Grayhawk Golf Club

Two very good courses here. It's located off Pima Road north of the 101. The Talon Course has elevated greens, large and undulating, and water hazards come into play on a couple of holes. The course has views of the McDowell Mountains and the Phoenix Valley. It's your typical desert course, but has wide enough fairways, and enough of a collar of rough to keep most off-line shots out of the desert. The signature holes are #17, a 126-yard, par 3, requiring a shot to an island green, and #11, a 175-yard, par 3 called "Swinging Bridge," which requires a carry over a desert hollow and a deep front bunker to a wide and deep green, which has two tiers. The Talon was designed by David Graham and Gary Panks and opened in 1994. The course plays from 6975 at the tips with a handicap rating of 75.5 and a slope of 143. The Raptor Course, designed by Tom Fazio, and opened in 1995, is a well laid out and scenic course and, unusual to Arizona has large lake that is adjacent to the clubhouse and hole #18, a 521-yard, par 5. The course extends to 7,135 yards from the back tees, with a par-72 The course is routed through rolling hills and natural washes in the Sonoran Desert, with Saguaro cacti and Mesquite trees bordering the fairways. The fairways are fairly open, but a number of fairway bunkers will catch the slightly off line drive. The greens tend to be large and fast, with a fair amount of undulation. Approaches to the greens are guarded by heavy bunkering, both grass and sand. Both courses make a great 36 hole day. Great bar and restaurant in the clubhouse.