The final round of my Arizona trip was in Northern Arizona, Sedona to be exact. I booked an afternoon tee time at Sedona Golf Resort, which appeared to be one of the top public choices in the area. Gotta say, I’m a bit puzzled by the fact that there aren’t more golf courses up this way!
My tee time wasn’t until 2pm so I decided to get up to Sedona early and explore since I’d never been to the area. I’m glad I did! I took the four mile hike to Devil’s Bridge and stopped by Chapel of the Holy Cross in the morning. All the red rocks in the area provide a beautiful backdrop for outdoor activities. It is a place you don’t want to miss.
My timing worked out very well and for whatever reason there were not many golfers at the resort when I arrived. I paired up with another single and we got around in 3 hours 15 minutes.
Sedona Golf Resort is south of downtown and not a big detour from the I-17. It is designed by Gary Panks, who is a designer I became very familiar with on this trip. The course isn’t terribly long (6,646 yards from the blue tees) and plays shorter than that because of the elevation, which is approximately 4,500 feet above sea level. We played the blue tees and the rating is 70.8 (par-71) with a slope of 132.
While the course doesn’t appear all that difficult on paper I found it very tricky to score. The layout isn’t one of a severe mountain course, but does have enough elevation change to make things challenging. Also, small sections of the greens, the ball flying farther due to the thinner air and breezy conditions had my distance off on nearly every shot. Finally, there is some out of bounds and difficult lines to pick on the back nine for the first time player.
As you would expect from Panks the design and mix of yardages are solid. If you can get past a couple of the quirky holes (think no driver off the tee) then I’m sure you’ll appreciate what the course offers, which is spectacular scenery! I’m not exaggerating when I say this, but Sedona Golf Resort is one of the most scenic non-ocean courses that I’ve played. All for $60 too!
The par-4 6th gives you that first “ooh and aah” moment when you get to the green and look back towards the tee. Here you’ll find a line of red-rock mountains that contrast with the green grass and create something you’d find in a painting. Then, the par-3 10th gives you a better view of these mountains.
The 10th is a 210 yard par-3 that plays slightly downhill to a green with a hillside on the left. There is a marker next to the tees that claims the 10th is the most photographed par-3 in the southwest. I have no idea if that is true or not but you’ll want to have your camera ready as the view is pretty awesome.
The course was very well-kept and everything was lush. The greens are bentgrass and the fairways are ryegrass so it is always great to play on something other than bermuda. Conditions were soft so there wasn’t a ton of roll. The greens were a bit spongy and held footprints but still offered decent rolls.
Even with local knowledge being needed (some tight-looking shots and odd green contours), I’d highly recommend a round at Sedona Golf Resort. The bang for your buck here is incredible and so are the views of the dramatic landscape.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):