Against my better judgment, I made another tee time at Johnson Ranch for Friday 9/26. It was advertised on GN for $11 and included all the balls you could hit. As I purchased new irons, I felt this would be great opportunity to tune in my new clubs and play 18 for essentially the price of a large bucket of balls at my local range.

When I arrived, I was told upon check in that the range was closed already (overseeding was scheduled for the following Monday). I knew about the overseeding, so I wasn't expecting pristine conditions, but the whole point of purchasing the deal was the driving range. I was told by the starter to practice putting before I went out, as he pointed to the putting green behind the range--the one that was being absolutely flooded by multiple Rainjet sprinklers at that moment. I sat in the cart until he loaded another bag into it, and then he and ANOTHER twosome were sent off to the 10th tee to start. Understand, there were, at best, 15-20 people on the course, yet we were forced to play a foursome. Multiple singles who teed off after us were allowed to play through by us, so the only reason I can think that we were forced to play as a foursome was that we were all GN discounted rate and they were locals paying whatever rack rate was current that day. With absolutely no waiting on any hole, because we were forced to play with two older gentlemen tracking down a lost ball on every hole, the round took 4+ hours to complete. Complete and utter BS. Please, if I ever golf here again, someone kick me in the cooter.

CP

Played Tuesday 9/23. FotS recently popped up on the GolfNow course availability, and I was interested in checking out this executive course located within the FotS senior community. It was nice to see a new executive course become available after the recent closings of Rio Salado and The Lakes at Ahwatukee.

With courses inside private developments, the concern is that you'll be treated like an outsider or an interloper. Not here. The head pro, Mark, who was manning the pro shop, had a cart parked out front for me (it was a slow day), and took the time to welcome me, give me directions on how to get around, and seemed to be genuinely happy I was there. A very nice start. A small bucket of 25 balls ("enough to get you warmed up!") cost only $2 (!!!). The driving range was right behind the pro shop, and there was a practice putting green and practice bunker/chipping area as well. The driving range had divot mix at every other station, an ongoing theme at this course. They take care here.

Although I was unaware of it until recently, the course has clearly been around for awhile. I don't say that to mean it was worn out, but had many old growth pine, eucalyptus and other trees all along the fairways, Trees were also strategically placed by almost every tee box and parking areas by the greens, which is what all smart courses here in the desert do or should do.

All tee boxes were in very good-to-great shape. When you play an executive course, it's usually because you want an inexpensive way to practice specific shots out of your bag, especially with the mid-to-short irons and wedges. FotS does not disappoint. There are two Par 5s, four Par 4s and 12 Par 3s. Two tee boxes choices White (4212 yards/60.1/94) and Red (3626 yards/59.7/94). It's flat, with almost no mounding except around the greens. It's also very, very grassy. Appears to be mostly Bermuda, with some Kikuyu thrown in for good measure, and I defy anyone to find a bare spot anywhere on any fairway. Fairways are generous, and the rough in some places was as high as 6 inches (but usually in the 3-4" range) and very penal. The only time I felt crowded from homes was on the 3rd tee box, where a drive more than a couple yards off the left side of the fairway was in someone's backyard. Otherwise, generous fairways, large areas of rough bracketed by homes with larger than usual backyards. Each tee box also had its own supply of divot mix. They're serious about keeping this course in the best possible condition.

Bunkers were in very good shape, well cared for and appeared to have more than adequate sand (I was never in one so I cannot review directly). Greens were a bit soft and spongy, and ran slow-to-medium, but, oddly, was difficult to leave a pitch mark in them. Very smooth. Miss a green and you could be in 5" rough, so target wisely. Water is only an issue on the 18th hole, and then only if you mi s-hit badly. Finally, this course is, as I mentioned, inside a senior community. The cart paths are smooth, not big bumps and potholes to throw your back out, like so many other courses do.

To sum up, this is far and away the best executive course I've played in the Phoenix area, from the facilities available, to the attitude of the staff, to the course itself. As an inexpensive alternative in the east valley, you can do far, far worse than Fountain of the Sun Country Club.

CP

Teed off today (9/21/14) for probably my final time here this year before the rates go back up in October. For the end of summer season, course is still in remarkable shape. A few tee boxes had some wear or were hardening up, but nothing too significant. A number of trees lost branches from the latest big storms, will probably be cleaned up when the course goes dark for re-seeding starting 10/20.

Fairways still green, rough has really been allowed to thicken and can be quite challenging on some holes. Most bunkers in good (not great shape), one that I was in was rather thin. but overall they were playable. Greens very firm and fairly fast; I hit some very high shots into them and only left a small dent for a ball mark, but they held every shot I hit and rolled true. Service was excellent, as usual. PoP was 3.5 hours, mostly due to a twosome who would not allow anyone to play through from Hole #7 on. A little better marshaling would be appreciated.

CP

Played a quick round Friday 9/20/14. Course is being prepped for overseeding starting Monday 9/22. Fairways in the process of getting cut very short and punched. Rough was left alone, greens still in decent shape. Key to playing this course is not to try and knock the balls to the hole, but to club down 1 iron and run the ball to the hole. With no bunkers, that's the smart play that keeps your ball snuggled near the hole, especially on the front hole locations. Last time I was here a regular did that all day long, and I copied it this round. Works like a champ. Come back in a few weeks after overseed is complete and work on your short game.

CP

Update for Sept 2014: Paired up with another single, two foursomes allowed us to play through within the first 4 holes and no one else was ahead of us. Tee boxes ranged from good to very good, still plenty of clean grass to hit from. #1 Tee box was moved up for Blues, so if you're a 240-250 yard driver, then you'll want to club down to a 3-wood to prevent from going into the waste area that dissects the first hole.

Fairways were cut low (as always) and rolling nicely. Mostly green with a few bare/sparse patches, but generally in good shape. Rough near the greens was allowed to grow as high as 4" on some holes (especially around bunkers; could make for some tricky wedge play. Speaking of which, bunkers were in poor-to-fair condition. Most appeared to have little sand from which to hit, and many were more like large pebble collectors than actual bunkers. This is the one area the course really needs to work on. Greens, as always, were running fast and generally true. More than most public courses, it's really critical to hit on the right part of the green complex to minimize 3-putts, as these greens have more break than most courses in the SE Valley. Some damage around the edges of a number of greens, but it did not affect any of our shots.

Back nine seems to play much longer than the front, but the wide open fairways make this course enjoyable for mid-range handicappers, and the greens make it challenging for the single digit golfers. Service was excellent as always here. POP right at 3 hours, mostly due to long wait at first hole before the foursome let us through.

CP

Is Papago the best muni in Maricopa County? I'm hard pressed to think of a better and more enjoyable test of ALL your golf skills.

Course conditions were stellar. Tee boxes were well trimmed and green, the fairways were were lush and well trimmed (why no divot mix on the carts? I felt terrible taking a chunk out of these fairways and not being able to fix them). The bunkers were, thankfully, in wonderful shape. I was in 4 of them, all allowed me to hit a clean shot near the pin. The only mark against the course today would be the greens. Punched about 10 days ago, they definitely caused balls to bump and shift direction slightly, as well as being slower than what I've come to expect at Papago.

Rough was incredibly penal in areas. Balls would sit down and hide, and the Bermuda would really grab your club as you swung through it. Each of us in our group managed to hit a number of excellent recovery shots, so the course was definitely tough but fair. A word of warning about the Par 3s on this course. Even from the Whites (3rd most forward tees), these bad babies measured 195,195, 146 (over water) and 214!. From the tips they're an astonishing 233, 253, 187 and 243, so any pars on these "short" holes are well earned. Service was excellent today, from the guy who came out to the parking lot to get my clubs (at a muni!) to the cart girl. A very fun day of golf. PoP was a bit over 3 hours.



CP

Played Sunday 8/24. Mountain Brook seems to have dropped their affiliation with GolfNow, so I played on their "Dollar Days" $1/hole special. Went out @ 10am, course was surprisingly crowded. Earlier emails from the course superintendent stated they were working on upgrading their horrific bunkers, starting with the greenside ones first and I wanted to check on their progress.

Conditions: Most tee boxes are in good shape, some of the Par 3s looking a little worn. Fairways were green and more grown out than I'm used to at this time of year, a pleasant surprise. Rough as usual was mowed about an inch higher than the fairway grass, nothing too penal. Greens, usually fast, were pacing out at a moderate speed today, not bumpy and otherwise in solid condition. As for the aforementioned bunkers, it appears they only completed work through about the first four holes. Other than that, when you get up and down from a bunker here, it should be called a "rocky" and not a "sandy" if we're trying to be accurate. Customer service was very good as usual. One of the things I like about this track are the Par 5s, all of which can be reachable by regular golfers under the correct conditions. It's fun pretending you're a big hitter from time-to-time.

CP

Course is in fine shape, and not crowded, as this is a main destination course for many snowbirds come October-April. The maintenance people are working on the tee boxes, so many white (middle) tees have either been pushed back to near the Blue Tees or moved closer to the forward tees. About 1 club difference plus or minus. Tee boxes are firm, but still in good shape. Fairways are conditioned about as well as I have seen in the Summer (freshly mowed, few dry/empty patches. Off fairway is either groomed rough or hard pan. Greens were hard and fast, but held every shot into them. Bunkers were simply outstanding. Looks like fresh, fluffy sand has been dumped into them, and they were in great shape to any shot you wanted.

The only downside to this course is the lack of a driving range, so warming up is done either at another course or while waiting to tee off. With water all along the landing area on the right side of Hole #1, any lazy or open swing will end up wet, so stretch it out!

CP

Now that Rio Salado is in the process of being turned into an "urban farm" (whatever the hell that is), Rolling Hills is left as only executive course in Tempe. The course is managed by the City of Tempe, and, like most courses managed by municipalities, can be a bit more expensive than it's actually worth. In the summer, however, their email special is $12 Monday-Wednesday, and $14 for Thursday and Friday play. Very reasonable.

As you can tell by its name, this not a standard flat layout. Most holes you're hitting either uphill or down, and many of the greens are raised and have false edges so balls can roll off easily. There are three Par 4s on the front side and five on the back, with the other 10 holes all Par 3s (no Par 5s). Many of the Par 4s are either reachable or almost reachable with a well-struck drive, but beware--the fairways often cant from left to right so a ball hit in the middle may well wander off into rough (which is mostly bare dirt) or brush and other undergrowth. These are great places to practice your very short game (inside 20-30 yards for a 2nd shot). There are bunkers scattered throughout the course but they have rarely come into play during my rounds. Some are sandy, others not so much.

There is a decent sized driving range (which you cannot drive your carts onto) and a very small practice green behind Hole #1. No practice chipping area. There is also a bar & grill where many of the locals hang out before and after their rounds.

I was pleasantly surprised at the course conditions for late August. Tee boxes were in good-to-very good condition, and the fairways were simply stellar (especially for an executive/public course). Looking at the fairway from the first tee (a short Par 4 with a narrow fairway and large drop off to the left of the green), it was simply a long green carpet. Tempe groundskeepers have been bringing it lately. Again, if you stray, you'll be in hard pan, scattered grass/weeds or bushes, so hit it straight. Greens were firm and slow. Putts held their lines, but definitely needed a little extra "oomph" to get it to the hole today.

For me, there is no better place than here when I want to dial in my PW and 9-iron, and it's fun to hit drives and have a small chip to the hole. One could do worse when trying to sharpen one's game.

CP

Been well over a year since I played here last, got on with a 12pm tee time for $10 from GolfNow. Not the longest course in the area (Tips are 6716 yards, while the yellows, where I played, measured out @ 6225 yards). There's also a pale yellow which measures 5805, and the forward tees come in @ 4992 yards.

What it lacks in length, it makes up for in moguls, swales and fairways tilted towards hazards. While the course itself has no real elevation changes, it's rare to find a flat spot on the fairways, which makes it quite fun. Bounces can either help or hinder; today I got more help than hinder. Fairways were more lush than most other courses in the area (ie, Western Skies, Greenfield Lakes), though many were in process of being punched to recondition the course and eliminate a lot of the barren spots that have creeped up over the years. That said, the fairway punching did not seem to impact any shot I took, as I had a higher than average GIR total. The rough, such as it is, seemed to be a combination of Kikuyu, Bermuda and random small weeds, and if you strayed beyond that, you're in hard pan. Never in a bunker, they appeared to be in decent shape, but not overly sandy.

The greens are extremely tricky. One of the few courses in the area where you actually have to read them, as opposed to just get the speed right and it relatively straight. There are lots of levels, breaks and swirls on these greens, along with false edges where shots will slide off. Greens were hard and fairly resistant to ball marks. I hit an absolute cloud-seeding PW into #4, stopped it 6' from the hole, and spent 5 minutes trying to find a ball mark to fix, and could not.

The only real negatives about the course might be the customer service today. The clubhouse guy (accidentally?) kept my change when I bought some range balls, there were no cart girls on course and the two girls behind the counter in the kitchen area ignored me as I walked in and out. When I finished my round, the cart guy was too busy doing nothing to offer to clean my clubs. You hit off carpet on the driving range, the carts had terrible engines and there was a $3 upgrade fee for GPS. Bathrooms are Porta-Potties, but there are plenty of water stations scattered throughout the course.

CP

Mid-summer report on this nice little course in the SE county: Tee boxes firming up but still in good-to-very-good shape; greens were recently punched, still showing signs so they're a bit bouncy; soft to hit in to but moderately fast paced with little break in most putts. Fairways freshly cut and running like Usain Bolt. Worst part of the course are the bunkers, most of which I would politely categorize as in need of upgrades. The recent monsoons have knocked out quite a few branches from various trees, but otherwise very playable. A nice course to have a relaxing round on, not overly taxing. One of the best (and best valued) driving ranges in this part of town. You'll never confuse this place with Augusta National, but every ball I hit in the fairway had a good lie.

CP

Update for August 10, 2014: Course is in summer conditions. Drying out a bit throughout but still quite playable. Tee boxes in good to very good shape. Fairways have some GUR areas staked out, but generally short and green, with few bare patches. Rough has some punched areas that the course is trying to recover, and there are signs everywhere directing you to stay off certain parts of the fairways as they try to re-grow back grass. Greens were soft and fast; the starter was kind enough to inform me that the practice greens ran slower than the course greens, and it was very accurate and helpful intel. Some greens had dried rings around the fringes, so it's best to throw your irons at the hole instead of running it up, when possible.

Bunkers don't really come into play for me on this course, but the ones I saw looked a bit thin. Might be some issues there. From the Blues, the course plays out @ 6496 yards (70.3/120), with five Par 4s playing out over 400 yards (with only 1 Par 5 on the Back 9), but it is still possible for 13-14 handicapper to play there and put up a decent score without thinking you're in over your head.

Finally, customer service really improved from my last visit, which was indifferent at best. This time, all clubhouse and cart personnel were at their helpful, smiling best. A pleasure to visit today.

CP