Well our course reviewers were at it again and this month they reviewed Talking Stick golf course, a 36-hole facility that is owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and managed by Troon Golf. The golf course is located just off of the 101 and Indian Bend next to the brand new Talking Stick Resort. Just minutes from the heart of Scottsdale and right down the street from the new spring training site of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, Talking Stick is a superb setting for golf.

In addition to its convenient location, Talking Stick also offers some very nice amenities as well as lots of good golf. Your experience starts at the driving range, one of the best in the state, and then continues to the large putting green framed by the 26,000 square foot adobe clubhouse. Inside the clubhouse you will find an award winning golf shop, player’s locker rooms, full service dining room, and private dining areas for groups of all sizes. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of comfort by all of the lush amenities. Talking Stick isn’t just a resort course; it is a serious test of your golf skills that has hosted some big time events such as PGA Tour qualifying, USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Qualifier, and many Gateway Tour events.

While the North Course is best known for its desert style and risk reward opportunities, the South Course at Talking Stick has open rolling fairways that give it a more park style feel. However, that is not to say all the holes blend together. Here are 4 holes that give you an idea of what you’ll be up against when you tee it up at the South Course of Talking Stick.

The 4th hole is a short par 4 at only 327 yards with a large gaping bunker guarding the center of the fairway baiting players to hit driver over the sand or lay up to avoid the expertly placed hazard. Often those playing early in the morning or late in the afternoon can catch a glimpse of wild horses running in the desert just beyond this sloped green.
 
The 11th hole is one of the best par 4’s on the property. Water runs down the left hand side of this hole all the way to the green, but once you get there your work isn’t done with well-appointed bunkers guarding this sloped green your golf skills will be tested from start to finish. Swing away with driver or lay up for position off the tee, only 392 yards from the black tee markers but trouble follows you the length of the hole.

The 16th hole is a 548-yard par 5 that is played in the shadows of the beautiful Talking Stick Resort. Water bisects the fairway making it imperative to play your shot down the left hand side. With a false front green and deep bunkers, making par is less than a forgone conclusion once you reach this green.

The 18th hole at the South Course is one of the most exciting finishing holes in the valley! It is a 323-yard par 4 that would be an innocuous finishing hole framed by the McDowell Mountains, if it wasn’t for the water that runs down the entire right side of the hole. There is plenty of room left to lay up off the tee, but this is your last chance for glory. A true risk reward shot where lots of bets have been won and lost.

So come on out and experience a genuine Arizona golf course. Tee times can be reserved through the golf shop or online at golfnow.com.