One of my golf friends got into town early and we headed over to the Raven Golf Club Phoenix on Thursday afternoon. My friend has an Arcis Players’ Card and my green fee ended up being $30, as his guest. I’m not sure what the regular green fee is for an out-of-towner, but my round was a steal for that price!
Many of the courses that I played on this trip had a dried-out look to them with the hot weather recently, but the Raven wasn’t one of them. Everything here was lush and the turf had a nice green shine to it. I think there was some rye grass still holding on which provided good cushion in the fairways and rough.
The greens were speedy, pure and awesome to putt. The bunkers were the only disappointment as the sand was rocky, crusty and dry. If you have new wedges then you’ll want to be careful playing from the bunkers here!
The Raven is tucked into an older neighborhood close to South Mountain. You get some mountain views, but the course is flat as can be. It would be a good place to walk when the weather isn’t so warm. We played on a 110 degree afternoon and I was surprised to see a few golfers out walking. With so much golf coming up we happily enjoyed the cart ride. Plus, the cart allowed us to skip a slow group and get out of the hot sun earlier than we planned.
Even though there isn’t much to the terrain, I found that the Raven still had a great look to it. The course seems to go for a Carolina look in the desert with many pine trees throughout the course. In this regards the Raven reminded me of Desert Pines Golf Club in Las Vegas.
These pines are the course’s defining feature as they line many holes and surround many greens. Visually, the Raven was my favorite course of the sixteen that I played on this trip! There was something cool about how the water, bunkers, crushed rock and blooming bougainvilleas contrasted against the green grass.
We played the silver tees which are 70.8/127/6722 and the Raven balanced difficulty with fairness well. The course was designed by David Graham and Gary Panks so that isn’t a huge surprise. Mounding, large deep bunkers and a couple long holes were the main challenges. If you get wild off the tee then you’ll likely end up in another fairway with the back and forth layout.
While there isn’t really a signature hole, I liked the short 5th and the 18th. The 5th is driveable par-4 that plays only 303 yards. There is a sea of bunkers though which come into play the farther you decide to drive it.
The 18th is a mid-length closing par-4 with water in play. The green angles right (into the water) so anything missing to the right will likely end up in the hazard. There is a waterfall and the course’s logo is displayed through some rock work not far from the green.
I came away a big fan of the Raven and liked its twist on desert golf (no target golf as well)! The place looks sharp and allows you to make some birdies or pars which can lead to a fun day. I could have done with fewer bunkers but that is my personal preference. If you are considering a round here then I say go for it.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):