This is the second in a series of three course reviews from our recent Arizona golf trip. On day two we played the world-renowned Troon North Golf Club. Troon North features two world class golf courses; the Monument and Pinnacle. We played the Monument Course on this outing. The Monument Course plays to a yardage of 7,070, has a course rating of 72.9 and a slope of 147 from the Black Tees. We chose to play the Gold Tees. The Gold stats are: yardage - 6,716; course rating - 71.6; and slope of 137. It was still quite a challenge from these tee boxes.
Troon North, like most great desert courses, is first class all the way. This facility has every amenity a golfer could want. They have a wonderful driving range and putting green that players can use to knock the rust off. They also have a fully stocked golf shop with anything you might need in case you under packed. If your foursome is looking for a facility that offers a great place to practice, as well as a great golf experience, you cannot go wrong with Troon North.
One of the features that impressed me the most about Troon North was that it is a true championship golf course. This course will challenge you in every aspect of the game. Although the greens were a little on the slow side the day we played, you can tell they can make them quite challenging for a tournament setting. The only element of the course that I did not prefer was the surrounding residential subdivisions which took away from the natural views. However, I realize that in modern golf course planning, expensive homes dotting the fairways is a given. Even with that I still loved the layout.
One element that you need to be wary of on this course is that there are a lot of forced carries off of the tee boxes. So, if you struggle off the tee or are a short hitter be sure and take plenty of golf balls. There are rattlesnake warning signs positioned around the course, so you might not want to go searching for your lost ball in every instance.
The Monument course has a great variety of holes. There are challenging par 3s, reachable par 5s and long par 4s. My favorite par five on the course was the eleventh which played to 504 yards. This may sound like a short par five but it is straight uphill the entire way and has a pretty daunting tee shot. The tee shot is framed by large boulders and has a fairly lengthy carry to get to the fairway. I also really enjoyed the par three 13th which played to 206 yards. This hole is bordered by a lake on the right and plays at least one club downhill. It offers a large green and a generous approach area where you can run the ball in from the front. The miss is short or left where you also have a number of chipping options.
All in all there are many great holes on this course and it is a must play if you get to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.
Send us a comment if you have ever played Troon North; we would love to hear your feedback.
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