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MESA, Arizona – In the 11th annual Golfweek's Best Courses, the editors of Golfweek magazine named Longbow Golf Club to its list of "2009 Golfweek's Best Resort Courses."
"We are thrilled and honored to receive recognition from Golfweek," said Jay Larscheid, General Manager. "I think we all knew that Longbow would garner accolades such as this, and it's truly gratifying to have agreement from one of the golf world's most influential publications. We've simply stayed focused on our pledge to our guests to provide the highest standards in terms of service and playing conditions. It's obvious that this formula has paid off."
Longbow was ranked 89 out of 100, which, at first glance may seem a bit dubious. However, when one considers the caliber of golf clubs placed further up the list – Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Whistling Straits, to name a few – it's clear that Longbow has earned a place among golf's elite resort courses.
Longbow Business Park and Golf Club is a 330-acre, mixed-use development, being developed by Daedalus Real Estate Advisors, that incorporates office, light industrial, retail and hotel uses surrounded by desert vegetation and a main street transportation design and features the award-winning Longbow Golf Club. Daedalus is a Phoenix-based commercial real estate services company that provides investment, development and communications consulting to corporate real estate clients. To learn more about Longbow Golf Club or to book a tee time call 480.807.5400 or visit www.longbowgolf.com.
Longbow Golf Club is professionally managed by OB Sports Golf Management, a diversified, golf-oriented company with a long history of success. OB Sports currently manages 31 premier golf courses and country clubs throughout the United States. Known for its comprehensive and personalized services since 1972, OB Sports has become widely acclaimed as the leader in boutique-style golf course management. For more information about OB Sports Golf Management visit www.obsports.com.
Well dear readers, it seems my golf fever is running at a high and the only sensible facility to treat me is at the McCormick Ranch Golf Club. 75 degrees, the smell of fresh cut grass and the sound of well struck golf shots flutter in and out as I step out of my golf cart and descend onto McCormick Ranch‘s Pine course.
McCormick Ranch Golf Club is nestled at the cross roads of the Millennium Resort and all that Scottsdale, AZ have to offer. My last visit to this beautiful Golf Club I highlighted the Palm course and with a lot of inquiries and lots of encouragement I grasped at my trusty golf clubs and begin my journey.
As I have spoken of before, McCormick Ranch offers numerous practice facilities from a driving range to putting & chipping greens to practice bunkers and even a small par 3 to sharpen your game. After I wasted all of my bad shots on each one of these practice areas I decided as most of us do, that I was ready to break the course record. Unfortunately for me starting off by hooking a drive on the first hole of the Pine course wasn’t in the game plan, but it was capped off by a great punch shot and a two putt to save my par and give me confidence as I walked onto the next box.
The local secret to the Pine course is this; score low early in the first three holes then hold on, the further you continue the tougher it gets. Leaving the 3rd hole at 2+ over par I knew the par 5 in front of me offered great opportunities and many disappointments. From the tee box it appears as if an artist painted this beautiful picture; endless waves of mountains in the back round, tempting water that lines the tight fairway leading up to a tiny green that slopes ever so violently from right to left…oh and its also covered with trench like bunkers that force you to play the best flop shot of your life if you manage to enter. After a very rewarding drive I threw caution to the wind and pulled out my trusty old friend Mr. 5 wood and ripped a drive that went 20 yards left of my target leaving me wet and wanting satisfaction.
I gathered myself and continued my journey stumbling through the front nine, at the turn the only relief I found was a McCormick Dawg and a frosty beverage which evidently gave me the courage to continue on and turn my day around. Just like the front nine of the Pine as in the back nine, score early in the first few holes then prepare yourself for a fun roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs and a lot of water.
My favorite hole on the Pine course is the par 4 15th hole, this hole forces you to play safe due to a crafty positioned water hazard all along the left side and a split fairway to boot. Saving par or scoring a birdie on this hole leaves you feeling ready to take on the world and join the Pro Tour.
McCormick Ranch Golf Club is making waves in the City of Scottsdale, with recent renovations and design alterations; they sit at the forefront of the golfing community ready, willing and able. Fellow golfers I invite you to experience golfing in Scottsdale and enjoy this beautiful golf course and perhaps make a few birdies along the way.
Till next time my fellow golfers, hit’em long and straight!!!
Located in the hearth of Scottsdale, McCormick Ranch is the perfect golf course that offers 36 holes of golf that is close to home. The Pine and Palm courses at McCormick Ranch are home to the most mature traditional scenery that Scottsdale golf courses have to offer. Desert terrain doesn’t come into play on either course; however, amazing views of Camelback Mountain may be seen from either golf course.
The name of the Pine Course denotes the stately stands of trees that line the fairways of both nines. The fairways are narrower on this course and more tree-lined. Contending with only a little less water, the play is bold and pure. However, at Number 4, a hefty 536-yard par 5, the lakes and streams threaten off the tee and down the entire left side. Also, club selection off the tee at Number 15 is critical, where the lake impinges twice on the approach to an island green. For the other holes on the Pine, there's not much to do but keep the ball in play away from the trees and sand bunkers.
Pine is considered slightly more player friendly with the layout of the greens, which are more accessible. The average golfer will feel more at ease of this course.
The Verdict: This course stands on its own merits if only for the look at Muirhead's architectural evolution and surpasses any history lesson. In a Scottsdale area obsessed with spectacular desert shows, Pine sticks out as an almost unique take.
Muirhead has created a target golf course by creating a course the right way and producing a fair, tough test of shotmaking.
Package Notes:
Prices are per golfer based on 2 persons sharing a 2 room suite - includes all taxes. Prices are subject to change without notice. Accommodations and golf are subject to availability.
| Package Rates 2011-12: | |
| Nov 4 – Dec 25, 2011 | $370 |
| Dec 26 – 31, 2011 | $395 |
| Jan 1 – 19, 2012 | $435 |
| Jan 20 – Mar 8, 2012 | $455 |
| Mar 9 – 31, 2012 | $480 |
| Apr 1 – 7, 2012 | $465 |
| Apr 8 – 14, 2012 | $445 |
Course Opened:
1971
Course Type/Style:
Public/Parkland
Number of Tee Boxes:
4 sets
Total Number of Sand Bunkers:
36–40
Number of Water Hazards:
6 of 18 holes
Most Challenging Hole:
No. 4
Most Memorable Hole:
No. 15
Sinature Hole:
No. ?
Acreage of Course:
acres
Average Size of Greens:
6,400 sq. ft.
Primary Grasses
Fairways:
Bermuda Grass
Rough:
Bermuda Grass
Greens:
TiffDwarf Grass
Months Open:
January – December
High Season:
January – April
Aerification:
Overseeding:
Sep. 9 to Oct. 6
Rounds per year:
Green Fees:
Low: $35 High: $126
Walking Options:
Mandatory Cart
Director of Golf
Mike Lindsay, PGA
Head Pro:
Randy Beaupre, PGA
Superintendent:
Eric Case, GCSAA
Golf Digest 
rating
What do you need to know about TPC-Myrtle Beach, beyond the need to bring your 'A' game? Here are five tidbits that might enhance your enjoyment of the South Strand layout.
Hit it high – Generally speaking, the greens at TPC are elevated and well bunkered, so you aren't going to have much success trying to run the ball up. Make sure you iron game is sharp and be prepared to fly numerous bunkers on your way to the green.
Tournament Tested – TPC is one of Myrtle Beach golf's biggest challenges and it has the resume to prove it. The course has hosted the PGA Senior Tour Championship, the finals of the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, and every spring it hosts the General Hackler Invitational, one of the nation's best collegiate tournaments. Take the time to check out the clubhouse memorabilia.
One of a Kind – In recent years Myrtle Beach golf courses have collected honors like a kid receiving candy on Halloween, but TPC is the only course in the area to earn 5-stars in Golf Digest's prestigious "Best Places to Play" guide and one of fewer than 25 layouts in the nation to earn the distinction.
Yes, that is Dustin Johnson – Rising PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson calls TPC-Myrtle Beach home. In addition to practicing and playing at TPC, the three-time winner on tour has been known to hang around the clubhouse. Don't be shocked if you see him, but he's just one of the guys in Murrells Inlet.
That's a wild turkey, not a drink – TPC-Myrtle Beach is built on 369 acres, much of it wetlands, which means the course has plenty of breathing room and there is ample wildlife. Wild turkey roost in the swamp to the left of ninth tee and there are an abundance of deer, alligators and fox, among many other animals. Enjoy the scenery.
By Chris King on May 4, 2010
The TPC-Myrtle Beach is one of the Grand Strand's bluebloods.
It enjoys the benefit of a premium brand, superior design (the team of Lanny Wadkins and Tom Fazio is tough to beat), and it's the home course of Dustin Johnson, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. Throw in a bevy of national honors, and it's not hard to see why the facility is so highly regarded.
Identifying the three best holes on a course that has hosted what was then the Senior PGA Tour Championship and gets a regular workout from Johnson is a challenging task, because the candidates are plentiful. We asked course owner Chip Smith to identify the best of the best at TPC-Myrtle Beach and he complied, with an assist from Johnson.
The three best holes at TPC are:
No. 5, 158-yard, Par 3: Despite being TPC's shortest hole, the fifth is one of its most challenging, particularly from the tips where the tee shot requires a long forced carry over water. The green is wider than it is deep, so your margin for error is limited. A bunker in the right front looms for players not playing from the tips, as does a bunker in back of the green.
"There is almost a false front on the front of the green," Smith said. "It's a tough little shot because the green is narrow. The right side of the green is always better than short because of the lake."
No. 17, 193-yard, par 3: The words island green and TPC have almost become synonymous because of the famed 17th at Sawgrass, and No. 17 at TPC-Myrtle Beach is a reasonable approximation. The primary differences? The 17th in Myrtle Beach is a peninsula green surrounded by water on "only" three sides and it's approximately 50 yards longer. The 17th is TPC-Myrtle Beach's signature hole and with an almost constant wind, it represents a significant challenge. "Because of the distance, I think it's a little tougher than 17 at Sawgrass," Smith says. "Now I've never stood on 17 at Sawgrass on Sunday with $1.4 million on the line either (laugh)."
No. 18, 538-yard, par 5: The 18th, with a creek running along the right side of the fairway and a large lake on the left, is Johnson's choice as the course's best. It's a classic risk-reward hole. Players that can snuggle up to the creek before it runs out to the lake can get home in two, but there is considerable risk. Half of the green is exposed to water and with the rough surrounding it shaved, it's not an easy green to hold. One person who doesn't have to worry about length is Johnson. What does one of the PGA Tour's longest hitters use to reach the green on his second shot? "Depending on which way the wind is blowing, anywhere from a 5 or 6 iron to a 3-wood," he said. For the mere mortals among us, an iron on the second shot when attempting to reach the 18th green is out of the question!
