After our morning round on the Cattail course we had some lunch and headed over to the Devil’s Claw course. The proshop was great and managed to get us out early for our replay! It was another fairly quiet afternoon so we had the course to ourselves.
Devil’s Claw was built in 2000 and is the original course at Whirlwind. Cattail was added in 2002 and you can find that review in the previous post. Both courses are designed by Gary Panks and from what I read prior to the rounds, Devil’s Claw is the better of the two courses. And, after playing both courses, I’d have to agree with that general consensus – while I did enjoy Cattail, Devil’s Claw has the more upscale feel to it.
Like Cattail, Devil’s Claw has opening and closing holes that get you to the meat of the course, where the best holes are located. Also like Cattail, Devil’s Claw is located out in the flat desert landscape. I’m not sure I’d want to walk the course (when it is cooler of course!) because the layout has some sprawl to it, but there aren’t any homes around and you get views of the mountains in the background.
We played the gold tees which are 70.3/123/6487 and I wouldn’t have minded seeing some combo tees between the blacks (7,029 yards) and the golds. For some reason there are combo tees that play 6,268 yards but that 6,600 to 6,700 yardage was missing at Devil’s Claw.
Devil’s Claw has less water in play than Cattail, but I think it has a more championship feel. For example, Devil’s Claw has the split-fairway 9th, is better bunkered and the par-3 7th is the centerpiece of golf at Whirlwind. I also found Devil’s Claw to be the more thought-provoking course, although the rating and slope don’t support that observation.
The 148 yard par-3 7th is the signature hole at Whirlwind. It is one of the two water holes on Devil’s Claw and shares the same hazard with the par-3 12th, another good hole. For the 7th it is all carry over water to the beautiful green complex. The green has mounding on a couple sides and slopes from back to front. The right side of the green is guarded by rocks, water and a couple waterfalls that add contrast to the desert scenery.
Like the Cattail course, Devil’s Claw is playable for the amateur golfer (a Panks theme it seems) and would be a good pick to knock off some of that winter rust. There is little lost-ball trouble and no target golf. The biggest challenge on Devil’s Claw will probably be the deep bunkers guarding the greens.
The conditions at Devil’s Claw were very nice and the course had a more lush look than Cattail. Devil’s Claw had nice mow lines and provided cushy lies. The greens were smooth and quick. The conditioning on Devil’s Claw had a premium feel, consistent with the Troon experience.
If Cattail was in better condition then it would have been a closer contest between the two courses at Whirlwind. As a whole I think Cattail has a greater number of interesting holes, but the signature par-3’s at Devil’s Claw give it the overall advantage. I wouldn’t call Devil’s Claw a “must play” course in Phoenix but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed visiting for a round.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):