Phoenix

[leftylucas]

Sounds fantastic, enjoy and dont let those clouds in your head get in the way of your golf game.

[BogeyGolf]

Wow, it sounds so nice in Arizona. I hope to get their soon. Have fun.

[mpare]

My brother and I had a great time this morning at The Legends course. Teeing off at 0630 we toured the course in 3 hours and 10 minutes. We played from the gold tees (6500 yards). This atrategic course is both scenic and beautiful. The landing areas are, for the most part, generous. The real challenge lies in the angle of attack to the greens. If you are out of position there is simply no chance to par the holes. The reason for this are the undulating greens. Imagine putting on undulating greens that are as fast and as smooth as a quick-felt pool talble and you'll get a sense of what I mean. While I scored a 79, I never could figure out the reads (I'm bringing sunglasses tomorrow - maybe that will help). By contrast, my brother, who has not played since last year shot an 83 with 3 birdies. We had so much fun, that we are playing there at 0600 Wednesday, after playing in a tournament at Coyote Lakes tomorrow morning.

Jordan, my brother loves the Cobra MBs that you sold him. Before hitting them, he was apprehensive that he might not have been able to use blades. He loved them. In fact, he hit the ball about 12 yards further than he did with his cavity back clubs. But best of all, was his ability to control the trajectory. He says "Thanks a lot."

We'll take some pictures tomorrow. I'll try to download a few after our post-round swim. Life is tough as a retiree! I love this.

[BogeyGolf]

Sounds like it would be a nice course to play,good landing areas, quick smooth greens. Sounds like a course that people of different calibre's could play. Look forward to seing some pics of the courses and the trip.

[mpare]

I have no pictures yet as my brother is the only one with the camera. None have been taken to date. I hope to get some today when we return to The Legends.

Playing with The Lawmen at Coyote Lake yesterday was a joy. They are, with one exception, a wonderful bunch of guys. My brother and I could not have had a better time. The two fellows with whom we played, Cecil and Bill were a joy. They kept us laughing through the entire round.

The course itself was a demanding off the tee, requiring both good strategy (and often, restraint) and course knowledge. The approach shots and the greens themselves were much more forgiving than The Legends. The fairways and greens were not as good as The Legends, but they were still very good. All in all, we had a very good time. Making $10 for shooting 74 for low gross wasn't bad either, especially given that I was 3 off the tee twice and 4 putted one green!

At 0600 we return to The Legends this morning. We are looking to redeem ourselves. However, it remains to be seen if the course gets the last laugh. It is really demanding. In fact, the organizers of the Lawmen group told me that their members don't want to play there. It's simply too tough.

Tomorrow we have arranged a game (for $45, cart included) at The 500 Club. It's less than 10 minutes from my uncle's place, and the locals tell me that it's a must play.

Apart from being a bit tired from getting little sleep, we are having a great time. I'd like to figure out how my wife and I could live here for a number of months a year. It is that beautiful.

Sounds like it would be a nice course to play,good landing areas, quick smooth greens. Sounds like a course that people of different calibre's could play. Look forward to seing some pics of the courses and the trip.

[big mac]

Sounds like retirement is off to a great start Mike Yes your going to try and figure out how to live there---it's beautiful....but believe me it's cheaper to visit for a couple of months. watch out for the snakes

[Sakuraba]

I know my wife & I went to about 5 open houses during our 2 week stay there this March. There are some incredible deals on real estate there now. The gated-community where we were staying was 1/2 full of Canadians from Calgary. The only slight downer was it is a long flight to Phoenix. I didn't realize until I looked at a map that it was further away from here than parts of Mexico.

[mpare]

Realistically, living here, even for part of the year, is not likely. However, visiting will definitely be a possibility.

My brother and I just booked a tee time with another track for 0700 on Friday morning. The course is called Trilogy Golf Club of Vistancia. It received a 5 star rating from Gold Digest. It apparently is a real desert golf experience. At $74 we thought the green fees were very reasonable. I'll let you know what we thought of the course.

This morning's round at The Legends was much better for my brother, and a repeat of the other day for me. It has the psychological edge on me. That did not diminish the fun we had. Another great morning on a great course.

[Hacker]

Mike - Are you using the Hamilton putter? Is she behaving for you??

[mpare]

A rookie like the Hamilton is not yet deserving of this road trip. It has to earn the right to hit the road. I have my 25+ year old Calaway blade with me. The putter is great. He who wields it, though, is less than stellar.

[Hacker]

Humble to the end.

[mpare]

We played The 500 Club today. It's situated in a great location, and represents desert golf well. Unfortunately, the greens were bad. If grees looked like that in the Ottawa area we'd say that the poa annua got out of control and took over the greens. One of the locals with whom we played said that that was the worst he'd seen them. It's too bad, because the condition of the greens diminished our enjoyment. That said, the weather was great. It sure beats fighting rain, wind and cold.

Tomorrow we will be visiting the Five Star Rated Trilogy course. Based on what we saw of that course yesterday, we will have a great time on a memorable track. After a swim and a quick siesta, we should be ready to see the DBacks take on the Giants Friday night. Life is good.

The pictures will have to await my return to Newmarket.

[LobWedge]

We're now in Phoenix. What a beautiful area. I cannot recall seeing the sky so blue and so free of clouds. The only cloud is in my head - way too much wine! Ah, but a celebration last night was in order.

This morning my brother and I have a 6:48 tee time at Arnie's Legends at Arrowhead for a total price of $92 thanks to Golfnow.com. I'll let you know how we make out. The heat will be welcomed - 95 degrees. Would that I could export some of this weather to Ontario.

Yeah, and it's a dry heat too. I love it. Have a great time, you lucky so-and-so...

[mpare]

My brother is now sending me copies of the pictures that he took on our trip. Here are a few to whet your appetite. Unfortunately, reducing the photos in size so that they are no larger than 800 compromises the quality, but you'll get a sense of the beauty of the place.

[big mac]

Just like I remember Mike, is that the backside of Superstition Mountain ? Gotta go back

[mpare]

I don't know the name of the mountain, but that picture was taken at The 500 Club. It's a great course from tee to green. However, the greens were not in the best of shape.

If you want incomparable greens, play The Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia. Those greens run about 12 to 13 and are perfect, as is the strategic value of the course. Unfortunately, it has an Achilles heel. The sand traps are abysmal. While well-formed and strategic, they were not properly designed. That is the only conclusion I can come too when each and every one of them demonstrated the same characteristics: 1/4 inch of sand covering compressed sand that was as hard as adobe brick.

I can understand why you'd want to return. My brother and I are ready to do the same next year, except we'd like to stay a bit longer. Beautiful country.

Just like I remember Mike, is that the backside of Superstition Mountain ? Gotta go back

[big mac]

Glad to hear your first retirement trip was a memorable one Did you manage to "impale" any balls on the cactus?

[Sakuraba]

I booked our trip for March 2010 this week. Reading your descriptions and looking at the pictures (especially considering what I'm looking at out the window) is getting my appetite whetted again.

Any chance you & your brother will be there during the first 2 weeks of March Mike? We could have an all-Canadian 4some in one of the Lawmen tournaments!

[mpare]

I just now noticed your post, Andrew. Sadly, I will not be visiting Phoneix this year. Spending 2 1/2 months in the USA between January and March will commit a lot of discretionary funds. In addition to that, I will be golfing for 8 days with 11 other guys in North Carolina in August. We'll be playing a number of the Pinehurst courses including their US Open site, as well as Tobacco Road, and other great tracks. So .... no Phoenix this year.

I booked our trip for March 2010 this week. Reading your descriptions and looking at the pictures (especially considering what I'm looking at out the window) is getting my appetite whetted again.

Any chance you & your brother will be there during the first 2 weeks of March Mike? We could have an all-Canadian 4some in one of the Lawmen tournaments!