While the northern reaches of the Scottsdale/Phoenix golf mecca are best known to traveling golfers for 36-hole havens such as Troon North Golf Club, The Boulders resort, and Grayhawk Golf Club, locals have discovered a hidden gem in Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club. Located in Cave Creek less than five miles from The Boulders, this upscale, 18-hole championship course is the focal point of an 850-acre master-planned golf community. The Robert Trent Jones II-designed playing field earned honors from the Arizona Republic as Arizona's Best New Course in 1999. When you make a tee time to play here, at every turn you ll see brilliant greens contrasting with the desert s muted palette of ocotillo, saguaro, ironwood, palo verde and cholla. Jones built his reputation designing courses that present heroic challenges (for example, Chambers Bay in Washington and Princeville s Prince Course in Hawaii), but Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club is a kinder and gentler creation. Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club draws raves for being a fun, varied, and player-friendly layout. The predominantly flat playing field stretches from 5,376 yards to 7,095 yards from five sets of tee markers plus two additional hybrid distance options. It s a tale of two nines. The straightforward front nine features holes with generous landing zones and very large, undulating greens. The trouble is clearly visible on the front nine, though there isn t much of it other than on the risk/reward lake-bound dogleg 2nd hole called Fatal Attraction. When balls run through the fairways on the front nine, the desert transition areas are manicured and not overly penal you ll generally be able to find your golf ball and play a recovery shot. Just beware of three putts when you reach the greens. The challenge at Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club ramps up significantly on the back nine. Design elements such as split fairways, severe doglegs,along with the natural desert washes, dictate strategy. You ll find tighter playing corridors and a number of blind shots. Since the desert washes cut off the fairways, Jones gave players a number of target-style challenges. The greens are also smaller on the back nine. Local knowledge goes a long way at Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club. Because of the unique routing challenges, players tend to score much better the second time they come here. Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club s practice facilities include a grass driving range, short game areas and a putting green. The clubhouse features a well-stocked pro shop and a snack bar where you can enjoy a bite or a brew inside or outside on the patio that overlooks the course and the surrounding mountains. It s no wonder that locals gravitate to tee times at Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club.
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