Tatum Ranch Golf Club is a private club located conveniently 5 miles north of Loop 101 on Tatum Blvd. The management was recently taken over by OB Sports, one of the leading golf club management facilities in the Phoenix area and if you are an OB sports card holder, you can play here for $80 in high season. They have 275 members and like most other golf clubs and looking for more.
Tatum Ranch opened in 1987 and was designed by one of the Valleys leading golf architects, Robert Cupp. This 6,856-yard, par 72 layout challenges players with a unique desert landscape and a variety of shotmaking opportunities.
It is in a housing development and in some spots, feels tightly fit into the surrounding homes. But with the vegetation restricting some tee box views of the fairways, it is more of a visual illusion than anything because once you are out there, it seems more open than it does from the tee boxes.
The greens were in excellent shape, as were the bunkers. There is a large variety of green sizes and undulations, bringing short game and pin positions in as a big factor.
Tatum Ranch Golf Club is generally level but not flat. With greens and tees close together, it is a course made for golf at its purest--on foot. And many people were walking today.
The greens were in excellent shape, as were the bunkers. There is a large variety of green sizes and some serious undulations, bringing short game and pin positions in as a big factor. They run smooth, true and speedy without being too slick. Get above the hole, and you're definitely on the defensive.
Only approach shots that come in high and soft will gain much purchase on Tatum Ranch's firm greens. A few are guarded by front bunkers, but the vast majority are open for run ups, and that is sometimes the shot of choice. And a good thing it is--a course ought to demand something more than dart throwing.
Two of Tatum Ranch's excellent par threes (three and eleven) and the par-five 14th have shallow greens that demand precise distance control. Green depth on the other holes starts at about 30 yards, with several reaching 40 or more. On those larger greens you could have some cross-country putts.
If Tatum Ranch has a signature hole, it is probably #7 a short par 4 dogleg right over a pond, with a beautiful fountain that unfortunately is out of order today (the only water hazard on the course). Its not very long but its a devilish approach shot over the pond. All I can say is “on this shot, know your distance”
At the end of the round you will think, That was fun! In its quiet way, Tatum Ranch does a good job of doing what a course ought to do: rewarding good golf and (not too harshly) punishing bad. The course ratings are fairly high, ranging from 70.9 at 6344 yards to 72.7 at 6856 yards. But choose the right tee, and it is much more enjoyable than it is penal.
If you go:
Tatum Ranch Golf Club
29888 N Tatum Ranch Dr
Cave Creek, Arizona 85331
Phone(s): (480) 585-4909
Fax: (480) 585-3197
Website: tatumranchgc.com
$80 with an OB Sports Card (high season or $125 recripocal from other clubs
full golf membership $2,000 initiation and $483 per month
No comments:
Post a Comment