GRAYHAWK GOLF CLUB - Talon Course(480) 502-1800
Arizona Golf Course Review - Talon Course
General information:
Established in 1994, Grayhawk Golf Club features two par-72 golf courses – Talon and Raptor –that are widely considered to be among the best golf courses in Scottsdale. The
golf courses differ in style, but the quality of play for each meets the highest conditioning and design standards consistent with true championship-caliber golf. In fact, both have
hosted competitive tournaments at the highest levels of professional and amateur golf. With 2 layouts to choose from, this property can host events for as little as a dozen people
to 288. NOTE The PGA Junior Tournament that has been hosted at Grayhawk since 2016, will continue to be held at this facility through 2022, and the NCAA chose the Raptor
course as the host site for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Golf Championships from 2020 to 2022.
On property is a full service clubhouse with well stocked pro shop (Grayhawk Trading Company) , full service locker rooms with showers, banquet/outing facilities, plus four dining
options – the Morning Joint for hot breakfast sandwiches, Phils Grill (with Phil Mickelson Memorabilia lining the walls) with sports bar and outdoor patio, Quill Creek Café with
Huge fireplace and gorgeous views of the courses and the Sonoran Desert, plus Isabellas Kitchen (styled after a country bistro).
Practice facilities include several putting greens, a short game area with practice bunker, plus a targeted grass range with piped in rock n roll music. The Grayhawk Learning
Center is led by an accomplished and experienced stable of renowned instructors who have both played and taught golf at the highest levels, all instruction programs are all highly
personalized and run the gamut from half-day workshops to three-day golf schools.
Talon Review
The Talon was designed by 1981 U.S. Open and 1979 PGA Champion, David Graham, and golf course architect Gary Panks, and features breathtaking views of the nearby
McDowell Mountains as well as the Phoenix/Scottsdale skyline. Talon's back nine is built around a series of deep box canyons with a handful of holes laid out along steep drop
-offs and thick stands of Mesquite, Palo Verde and Ironwood trees.
The wonderfully manicured fairways on the Talon are not as wide as those on the Raptor, but the green complexes usually present ample room for error. Be aware that the putting
surfaces are often tiered, so it is advisable to aim for the flag! Golfers will encounter strategically placed sand bunkers both greenside and near the landing zones off the tee.
There are 4 sets of tees with distances and slopes ranging from 6973 yards /146 slope, 6430 yards/134 slope, 5867 yards/122 slope for men and 136 for women, and 5143
yards with a slope of 118 for ladies playing from the forward sets. The Talon will sincerely challenge top flight golfers hitting from the tips, but present a playable round from the
mid and forward tees.
Grayhawk is located about 40 minutes from Sky Harbor Airport, on some of Scottsdale's premier real estate. The upscale residential community formed around the property is
aptly named "Serenity". More than 200 mature Saguaros and thousands of native Palo Verde, Ironwood and Mesquite trees were preserved in the landscaping process, and other
desert plants include 80,000 Greasewood, Bursage, Ocotillo and Barrel cactus. Wildlife also abounds in this glorious desert setting. For more information on either of the
courses at Grayhawk, visit our pages on our Arizona golf course listing section - which provides a link to the Grayhawk website - by clicking here.
|
