I just returned from a trip to Sedona, AZ. Sedona is a long 10 hour drive from our home near San Luis Obispo, CA, across a lot of hot desert. Our route takes us along Hwy 58 through Bakersfield and Tahachapi, then I-40 from Barstow to Flagstaff. Sedona is just a short drive south of Flagstaff, through scenic Oak Creek Canyon. In addition to taking several hikes with my wife, I worked in three rounds of golf at Sedona Golf Resort in the Village of Oak Creek. I usually try to play a variety of courses on vacation, but I liked this course so much after the first day that I kept returning.


Sedona Golf Resort, Sedona, AZ

I joined a father and son from Edmonton, Alberta and a local named Ernie for my first round. I thoroughly enjoyed Ernie, a recent Assistant Mayor of Sedona who got involved in local politics in an effort to stop plans for a new 4-lane freeway into this picturesque town. Lots of development including tons of new multi-million dollar vacation homes have already sprung up since my last visit 15 years ago. Ernie succeeded in getting elected to the city council, but the council later filled with pro-development representatives, so Ernie has made plans to leave.

Ernie proved to be a great guide for my first visit to the course, giving advice on the best targets for tee shots and approaches. His biggest advice was to avoid the bunkers, which were more like crushed red rock than sand. What made the round especially memorable was the weather. The winds were up, but we weren't expecting rain. But after playing the first two holes, storm clouds began appearing over the mountains to the west and began drenching us by the time we reached the third fairway. I could tell the other three golfers really wanted to turn back, but I was eager to keep on and mentioned it would probably pass over quickly. Instead, the rain turned to hail. We got hailed on four times, making for interesting putting! On one fairway, I stood over my ball and watched a huge wall of white hail approach us. It was remarkable watching this curtain of white pass over the distant green, then approach us yard by yard down the fairway. I got my shot off just as the hail reached us. The cart made for timely cover! By the time we reached the sixteenth, the thunder and lightning were so frequent and close that sirens began to sound and our cart's display panel informed us to return to the clubhouse. Our Edmonton friends left, but Ernie and I continued on, agreeing that the lightning seemed to have already passed us to the south. The sun finally came out on the eighteenth, casting shadows while we made our final putts! The weather definitely hurt my score, finishing with an 83, but I actually loved being out in it and watching the storm and it's incredible cloud formations among the spectacular red rocks surrounding the course.


Sedona Golf Resort 10th

Wanting a chance to improve on my score and experience the course in better weather, I headed out again two days later in complete sunshine. I played this round with only another single, which made for a lot of waiting over many shots since the course was full in front of us with foursomes. Although the weather was very pleasant, my partner, who was a personal injury lawyer, spent most of the front nine on the phone attending to business. I'm pretty easy going, but it became very distracting. Due partly to his lack of etiquette and also due to slow play, I finished the front nine 6-over. I had shot 4-over on the front two days earlier in harsh weather conditions! Fortunately, my partner had to make a court appearance by three o'clock and had to stop after 13 holes! I finished by myself and shot even par on the back with 1 bogie and 1 birdie, happily ending the round with a 6-over 77! It's interesting what you learn about someone in a single round of golf. I learned that my lawyer buddy is 37 years old, married, 2 kids (5 and 7), is originally from Phoenix, runs the biggest personal injury office in Northern Arizona, and has a 5400 sq. ft. home on Flagstaff Ranch Country Club, which he bought for $875k, including the $75k golf membership. Boy, you sure get a lot more for your money in Flagstaff than where I live!


Sedona Golf Resort 11th

I played a final round the very next day among spectacular cumulus clouds, but no rain. I hooked up with another attorney, from New York, and an old Irish twosome from Long Beach, CA. This attorney was not only a very good golfer, starting the game when he was 6 years old, but was pleasant to play with as well. He also had an appointment which cut his round short, but he never pulled out his cell phone. One of the two Irishmen was an absolute joy. He started the round duffing one shot after another, but putting his lobs right up to the pin. After a few holes, he apparently got warmed up and remembered how to play, and began hitting pretty impressive drives for such a squirrelly swing. I finally got off to a good start, parring most of the first holes, but lost a ball on one tee shot causing a double bogie, then loosing another soon after, leading to a triple! I snuck in a birdie to finish the front just 5-over. I got a little sloppy at the end of the round, trying to repeat some great drives I'd hit earlier in the round - trying to keep up with the crushing drives of the attorney. I landed a lake on both 16 and 18, and finished the back nine 3 over for an 8-over 79. Not a bad finish to a wonderful vacation!

I absolutely loved the course! Not only was the setting spectacular, but I found it much more difficult than it's 120 slope would indicate. The greens were fast and undulating, and well protected by crushed red rock bunkers. Many fairways were tight, with menacing desert shrub grabbing any ball that seemed only slightly offline. But what challenged me the most was the thin air at nearly 4500 feet of elevation. I never quite figured out what club to use on my approaches. Although I loved hitting my 8 iron 170 yards, it usually resulted in finding a bunker beyond the green. On the downhill par 5 eleventh, I crushed a 345 yard drive, leaving me only 189 yards out. I then hit a 7-iron 10 yards past the hole, thinking I'd leave my shot below the hole for an uphill chip or putt! Believe me, I've never hit a 200 yard 7-iron before!

I definitely look forward to returning someday to Sedona, to enjoy another hike to Cathedral Rock, and to play a few more rounds at Sedona Golf Resort!

Labels: Arizona, Courses, Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Rounds, Sedona, Sedona Golf Resort