SunRidge Canyon Golf Club
Arizona Golf Course Review
SunRidge Canyon is a premier desert golf destination, located among the ridges and canyons of the McDowell
Mountains, which form the boundary between Scottsdale and Fountain Hills. It is the top course of an impressive
list of Arizona SunCor Golf properties that include The Sanctuary, Sedona Golf Resort, Club West, StoneRidge
and Palm Valley Golf Club. Breathtaking is a good way to describe the vistas surrounding the beautiful fairways
and green complexes on this course, which has been honored as: #42 in USA "Places You Can Play" by Golf
Magazine, Host site for the 1997 State Team Championship, Host site for the 1996 LPGA Mitsubishi
Championship, plus for one of "America's 100 Best" golf shops. In 2008, Golf World magazine readers chose
SunRidge Canyon Golf Club in Fountain Hills as the 26th best public golf course in the United States.
The clubhouse is as nice as they come, with a full service pro shop, indoor dining, banquet and outing facilities,
plus an outdoor terrace and grill with spectacular views of the course. The complimentary grass range is quite
expansive, with target greens, and a putting green and short game practice area are adjacent. At "tee time"
golfers are greeted by a friendly ranger who provides info on the intricacies off the course. Pin placement sheets
are also provided. A ProLink GPS with 12" screen and a chest filled with ice is standard on every cart. For first
time visitors the 150-yard stakes on the par fours and fives are especially helpful as targets, and can certainly
save some strokes. The 90 degree rule is generally in effect - which helps facilitate 4 to 4 1/2 hour rounds (or less).
The topography at SunRidge is quite rolling, with mounded fairways and large green complexes that feature
strategic bunkering and gentle undulations. The desert and surrounding mountains are always in view. Carries
over desert areas are frequent from the back tees, though most are quite short. Sufficient landing areas are the
rule rather than the exception, and the front tees are user-friendly, with the exception of some forced carries on
the par threes. The 4 sets of tee boxes are beautifully sculpted on each hole, and measure from 6823 to 5122
yards. The back and middle tees play between 6403 and 5944. The slope rating varies from 142 to 128,
allowing golfers an opportunity to choose their medicine, and make to their day as challenging or as docile as
they desire. The layout at SunRidge Canyon unfolds slowly, and becomes more dramatic as the round
progresses. Many of the middle and certainly the closing holes present awe-inspiring vistas, as the fairways
meander into box canyons and over and around arroyos towards greens that are defined by age-old stands of mesquite, ironwood and palo trees.
The opening hole plays easily if you stay to the right side off the tee. Grass swells will engulf approaches that
land short of the green. The second has a wide landing area past the short desert arroyo that must be cleared off
the tee. The rolling fairway slopes right towards the desert, while bunkers on the left warrant consideration. The
third is a dogleg right par five with lots of room on both sides, all the way to the green. Stay clear of the fairway
bunker on the right side of the fairway on the par 4 fourth, and you should have an easy approach and possible
birdie opportunity. This is a nice opening stretch of holes, that allows golfers to warm up and to get a feel of the
course before it becomes demanding. The long par four 5th is the number 1 handicap of the layout. It is tight off
the tee, with fairway mounds funneling shots towards the center. The green is challenging as it slopes noticeably
right to left, with two bunkers protecting against an approach from the right side. Par it and get out of town! You
must carry a deep ravine on the par three sixth - short is not an option here. The short par four seventh plays
downhill, and there is more fairway than it appears off the tee. There are two carries featured here, one off the
tee and another over the ravine 50 yards out. This is pretty tough for a 15th handicap hole. The eighth is an easy
hole from the whites and front tees (168/156 yards), but plays long from the backs and championships (243/235)
. Coming in you are confronted by one of the most interesting holes on the front. After a tee shot over a dry creek
bed, you have two choices. Aim for the 150 stake and play for the green on your third shot, or hit a fairway wood
over the hazard that is about 125 yards out. There is about 50 yards of fairway between the green and the hazard.
The tee shot on ten must clear a pond from the back tees, and the hazard extends along the left to near the 100
-yard marker. Numerous fairway and greenside bunkers provide the challenge on this very short par four. A
dogleg left follows, with a desert wash crossing near the 150 yard marker left, and 190 out to the right. The smart
play is to lay up just right of and past the left fairway bunker, and before the desert arroyo. A ridge runs down the
center of the green so pay attention to the pin placement. There is some bail out room left on the short par three
12th, which is all carry over desert. This precedes the longest hole of the layout, which measures between 578
and 441 yards. The rolling fairway slopes right to left and there is an arroyo to clear 200 yards from the green.
Afterwards, a water hazard lurks all the way past the green, and bunkers guard the left side. The beautiful little
waterfall on the right is frequently the habitat for great Blue Herons. Number 14 is a spectacular hole. Water in
front and along the right will challenge your entry to the green on the pretty par three. The tee boxes are elevated
and the view from on top is gorgeous. There is some bail out room short left, but it's sayonara if you are long.
The fifteenth looks intimidating off the tee, but there is actually more room than it appears on the right side. The
fairway slopes right towards the bunkers, so a shot towards the 150 stake is the prudent play here. The
approach is tight, with a little bail out room right. The narrow fairway on 16 slopes right to left off the tee and an
arroyo crosses about 140 out. The approach plays uphill to a putting complex featuring 3 pot bunkers short and 1
long. The seventeenth plays from an elevated tee and is almost all carry over a canyon, with ample room to the
right. Players on the forward tee get a significant break here, as the front tee box is on the other side of the drop
-off. Take note of the extremely undulating green ( see very first picture). Eighteen is a challenging finishing hole.
There is ample room off the tee, but distance is important here. The approach plays extremely uphill, with
considerable bunkering around the green.
A day at SunRidge Canyon is well spent. The Two Guys Who Golf get more requests about this course than any
other on our Arizona golf vacation destination site. It is a quality layout with upscale conditioning and amenities.
Great rates of $40 to $65 are advertised during the summer, making this an incredible value. It is approximately
25 minutes from downtown Scottsdale, and well worth the trip.
Click here for the Two Guys Who Golf informational page for this course with a link to its website (if available).
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