Pine Hole 4

McCormick Ranch Golf Club:

A Scottsdale Favorite for Nearly a Half Century.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

The extensive Scottsdale Greenbelt is home to a vast collection of golf courses. The McCormick Ranch Golf Club is one of these facilities, a wonderful 36-hole complex surrounded by the master-planned community bearing the same name. Built during the early 1970's in the height of suburban expansion and large-scale developments in Scottsdale to handle the influx of people looking for a desert oasis to call home, the once- thriving ranch land filled with Angus cattle and Arabian horses was transformed into a terrific residential golf community and resort certainly worthy of a visit.

Desmond Muirhead is not the most recognized name in golf course architecture, but he does have a niche in the industry. Trained as an urban planner, his later designs with their flair for the eccentric are well recognized. One of his early works is the McCormick Ranch Golf Club. Located on East McCormick Parkway in what is now the central part of the city of Scottsdale, Muirhead's Palm and Pine courses are quite traditional in design, compared to some of his later career work.  Routed through the extensive Greenbelt, the courses are relatively flat with subtle elevation changes built strategically into green sites. The beautiful park-like setting feels more like a trek through Florida than the Arizona desert.  Featuring plenty of water and trees, the experience presents  pleasurable vistas of distant mountains and a challenging round.

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

A Little Piece of Paradise

The Pine Course: The longer of the two courses, the Pine plays tight off the tee and demands solid shot-making to avoid the plentiful water hazards. Being able to move the ball is a must for a chance to score well. Hole Four, the first of the par 5 holes is also the first of the water holes on the course. This terrific three -shot hole is a straight-away beast with water entirely down the left. Two well-struck shots must avoid trees and bunkers on the right and will leave you a tricky wedge into a long narrow green filled with slope. The par 5 seventh hole doglegs right the entire way to the hole. The fairway is pinched with mounds, trees and traps making your decision with the lay-up shot tricky. The uphill approach to the green needs careful attention to both the pin placement and elevation change.

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: Pine

The par 4 11th hole is a challenging hole both for length and the angles of the fairway.  The drive must flirt with the left , avoiding the water to ensure you are far enough away from the tree line on the right to see the green. The wide, shallow green sits high on a plateau fronted by a large bunker, leaving little room for error. The stiffest challenge on the course awaits at the par 4 15th hole. This beast has two formidable forced carries over a lake on your way to a wide shallow green at the back of a jutting peninsula. There is room to miss short but it still leaves a tricky chip.

Course Stats:

The Palm Course: Playing a full shot easier, the Palm  still presents a solid shot-making experience. The second hole is a mid-length par 4 that might be best played leaving the driver in the bag. A tightly pinched landing area is created  by a pair of bunkers to be avoided. A long green with a variety of pin positions and guarded well by bunkers on the right awaits your mid-iron approach. The hardest hole on the course is the meandering par 5 seventh.  The hole plays along a water hazard that runs along the entire left side of the fairway. The second shot must account for an interrupted fairway, while the third shot must avoid the fronting pond left and lengthy bunker protecting the right side.

Editor's Shot Maker's Picks: Palm

The ninth is a great example of the boldness of Muirhead's design principles. The par 4 has two distinct options off the tee.  The safer route doglegs left, but the direct line of play is the island fairway. The daunting tee shot must find the short grass as there is no room for error. The approach must carry the lake separating the end of the fairway from the green.  The lengthy par 5 16th hole gently doglegs right off the tee and then presents an S-bend fairway framed by water on the left, a formidable bunker short  and right of the green.

Course Stats:

Spectacular Hole 9

The parkland style of McCormick Ranch Golf Club is a wonderful suburban golf facility in the heart of Scottsdale. Challenging with a serene setting, the Pine and sister course the Palm are time well spent. The adjacent Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch provides a relaxing and charming stay-and-play opportunity. The resort flows with quaint courtyards, full-service spa and beautiful double pool complete with bar and grill poolside. Fantastic dining choices complete the stay and with the first tee a short walk from the resort, this Scottsdale golf resort will be a nice inclusion on any golfing itinerary.

Drive Times: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 25 mins

Contact:

McCormick Ranch Golf Club
7505 E. McCormick Parkway
Scottsdale, AZ

85258
(480) 948-0260

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