I found myself in Surprise on business, finished early and decided to try this course out. Like Julia Roberts said to the snotty store clerk in Pretty Woman, "Big mistake. BIG mistake."

Most tee boxes were neglected Kikuyu, grassy enough but overgrown (though some on the back 9 were mowed properly, it only made me wonder why ALL of them weren't like this). A number of tee boxes also weren't level. The fairways were an utterly overwatered, muddy mess, with many bare spots scattered throughout the course. Grass clippings were everywhere as well, forcing me to clean around my ball time and again to get a good shot. Greens were very soft and very slow. You could shoot a golf ball out of a bazooka and it would slow down after 30 feet on these greens. Never made it into a bunker, but the sand in them looked thin and crispy. The aptly named rough appears to be simply not mowed, as opposed to cultivated.

The few water stations on the course poured out tepid, poorly tasting water and the cart paths had so many potholes that they must have been sponsored by a local chiropractor. Really, the course just seems old and neglected, with no memorable holes or style, just a long, flat, dreary march back to the clubhouse.

When compared to the Del Webb's seven courses that are available in the same area (in far superior shape and less expensive), Hillcrest simply seems superfluous. Knowing what I know now, I'll only golf at Grandview et al, and keep this course off my rotation.

CP

Massive $10 GN deal for a 1pm start time. Got there at noon, was allowed to go off as soon as I finished warming up.

Course is in wonderful shape for the end of July. Tee boxes ranged from good to very good to excellent. Flat, few divots, just a few that were a bit dried out. Fairways were green with few bare spots. Rough is Bermuda, very thick, not dormant, cut to about 3" Greens were super soft but still fast. Definitely bring your ballmark repair tool because you will leave a mark. Somewhat difficult to read, but rolled true. Bunkers throughout the course appeared to be in excellent shape, and the two I found on the back 9 proved that to be the case. Well maintained and plenty of sand.

The Back 9 (actually the Back 10, as 9 crosses over the road into the resort and really is more of back half than the front) is definitely more challenging than the front. Greens have false fronts, many are crowned and balls can roll off if you don't use enough club or hit the wrong area. There are a few blind tee shots, and either bunkers or desert await a shot pulled too much or sliced.

For my handicap (13ish), the scorecard recommended the Blue (3rd set) of tees. While this made for a good challenge on the Par 3s and 4s, I felt it made the Par 5s too easy. Perhaps Blue/Black combo might be a better selection next time. Electric carts that come with a ball/club washer, GPS and a water cooler. GPS is very helpful, showing you the distance to the front of the green and to the flag location that day. No annoying commercials, though if you stray where you're not supposed to, a nag screen will pop up telling you to return. Driving range uses mats to hit from, putting green just has flags placed on it but not holes cut. The course superintendent likes to fill in all the divots himself, so no divot mix is provided, but that dude and his team definitely are on top of it.

A pleasant change was the staff attitude and service. Pro shop was helpful, cart guy was very helpful and friendly, and Crystal the cart girl loaded me up before the round and even gave me a mango towel to start my day. Kudos to all for the massive upgrade in service.

CP

Played Cat Tail one week after playing its sister course, Devil's Claw.

I found Cat Tail to be an overall more enjoyable experience. Played from the Silvers (still 6,300 yards/69.2 rating/123 slope), which was appropriate for my handicap and distance off the tee (Silver recommended for 12-18 handicaps).

Tee boxes were in far superior shape than Devil Claw. Like hitting off living green pool tables, just the few divots from today's rounds marred them. Fairways again in excellent shape, some dried out areas but nothing to really upset my game. Rough was also penal, with balls frequently sitting down (I found two from previous rounds that were hidden from their former owners), but it also prevents mis-hits from going off course or into a bunker. Speaking of which, bunkers in great shape, plenty of nice soft sand to hit whatever shot you desire. Greens were soft and fast, still a little sandy from earlier aerating and some dried areas around the outer ring of a few greens.

Despite it being a relatively flat course (though plenty of mounds and dips), I found Cat Tail to be more aesthetically pleasing, especially from the tee boxes looking onto each hole than its resort counterpart. It has three relatively benign Par 3 holes, then one bear: #10, which was 202 yards for Silver, 231 for Gold and 245 from the Tips! Cat Tail's one major design flaw, in my opinion was Holes 3-6. Not that there was a problem with the holes per se, but having #3 as a short Par 3, then #5 as a drivable Par 4 followed up immediately by another short Par 3 on #6 definitely led to bottlenecks for all the foursomes on the course.

As always, Whirlwind was crowded...even with a post 12pm tee time in the dead of summer, still took over 4 hours to complete our round. Had to wait on virtually every shot from tee to green. Customer service was excellent today, btw.

CP

Played Sunday 7/20 @ 10am tee time from GN.

This may be the only course that does not seem to experience a down time in the summer. Pulled in @ 9am to a full parking lot; haven't seen one elsewhere in months. Anyway, facility is top notch: perhaps the largest, best-kept driving range in the area (and all the balls you can hit included); large practice bunkers and a separate practice putting green.

Course conditions: fairways are wide and green. There are some swaths of 5-10 yards wide along certain areas that are punched, but otherwise it's just a long green carpet. Actual rough that can be quite penal and your ball will sit down and disappear--a nice change of pace from the usual "rough" in Phoenix. Greens were relatively fast but rolled steady and held all shots, and, in a pleasant change of pace for a resort course, few unrepaired ball marks on them. Bunkers, both fairway and around the green were in excellent shape, even allowing me to escape relatively unscathed. Again, like my last review, the only downside on this course are the tee boxes: most were in, if I am being generous, poor-to-middling condition. Don't understand how every other aspect of this course can be spot on and their tees remain an ongoing problem.

Customer service was very good today: cart girl came by 5-6 times, marshal stopped by often (my assigned partner had lost his 7-iron and the marshal managed to retrieve it), and, near the end of the round cool mango towels were provided as a pleasant treat. Note: this course plays longer than the yards on the scorecard (not much roll on the lush fairways)...unless you consistently drive the ball 250+, I would strongly recommend playing from the Silver tees, not the Gold or the Tips. You'll have a much better time by doing so. Note #2: Greens are being punched 7/21, so may want to avoid for a couple weeks until they are rolling true again.

PoP, sadly, was a laggard 4.5 hours, again due to the course being completely packed.

CP

Played Tues 4/22, late morning tee time from GN.

Lone Tree plays 7007 yards (72.7/124) from the tips, 6496 yards (70.3/120) from the Blues and 5941 yards (67.8/114) from the Whites. I played from the Blues, along with the three others I was paired up with. Even though I was hitting excellent drives in the fairways all day long, I rarely had a chance to hit a wedge/8 or 9 iron into a green. I was hitting drives all day long in the 225-240 range, and still ended up hitting a hybrid into most holes. From the Blues, there are four Par 4s that play over 400 yards (including #15, a 450 yard monster that I somehow managed to par), so, unless you're a big hitter, I'd recommend hitting from the Whites and enjoying the round more.

The best word to describe the course yesterday would be inconsistent. Some tee boxes were in excellent condition, while others (most notably the one for #12, the Island green Par 3) were pretty chewed up. Fairways were relatively thin in most places, with some bare spots. You could tell you were in the "rough" because there were more bare areas than grass in most cases. Fairways cant from left-to-right or right-to-left, so planning where to land your shot is critical lest you roll off the fairway in a bare patch, bunker or other hazard. Greens were often bumpy and slow, unusual for this course. It looked as if on many holes the grounds crew kept the flag in one specific area, and that area would be pockmarked with both repaired and unrepaired ball marks. Bunkers had plenty of white sand and were in the best shape of any feature on the course.

As for customer service, I'd call it indifferent at best. The cart guy walked right past without acknowledging me when I was carrying my bag up, the guys in the pro shop took their time when checking me in (seemed to be more interested in sharing a story about a vendor who brought some new booze to mix with an Arnold Palmer) and the starter wasn't much better. I've experienced better here in the past, so this was a bit surprising.

All-in-all, LT is a challenging and interesting course, but nothing happened today to push it ahead of Trilogy or any of the other SE Maricopa County courses in my rotation this summer.

CP

Played Sunday 3/30, late morning tee time via GN website. Temp in low 80s, very breezy/dusty.

Johnson Ranch is located deep in the San Tan Valley, directly off of Hunt Hwy. Those coming from Phoenix would be advised to know that Hunt Hwy is currently under expansion and taking a detour using Gary Rd is advisable, especially during the week when construction is happening and Hunt is only 1-lane available.

This is a long layout, with the tips running @ 7,162 yards (72.7/130) and the Blues @ 6,656/70.2/120. I would recommend anyone with a handicap above 12/13 play from the Whites, which still measure out at 6,204/67.8/114. There are many, many forced carries over desert and those who can't consistently throw a 175+ yard drive in the air will find him/herself in desert or rocks, or worse, rocky desert. while most fairways are wide, many are tilted from left to right and can drag a ball into the desert, even on a well struck drive. There is little rough to speak of; what there is is cut barely higher than the fairway, which is closely shorn as it is. Sadly a lot of dead, thin or dormant areas permeate the fairways. I was nailing my drives all day and rarely felt as though my lie for my second shot was in as good as shape as as it could be.

Tee boxes were decent, though showing signs of hardening up (especially #10, it felt like giving a rhinoceros a flu shot trying to pierce that ground with my tee). The greens were extremely fast and often penal. On #16, for example, my playing partner was 70 yards from the hole, hit a nice wedge to front of the green (with a rear pin placement). The ball bounced once, then rolled, rolled, rolled until finally stopping in a bunker 15 yards past the hole. Absurd. On a number of greens, there was substantial rot around the fringes. Bunkers had limited amounts of sand in them, though no large pebbles/rocks at least.

As for the facilities, there is a large driving range, which, as noted in a previous review in 2012, was pretty chewed up. It still is. At least you get free balls with your round, so you'll have ample opportunity to find some grass from which to hit. Decent putting green, separate chipping area and a practice bunker as well. Carts are electric with ball/club washers (no coolers) and all have excellent GPS on them.

Customer service: Kudos to the starter and the cart girl (who only works the front 9...there is a small snack stand behind #13). Not so much for the pro shop guy, who called me out for wearing a Nike (TW) golf shirt that did not have a collar. I understand the whole not wanting slobs on the course, but an expensive golf shirt is a friggin' golf shirt. Secondly, while the course talks a real good game regarding slow play, they don't back it up with action. All over the cart are messages to play fast, play ready golf, and the GPS seems to have a constant nag screen to catch up, catch up, catch up even when you're not behind. Marshals patrolled the course a lot, yet, no one was "put into position" to catch up with the group ahead. Late on the front 9, one marshal told me the back was wide open, but when we reached #10, or delays increased hole-by-hole. Finished in 4 hours and 40 minutes, 20 minutes above their allotted time, and really inexcusable given the conditions.

All in all, JR is a decent course, and will definitely test your game, but I'm not sure when I'll return. Too many minuses outweigh the pluses.

CP

Played Sunday 10/27, 10:34 tee time, starter let me and one other single out 30 minutes early. Course did not seem that crowded, but POP was still 4.5 hours. CC has just finished their fall overseed, so holes 1 & 10 were cart path only and the rest were okay to drive in the rough.

Definitely want to keep it on the fairways, were coming in nice and lush...the rough, such as it is, does not get seeded at all, so balls hooked or sliced can find themselves with an unplayable lie in one of the course's many gulleys. Tee boxes were in good condition, as were the aforementioned fairways. The greens have not yet been cut, and were extremely slow, like croquet mallet slow. My playing partner skulled one shot from 15 yards off the green, and, by all rights, the ball should have ended up 20 yards past the green. Instead, it settled in on the green, maybe 20 feet from the hole. Once they start cutting them, I'm sure the speed will pick up. Other than the extreme slowness, they were in very good condition. Bunkers had plenty of sand, very playable.

As for the facilities and amenities, this is a city of Phoenix course, so don't expect TPC Scottsdale when you pull up. There is a huge driving range on the other side of the parking lot (and it is a long walk with your clubs to the hitting area, as well as putting green and chipping area. Carts are motorized and in need of service, and do not come with coolers, so bring your own. Friendly service inside the clubhouse and from the cart girl, seems to be a course the locals play over and over.

The course itself is a decent challenge for the mid-to-high handicappers. While the yardage is not overly long (6772 from the tips and 6199 from the Blues), with all the fresh grass and moisture in the fairways the course did seem to play a little longer on many holes. Cave Creek is a nice course for the price, but not one I'd go out of my way to include on my itinerary.

CP

Quick update for October 2013: Course reopened after fall re-seeding, still cart path only for a couple weeks more. Fairways are in beautiful shape, lush but still allowing for rolls. The tees are a disappointment: many are still crowned, and already showing signs of wear, in complete contrast to the immaculate fairways. Bunkers have a hard crust, but you can still get under shots for a decent sand save attempt. Greens were a bit bumpy, and the Par 3s already have many ball marks from those who don't repair them. This is one of the best value courses in the Valley in the Fall/Winter season, and it attracts a ton of snowbirds from the Midwest and Canada. Prepare for 4.5-5 hour rounds as the norm.

CP

Played Sunday 8/25. I don't know why I don't play this course more often.

The facilities, the customer service and the course itself are all among the best the SE valley has to offer. Starter let me tee off as a single 30 minutes early. From the first tee to the last, tee boxes were in excellent shape, even on the par 3's. Fairways have a few bare patches here and there, but I never found any, and usually had a terrific lie going into the green. Markers were all over the course to give you distance, so even if you don't have a rangefinder or GPS on your phone, you'll still get an accurate read on how far it is to the hole. Greens had been softened up a little by the previous night's rain, but still ran fast and true. None of the greens were pockmarked to death, only saw 1-2 with some patchy issues. I was never in a bunker, so I cannot review them, though they appeared to have enough sand in them to make a decent shot out of. Rough was thick; had a couple balls disappear on me because they sank low, but managed to find 'em.

As I mentioned, from the guy who took my clubs, to the clubhouse guys, everyone at this facility gets it. Dare I mention they also have *by far* the hottest cart girl I've seen in years? Huge driving range, reasonable prices for practice balls and drinks, excellent chipping area and putting area make this course one of the best values in town.

CP

Played on Sunday, 8/11. Resort golfcourse located behind the Desert Marriott in northern Phoenix. Customer service was very good, and what one should expect from a high end resort course: friendly, helpful staff, excellent facilities which include a large driving range, large putting green and separate chipping area, and well stocked carts. For a 106* Sunday in mid-August, course was completely packed. Three groups on every Par 4 and 5 (one on the green, one on the fairway and one on the tee box).

Course conditions: Tee boxes were in the best overall shape of any part of the course, with the bunkers a close second for playability. Fairways were generally good, as was the rough, but, on many holes, the landing areas were pretty torn up, thin or just plain bare. Can't really rate the greens, as they were punched about 10 days earlier and were still bumpy and slow, though I found them playable (9 1-putts). Water on only one hole (oddly, the 17th, not the 18th), but isn't really a factor unless you push your drive very far and to the right.

Not much "wow factor" for the course. One hole has split fairways, and there are substantial waste bunkers and wash corridors throughout the course, but no hole jumps out as special or noteworthy. No great vistas, no real elevation changes, and, except for knowing about where to layup because of a wash crossing the fairway (the cart GPS is a big help here), not a lot of strategy required to get around the course. It's nice, but I cannot imagine spending rack rate or anything near that in the peak season with so many other, better choices nearby.

PoP was 4.5 hours (and this is OFF season, so be warned).

CP

Played Sunday 7/28, matched up with a threesome, tee-time 11:32.

Even with the late morning tee-time and 105* temps, course was packed to the rafters. Took 30 minutes to play the first hole alone, thanks to apparent overbooking and less-than-stellar golfers on the course. While our foursome was waiting to get to the tee box, another twosome (20-something males) simply drove by us and parked right behind the five-some (!) ahead of us. We quickly disabused them of the notion they would cut ahead.

As for the course itself, it's a very straightforward, relatively short Par 70 (6313 yards from the gold, 5734 yards from the whites, and the forward tees play out to 5734 yards). There are 6 Par 3's on the course (3 per side), including their signature 18th hole, a 157-yard Par 3 over water from a raised tee box.

It's tough to get in real trouble on this course. While there are bunkers scattered throughout and water comes into play on a few holes, avoiding said hazards doesn't require a lot of strategy. Most fairways are wide, and you're playing from often raised tee boxes. The biggest issue might the trees that line the fairways (usually on the right hand side), but a tee shot to the left side often leaves a medium/short iron to a hard but receptive green. Most of the doglegs are left-to-right, so those who fade the ball have a distinct advantage. As this course was built in a former waste area, certain fairways have drainage damage that you want to avoid, lest you hit from a crispy, dried mud lie.

Tee boxes were kind of crowded (the rocks indicating the left and right side were very close together and the ground was starting to get hard, overused and exhibited divot damage on many holes. Fairways were generally green, except where the aforementioned drainage occurred. Greens had almost no ball marks, no doubt due to their firmness. Despite the firm greens, they were generally slow, had little break, and putts were often bumpy. Bunkers appeared to be in good condition.

Amenities: there is no driving range here, though IMO they could squeeze one behind the 10th hole where there are hundreds of yards of wasted grassy area). They have a moderately sized putting green with not nearly enough holes cut out for practice. Carts are electric and don't go particularly fast; they also do not come pre-loaded with ice chests for whatever reason (make sure to ask the starter for one before you leave). Cart girl came around 3 times on each side, but no course marshal to be found, which would have been helpful as the five-some ahead of us parked their three carts right in front of the green on every single hole, even on the cart path only holes. Remarkable, even for the self-entitlement that is the hallmark of Scottsdale. Because of the overcrowded conditions, POP was a horrid 5 hours.

Silverado, on a less busy day, is a nice value for the money in the summer. I personally would not pay their winter/spring rack rate for what the course has to offer.

CP

Played Sunday 7/14, 11:51 tee time. Course was running behind about 10 minutes because a group that was late, instead of being bumped, the starter decided to wait for them to show up. So glad he did because they caused us to struggle through a nearly 4.5 hour round as they chased their balls through the desert, regularly hit 6 balls off the tee (for a foursome) and played from about two spots too far back based on their skill set (and sobriety).

As for the facilities, this is everything you'd expect from a course on Indian land: huge driving range with pyramids of balls at each station; an even bigger chipping green with two sand traps (one on each side) from which to practice; and a massive practice putting green as well. Their website also advertises an onsite masseuse to help you stretch and get the kinks out before your round, but she was nowhere to be found Sunday. The carts are electric with small ice coolers, and are stocked with a towel and a couple plastic cups for your use (nice touch). The starter also hands out the scorecards and a snazzy full color spiral-bound yardage book, which was extremely helpful for my first time on the course.

There are four tee boxes to choose from, ranging from 7029 yards down to 5540. I played from the second set (Gold), which measures out at 6487 yards and rates 70.4/123. The course itself is a pleasant layout; not overly taxing or demanding. I somehow managed to find four bunkers, though it's not difficult to avoid them for the most part. Water only comes into play on the Par 3 7th hole and tangentially on the 8th, and there are a couple holes where you need to decide which side of the fairway to hit a tee shot; otherwise it's grip it and rip it. There is actual rough on this course, cut to about 3-4 inches, but the times I was in it my ball was sitting up and ready to fire. Hookers/slicers will find desert, but you have to make an effort to do so, IMO. As a 15 index, it was a good test for me; a single digit handicapper should be able to stay at/below par, and a higher handicapper would do well from the more forward tee boxes.

Conditions: Tee boxes were the most disappointing; many were very torn up and in need of substantial reconditioning, particularly the Par 3s. The club hosted a 120-person tournament the day before which might have exacerbated the situation, but many of the gold tee box areas had issues throughout the box. Fairways were green but light in some areas, no dead spots to speak of. As mentioned, the rough was a nice change of pace, not too penal. Bunkers, both fairway and greenside were in excellent condition, giving you the opportunity to escape. Greens were receptive, somewhat fast and a bit sandy, with some bumps, but otherwise fair to putt on. Service was good, not great: most stations on the range had balls running out for over an hour before new stacks were replaced; the ranger on the course was a nice enough fellow, but did little to ease the logjam of golfers throughout the day, and, upon completion, no one even offered to take my bag or clean my clubs, or thank me for being there. I'd expect a bit more from an upscale course.

CP