Conveniently located less than 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Talking Stick Golf Club boasts two golf courses designed by the renowned golf course architecture team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. This 36-hole facility is a popular Scottsdale golf destination for all levels of players and it is particularly favored by those who like to walk rather than ride a cart. The layouts are the chief recreational amenity of Talking Stick Resort, but aside from the resort casino structures, they ramble on gloriously undeveloped reservation land of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian community. There s no course-side housing here. Unlike Coore-Crenshaw's more famous designs, Talking Stick Golf Course is anything but a dramatic site. The club s two layouts proceed over flat and featureless ground. The O odham Course, formerly known as the North Course, is often favored by golf course architecture aficionados. It s an exposed, largely treeless playing field with nary a water hazard to be found. Uninterrupted stretches of grass from tee to green, wide fairways, and the absence of forced carries make Talking Stick Golf Club s O odham Course an excellent choice for all levels of players. Skilled golfers will find they must play to the proper spots to score as bunkers and subtle contours, along with large tricky greens, call for precise shot making and a deft short game. Much of the bite of the O odham Course comes from its length, especially on holes into the wind. In Contrast, the adjacent Piipaash Course (formerly the South Course) is more traditional in style.It's the course that receives the most play at Talking Stick Golf Club. The front nine bears similarity to its sister course as it doesn t have any water hazards, though as you proceed into the round more trees begin to frame the holes. The back nine offers plenty of variety. Water hazards enter the fray on five holes, including, most notably, the 11th and 18th which wrap around a lake. Rounds at Talking Stick Golf Club often move along at a quicker clip than at other Scottsdale golf clubs. When ballenter the desert, you normally don t have to worry about cacti or rocks. Vigilant course rangers also keep groups moving. The club has nice practice facilities. If you re interested in a resort experience, Talking Stick Resort, an elegant Las Vegas-style casino resort hotel, makes for the perfect base. Whether you come to Talking Stick to play one course or two, this Scottsdale golf haven promises to be an enjoyable experience in a natural realm that is largely free of distractions.
