I worked Memorial Day week but I worked the early shift as much of my work involves individuals on the East Coast. So, after some early mornings, I was free in the afternoons to explore a couple courses.
One of these weekday rounds took place at Lookout Mountain Golf Club, which was about 20 minutes from where I was staying in Scottsdale. I booked a round here mainly because recent reviews said the course was in good shape. They also had a 3:45pm tee time which allowed me enough time to get over to the course and still finish before dark!
Lookout Mountain is a Troon facility that is associated with the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. They allow outside play and I actually booked my tee time through GolfNow for $30. And, for a course with some character this close to downtown, I thought it was a good find.
What makes the course unique is its mountain setting in an urban area. The course and resort are located between North Mountain, Lookout Mountain Preserve and the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Pretty much any direction you turn you are bound to have a great view!
The opening holes at Lookout Mountain are slow to capture your attention so try not to judge the course until the end of the round. The first six holes and the final four holes are down in a flat area while the holes in the middle take you up into the hills. This middle group of holes (the 7th through the 14th) give Lookout Mountain its appeal and I enjoyed each of these holes.
Out of these holes the 7th and 10th were my favorites. The 7th is a shortish par-5 that plays mostly downhill. The fairway is wide and the drive can really run out, tempting you to try to get there in two. However, the green sits up and has trouble all around it.
The 10th is Lookout Mountain’s signature hole and was a ton of fun to play. It is 419 yards with a severely elevated tee that offers great views of the area. You’ll probably want to lay up off the tee and favor the left side of the fairway for a bounce right.
I played the blue tees which are 70.0/130/6515 and thought there was a nice mix of challenges. If the course was a bit softer/lusher then I think that would have helped keep the ball in play. I got some unpredictable kicks which made things tough to judge, especially when combined with the elevation change.
Besides everything being dried out on the front nine the conditions were good for this time of year. I ended up with a mix of firmer and softer lies. The greens had some fire to them and were tricky to putt. The sand was thick and didn’t seem to have many rocks in it.
Lookout Mountain provides a lot to talk about and I was impressed with the course. It is a solid course that gets better as you go and one I’d recommend in that second-tier category.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):