Golfadelphia

6,645 yards, 131 slope from the Blues

Golf has a way of finding me. Here I was in Scottsdale and didn’t even bring my clubs. It was October and a lot of courses were re-seeding anyways but no matter, I was out there for other reasons. That lasted approximately a few hours and then the discussions started. These guys are golfing at this course at 9:00, there’s a spot open. Another group was going out in the afternoon if I was interested. I was maneuvering about these nicely, maintaining my non-golf position until finally, point blank, I was more directed than asked. Tee time at Wildfire tomorrow, rent some clubs, the rest will be taken care of. Ok then. You can run but you can’t hide. The golf will find you. 

Wildfire consists of two golf courses that are part of the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge. Nick Faldo designed one of the courses in 2002 with Bryan Curley that is supposed to replicate the Australian sand belt while Arnold Palmer designed the first course in 1997. The late 1990’s is the tail end of the heyday in the U.S. relying on celebrity of tour players to elevate the lure of a golf course. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Greg Norman, Palmer and Faldo were the bigger names that cultivated extensive course design portfolios. The quality of their courses is broad ranging but there’s no denying the name of the course architect was a major marketing factor. It’s just that back then, luring the golfer to come play the course meant appealing to the easier name recognition of these famous players. I have played a healthy cross section of Palmer designed courses and have enjoyed them for the most part. Their character and structure of play varies in difficulty while bunkers usually play a dominant role. His course at Wildfire is a bit interesting because it is marketed for its width, fun and forgiveness. These traits were not exactly highly valued at the time but certainly shows one of the ways golf courses were beginning to seek some atypicality to the over saturated values of difficulty and beauty. At the same time, this structure of play model is a lot more prevalent at resorts, where the golf is meant to be neutralized in some respects to provide a more leisurely outlet. An extension of the pool area if you will. In terms of course identity, Wildfire is a telling example of how golf was used by destination resorts in decades past. Utilizing the persona of a golfing legend while ensuring the golf remains casual without too much thought or stress. Most if not all of the guests find themselves at the resort for reasons other than golf, so the courses are just one of the many amenities it provides. 

In full disclosure and essentially proving the point above, this was a casual round. There were cocktails. I was preoccupied in discussions with the group at times more than I was paying all that much attention to the golf. For all intents and purposes, it was a working round within the loosest definition. But that’s the point. That’s one of the reasons resorts have golf courses, for business just as much for leisure. And the golf fit within that purpose. A whole lot of thinking wasn’t required yet the round was far from dull, presenting a lot of different looks and allowing a fair amount of recoveries for those out of position. The golf was substantial within the confines it needed to be, allowing the golfers to tend to other matters or at the very least, relieving a good amount of stress that golf is known for. Yet if you were looking to score, well Palmer and his design team took care of that too, mainly at the greens. 

So with ten minutes to get acquainted with my rental set while my group raided the drink cart to be well supplied for the round, I miraculously settled on the right swing thought and was ready for a joyful romp about the desert. 

The First is a 360 yard par 4 (from the Blues). The fairway bends to the left as the tee shot needs to carry an expansive sandy brush waste area. These areas are prevalent throughout the course, mainly between tee and fairway. There are bunkers closer to the green but as promised, there’s a good amount of width to play with on the approach while dense brush and sand line the perimeter. 

The Second is a 420 yard par 4. The fairway ends and it’s over 100 yards of carry to reach the green area, which consists of mounding in place of any bunkering for interest. A very gradual warm up thus far.

The Third is a 580 yard par 5. The fairway is narrower than usual and while there is some give off to the sides, the bushes and hillsides beyond that mean those shots are likely lost. The overgrowth is intended to discourage looking for balls all that much to keep things moving. The tee shot needs to be accurate to set up the second shot, which carries a bunker complex on the left to reach the second fairway. This fairway leads to the green and only has a single bunker off to the left amidst its mounding about the green. Just keep it relatively straight and you’ll be fine.

The Fourth is a 315 yard par 4. A short par 4 that may tempt those to get as close to possible to the green, yet a simple mid iron off the tee to ample fairway straight out leads to a simple short approach to the green, taking all of the uncertainty out of a longer tee shot, which includes ending up in the houses to the left and ravine to the right. I threw reason out the window and opted for driver, which sailed off to the right in the ravine, which I then decided to go chase and hit up and over the brush to the green. I was lucky I had any kind of shot. The growth is determined to conceal these holes to the fairway and the distance they provide beyond, while anything else is meant to be no man’s land. Bunkers take up most of the area just in front of the green, which underscores how easy it would be to go with reason off the tee.

The Fifth is a 140 yard par 3. The green is set on a ridge and kind of horses around the bunkers set on the front side. It’s a nice par 3 that takes some consideration of the terrain with respect to the pin position and even the bail out to the right comes with its own issues of creativity in recovery.

The Sixth is a 395 yard par 4. At this point we have simply gone out and back, turning around at the Third and now moving parallel with the Second. The green is adjacent to the First green, the fairway heading left off the tee and a more elaborate bunker on the left side. A shorter club off the tee is yet again another great idea, especially with the narrowness comprising the second half of the fairway up to the green. 

The Seventh is a 445 yard par 4. The fairway spans out across the tee, moving out of view to the left. Bunkers are on the far side for those tee shots that go too far straight and don’t account for the direction change. The tee shot really sets up everything because if pulled off correctly, the approach should be easy enough to a green with no bunkers around it that’s narrow and deep. Much more room to miss the green off to the right than left.

The Eighth is a 185 yard par 3. Bunkering is finally uncorked a bit yet short of the green has more than enough space for anyone wanting to avoid the sand. Otherwise, it’s fairly straightforward; hit the green. It’s a wide enough hole that you almost have to try to lose a ball. 

The Ninth is a 470 yard par 5. More sandy wasteland to carry off the tee to the first section of fairway that tilts from left to right a bit. A trench of sand runs diagonal across the hole separating the first fairway from the second. This second fairway is narrower and leads to a green that’s of modest size. There’s some strategy in how to take on the separation of fairways and the approach angles into the greens, so we get a little more complication to round out the front nine. 

The front nine starts off tame enough before bringing in a little more interest, yet ensures there are sufficient places for the miss within the fairway bounds. I would rank them 5, 9, 4, 7, 2, 1, 3, 6, 8.

The back nine starts with the 385 yard par 4 Tenth. Yet another hole where the fairway seems to narrow at the driver landing area, yet remains wider for shorter clubs. Two mid irons get to the green yet if driver is the club of choice, there seemed to be more room to miss off the fairway. Liberal use of sand on both sides, all of it fairly shallow, and water is off to the left of the green. 

The Eleventh is a 520 yard par 5. The water isn’t done with us yet, as it is now on the right side as we tee off. As we have now grown accustomed, Palmer liked fairway sections, especially on the par 5’s. This limits maintenance work while using the sandy brush ground a bit more. Here is no different; there is the first section for the tee shot, then the second shot must carry to the second section. Bunkers lead up to the green on the right while the left side stays stringent with sand scrub. 

The Twelfth is a 410 yards par 4. A dog leg left without a bunker in sight on the entire hole and a well sized green. After the opening duo’s water and sand features, this is a nice refreshing change in tempo. The mounding and contours are fun to take on without the worry of forced carries.

The Thirteenth is a 165 yard par 3. Other than some sand ribboning through the middle of the hole, we encounter yet another hole without any bunkers. The green is large and the contours flow from it. This change of pace comes at the right time and a different style of golf is allowed to flourish a bit.

The Fourteenth is a 510 yard par 5. Palmer gets creative here with a dual fairway that must be chosen on the second shot. The left fairway is wider but less visible from the tee while the right side is more visible but much narrower. The center is reserved for waste areas, bunkers and trees.  There are then angles to consider, which makes me prefer the left side. It’s wider and there’s less risks the trees in the center will interfere with the approach. Of course, this all assumes the tee shot went well; that first section of fairway narrows the further away from tee it gets. It’s a fun hole and certainly scattered our group about the hole but the back nine is determined to assert itself, thankfully so.

The Fifteenth is a 185 yard par 3. Lots of room leading up to the green while sideways misses are ill advised. Use your putter if you need to, stay relatively straight here and all will remain well.

The Sixteenth is a 325 yard par 4. Similar to the Fourth and playing just ten yards longer, something less than driver makes a lot of sense while a grouping of bunkers are on the right just before the green. I believe I finally learned my lesson and didn’t go for broke with driver here. Two nice shots with irons got me on the green where I then made a mess of things with a three putt. It should also be said that the bunkers here off to the right are deeper than most of what we’ve seen up to this point.  

The Seventeenth is a 430 yard par 4. More hopping from one fairway section to the next. The second fairway section here narrows and runs towards the water, which is now on the right side near the green. No greenside bunkers, only mounding, similar to what we have seen early this nine. 

The Eighteenth is a 405 yard par 4. With the crescendo already past us, the final hole graciously leads to the green with only a single tough bunker on the right to contend with off the tee. The green is well guarded at the front yet wide with entry points off to the sides. A lake is beyond, then the resort, and just like that, we return back to whatever it was we were up to before the round, the leisure, revelry and galavanting come what may.  

The back nine indeed gets more adventurous than the front with a border range of playing structures. I would rank them 14, 16, 18, 12, 10, 11, 13, 17, 15.

Generally, Wildfire does what it’s supposed to well enough. A resort course that likely isn’t trying to attract guests because of the golf but instead to sufficiently entertain and engage the guests that happen to golf. Palmer did some things that can be talked about after the round while the addition and subtraction of bunkers works surprisingly well. The fairway sections demand a number of forced carries that drags on the unfavorable characteristics of desert golf but the carries really aren’t too challenging more than they inhibit variety of play. The greens are nicely contoured and keep things interesting if anyone comes out looking to set the scorecard on fire. There’s all types of golf. After the round, we continued the day at the bar, then were able to find a nice place for dinner before retiring for the night. The location, company and facilities managed to ensure we enjoyed the day all in one place and as golfers, were satisfied with the round of golf available. While most if not all of the golf courses today are developed as the main attraction, this harkens back to an era when luxury was the most prized of all, with everything including the golf adorned around it. 

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: The pro shop was large with a lot of really cool apparel. I was impressed.

Practice area: There’s a range, short game area and putting green.