here during our peak golf season.

They have a good practice facility. Range, practice putting and chipping area.(It's on the back end of the range.) I would recommend this course to anyone and want to play again now that I know some local knowledge. Submitted photos.

P. S. The LPGA Legends are playing here in the Walgreens Charity Classic Feb. 23-24. If you play between now and then you might get lucky like us and see some players. We saw LPGA legend and Hall of Famer Pat Bradley practicing on the range. She was real nice, approachable and would sign autographs.
14 Likes.
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