Phoenix Golf Resorts & Courses: The Wigwam

Phoenix Golf Resorts & Courses: The Wigwam

Earlier toady, I played 18 holes at The Wigwam in Litchfield Park, Arizona. It’s about a thirty-minute drive from my apartment, but I have played there before. The first time I played the course was with my good friend Scott Byerly. We played in the middle of the summer and it was extremely hot. Long story short, the course wasn’t in good shape, there wasn’t much (if any) water on the golf course, and we just had an awful experience. So I expressed my displeasure to the general manager, and was offered a free round and asked to give the club a second chance.

Scott wasn’t able to join us, but I asked my buddy Keith to play. Jesus Martinez from Papago Golf Course also played. It was fun playing the course under ideal playing conditions, and I had a lot of fun out there. I made a couple of birdies, and besides the costly double bogey I had on the front, I played pretty well all day. I ended up shooting 77. (Jesus was supposed to give me some strokes, but I won’t get into that!)

Looking Back: First Impressions

When I first played Wigwam, I had a horrible experience. When we arrived, we didn’t really know where to go. When we finally found the clubhouse, no one knew what was going on. I had to load my clubs on the golf cart while the outside service staff watched. They didn’t even offer to help. We had booked to play 18 on the Gold Course. When we got there, the Gold Course was closed and was forced to play the Patriot Course. The course was in horrible condition, there was barely any water on the course, and it was well over 100 degrees that day. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with my experience. When the round was over, I took to Facebook and Twitter to voice my opinion.

Before we left the golf course, I also filled out a customer survey that was on the back of the scorecard. I expressed my displeasure there as well, and within a few days, the general manager called to discuss my experience. He was nice, was eager to invite me back, and wanted to make sure I was taken care of. That is what you are supposed to do in the golf industry… or any industry, for that matter. Make it right. And they did.

Running Late

When we arrived at the golf course, we were running a little late. When I went into the clubhouse, I asked them if they could push our tee time back a few minutes. They gave us plenty of time to warm up and get loose. We ended up teeing off at 10:45. The round was great, the course was in nice shape, and besides for a slow foursome in front of us, it was a perfect day for golf. The weather was incredible, there wasn’t any wind, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Pretty much what I expected when I moved to the Valley!

Like I said, they tried to fix the issue by giving me a free round of golf. While I am still not happy with my first experience at the club, I was very impressed with my round today. Oh, and the cart had my name on it, there was a complimentary yardage book, and a towel on the seat when we walked up. The guy that grabbed our clubs (yes, they had outside staff this time) asked for my last name, and knew our tee time when I told him my name. There was no hassle in the pro shop, and everything went according to plan. Basically, having said all that… it was a perfect day and I had a blast.

I really enjoyed playing with Keith and Jesus. After our round, we grabbed some drinks and a few appetizers in the bar before heading home. The wings are delicious, by the way. If nothing else, I just wanted to share my experience at the club and how they managed to turn everything around. I just wish it had been the same result at McDowell Mountain Golf Club. But that is a story for a different blog post. By the way, I played with Keith at McDowell Mountain, as well.

Anyway, I am glad that I got to play with these guys, and I can’t wait to get back to The Wigwam. They have one more course I haven’t played yet. Guess I know where I am playing next weekend!