Talking Stick Golf Club
January 22, 2008
On the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community just south and a bit west of Casino Arizona and the 101 Freeway lies the Talking Stick Golf Club. Managed by Troon Golf, this 36 hole Ben Crenshaw, Bill Coore design is all you could ask for in a challenging but fair test of golf in the Scottsdale desert. It has always been one of my favorite golf facilities because I like both the North and South courses equally. But before you accuse me of straddling the fence I have to give the South Course a bit of an edge for me. And only because I have played it ten times more than the North Course. You know how a golf course seems to set up better for your game, especially off the tee? And it felt like every time I had an opportunity to play the North Course - there was either a corporate event, PGA qualifying of some sort or a 144 player shotgun tournament standing in my way. I guess it has grown really popular - but I was never disappointed, having to play the South.
When the golf courses of Talking Stick Golf Club first appeared on the eastern border of Scottsdale and the Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (my guess is 95' or thereabouts) Casino Arizona was just a big fancy tent out in the desert and I was a Sales Manager at Resort Suites of Scottsdale, one of Scottsdale's leading golf resorts. The entire Resort Suites sales department put every golfer they could on either of the Talking Stick Golf Courses because they knew they would have a great time, be treated well and would absolutely love the golf. People are always asking, "which course should I play there?" My answer, "both of them!" As I mentioned previously, the South Course with its tree-lined fairways and raised greens, holds a slight edge with me because over the years I have lost a bit of distance and I love the greens on that golf course. From the day that Troon Golf invited us in the business to tour and play the facility, we all loved it. It was a coin toss as to which course was liked best. I will tell you this; the better players seem to favor the North Course.
It's always a pleasure dealing with the Pro's and staff at Talking Stick Golf Club and because of their efforts it didn't take long for them to overtake Casino Arizona as the anchor tenant for that particular project! Stay tuned as they continue to grow and prosper. It only bodes well for the golfer visiting Scottsdale to be able to take advantage of the competition for your tee time dollar. A lot of the courses here in Scottsdale have been or are soon to be renovated, re-routed and changed for the better just to keep up with the Jones's.
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore made this statement about Talking Stick, "Whichever course one chooses or prefers, it was our desire to portray golf in a traditional sense, which quietly merges with its tranquil desert surroundings." I guess that's one way of saying it but I prefer to say they are both just a pleasure to play - and for all skill levels. There is an atmosphere here that calms the spirit while bringing out the best in your golf game. The immaculate conditioning of the entire facility for which Troon Golf prides itself on is abundantly clear at Talking Stick, from the 150 yard long practice area to the 17,000 Sq Ft practice green and on the tees, greens and fairways of both courses.
The North and South Courses at Talking Stick Golf Club are unique and both offer many options for the medium and high handicapper. I have seen golf facilities with two or more courses where you could really not tell one course from another but here they are as different as night and day. The North Course plays longer to a Par 71 and the South Course a bit shorter to a Par of 70 but both have 2 Par 5's and 4 Par 3's each. From the Black Tees of both courses, the North Course measures 7133 yards and the South Course comes in at 6833 yards. The North Course is a Scottish Links design with characteristics common to the links courses of Scotland, deep fairway bunkers that penalize by forcing you to hit sideways and sometimes even backwards. The fairways are generous but stay away from the desert on the left. Their low-profile, slightly crowned greens and close-cropped approaches encourage use of the bump and run shot and will hold a well struck iron as well. The South course is a more traditional style golf course with tree lined fairways and water hazards. Are you starting to see what I mean about picking a favorite?
There seem to be two different interpretations behind the “talking stick”. One is that an actual stick represented an ancient calendar of important events for the Pima tribe and "spoke" of those events depicted as harvests, droughts, solar eclipse's, and festivals. The other is that a stick was passed around to a person who had no fear of addressing a tribal council. I would like to think it means, "let your sticks do your talking".
If you are an admirer of awards and they have an influence on where you play here are just a few of the accolades that have been earned by the folks at Talking Stick Golf Club:
Golfweek Magazine Best Public Courses in Arizona - 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 & 2002
Golf World Business Top 100 Golf Shops - 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 & 2000
Golf Magazine Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play - 2003 & 2002
Golfweek Magazine Top 100 Modern Courses - 2002, 2001, 2000, & 1999
Talking Stick is also home to one of the finest practice facilities in the valley and the Tim Mahoney Golf School. What a terrific practice facility! And even Big John Daily can't crank it out of the park here at over 360 yards long! So whether you are just warming up or knocking the rust off your swing, you can get a great practice session here.
It's easy to get to Talking Stick from Indian Bend Rd and Scottsdale Rd. You just follow Indian Bend Rd east until it dead ends into the South Course at Talking Stick. I have heard whispered conversations about Golf Villas or a Golf Resort being built there someday and that would make that project the complete dream golf destination: Two Championship Crenshaw - Coore designed, 18 hole golf courses, each with it's own unique character and landscape - A state-of-the-art Casino Arizona, comfortable accommodations and all within 10 minutes of downtown Scottsdale? Wow!
