Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club might be my favorite course in the Valley. The staff at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is world-class, the practice facility is unbeatable, and #miniDunes, the short course on the floor of the driving range, is a blast. It’s a long drive for me from North Scottsdale, but worth it by the time I get there and play 18 holes. The Arroyo Grille is pretty good, too, and on this trip I got the chance to try a few new menu items that I normally wouldn’t order. Like the Blackened Ahi Tuna and the Green Chile Tortilla. It is a burger… But the bun is a tortilla. Right?! It was delicious and I can’t wait to get back down there for another one. Cooked medium, please!
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes just came out of overseed, and the course was as good as I’ve seen. The greens were perfect, the fairways lush, and the rough… Well, the rough was thick. I found myself in the rough several times. I found a few bunkers along the way, too, which isn’t hard to do out here. I didn’t play great, only had one birdie, and don’t want to reflect too much on my round… But I do want to talk about the steps and miles. We played the Gold tees, and I walked to track my steps and miles. All four of us walked, as a matter of fact, and we all used their new Sun Mountain Speed Carts. So, how many steps is Ak-Chin Southern Dunes? Well, I broke it down for you.
The front nine was 7,674 steps and 3.42 miles. The back nine was 7,091 steps and 3.16 for a grand total of 14,765 steps and 6.58 miles. The walk really doesn’t feel that long, as there isn’t a lot of distance from tee to green. Granted, I was in the desert all day looking for golf balls… But like I said, I don’t want to talk about my round!
It was a great day for golf, the weather was perfect, and the company was as good as you can get. I didn’t play #miniDunes this time, as I had to meet a friend at IKEA to pick up some bedroom furniture, but it was a great day at what has become one of my favorite courses in the Valley and the course that I consider my “home course.” Oh, and before I left I grabbed a Players Towel with the official Ak-Chin Southern Dunes logo on it. Brady told me to take the red… I mean, that is Tiger’s “power color” after all. The next time you play golf, I encourage you to walk. Chances are the next time I play I will be walking.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention I played the final 3 holes in E par. I have a new approach to the game, and will start playing golf 3 holes at a time. My good friend and newly appointed coach Brady Wilson made that recommendation. Speaking of Brady Wilson, he hit his second shot in the water on 18. But he could still get a club on it, and decided to play it from the drink. He hit an unbelievable shot and gave himself a chance at par. Not sure if he made it or not… I was too busy trying to save par myself!
thank you for sharing