{"id":714,"date":"2009-11-28T10:33:37","date_gmt":"2009-11-28T17:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=714"},"modified":"2012-02-12T11:11:43","modified_gmt":"2012-02-12T18:11:43","slug":"just-deserts-where-to-play-in-a-dry-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/golf\/courses-and-travel\/714\/just-deserts-where-to-play-in-a-dry-heat","title":{"rendered":"Just Deserts: Where to Play in a Dry Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DS

A Great Escape at Marriott's Desert Springs Golf Course, Palm Desert, CA.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

The desert is hot and full of sharp things like cacti, yuccas, pyramids, scorpions, and Las Vegas.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also home to some of the most beautiful and well-crafted golf courses on the planet\u2014which isn\u2019t to say that these won\u2019t poke or bite you, as well.\u00a0 Following are nine of my favorite places to seek green oases and the shimmering mirage of par.<\/p>\n

Amen Corner<\/span><\/p>\n

West of Tel Aviv<\/strong> on the shores of the Mediterranean, lies Caesarea Golf Club, Israel\u2019s only 18-hole course.\u00a0 Designed in 1961, the layout has been resurrected recently by Pete Dye.\u00a0 The new course stretches to a nearly biblical 7,400 yards and playa through ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins.\u00a0 The renovation included installation of salt-tolerant paspalum grass, new bunkers, elevation changes, and other features that will help to redefine the term, \u201chole-y land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shadow Play<\/span><\/p>\n

At Shadow Ridge Golf Club, in Palm Springs<\/strong>, architect Nick Faldo sought to recreate the flavor of great Australian Sand Belt courses.\u00a0 He crafted generous fairways protected by bold, steep-lipped bunkering, all with a perky accent.\u00a0 Faldo says, \u201cI wanted a golf course that not only looks different from all the other courses in the desert, but which plays differently.\u00a0 I sought to design a course that not only tests a player\u2019s skill, but also his imagination and character.\u201d\u00a0 Golf.marriott-vacations.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Desert Islands<\/span><\/p>\n

No pair of golf layouts defines desert target golf better than the 36 holes at Troon North, in Scottsdale<\/strong>.\u00a0 The Pinnacle and Monument Courses\u2014 both designed by Tom Weiskopf\u2014 demand laser accuracy to islands of fluffy grass surrounded by seas of desert dangers such as rocks, cacti, arroyos, waste areas, and more.\u00a0 Both courses were recently renovated and reconfigured to improve walkability.\u00a0 Troonnorthgolf.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Play it Again<\/span><\/p>\n

In Rabat, Morocco, <\/strong>Robert Trent Jones designed 45 holes at the Royal Dar es Salaam golf complex in 1971.\u00a0 The name means \u201chouse of peace,\u201d but playing the Red course from the back tees will suggest a different moniker: house of pain.\u00a0 The muscular venue routes through cork and oak forest, mimosas, bougainvillea, palm, ficus, and banana trees.\u00a0 It\u2019s been designated as the toughest course on the European tour.\u00a0 Royaldaressalam.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

National Treasure<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Sonoran Desert outside Tucson<\/strong>, Robert Trent Jones II\u2019s Arizona National Country Club encompasses 6,916 yards of mesquite-lined arroyos, wide desert washes, stark rock outcroppings, and nine natural springs.\u00a0 During construction, a biologist walked in front of bulldozers to help protect desert fauna, and horticulturists salvaged thousands of saguaro cacti, which now stand as a symbol of the course. GOLF Magazine described the 625-yard eleventh as \u201cthe best par six in Tucson.\u201d\u00a0 Arizonanationalgolfclub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Native Grasses<\/span><\/p>\n

No golf course is more closely aligned with Native American culture than Twin Warriors Golf Club at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, outside Albuquerque<\/strong>.\u00a0 This tribally-owned Gary Panks masterwork routes in and around 20 ancient cultural sites.\u00a0 Twelve arroyos and a sacred butte known as Snakehead lend further character to 400 acres of juniper, pinon, wildflowers, grassy knolls, and ridges.\u00a0 An extinct volcano provides a startling backdrop to 7,736 yards of terrific golf.\u00a0 Tamaya.hyatt.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Culling the Herd<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Palmilla Resort, in Los Cabos<\/strong>, Jack Nicklaus designed three golf nines that are all tens, incorporating ocean, desert, and mountains into holes with an unbelievable fright quotient and daunting carries from the back tees.\u00a0 Many of the bright green fairways are defined by golden arroyos.\u00a0 Deep, wide chasms dare you to be a hero but may leave you bleating like a sheep.\u00a0 Oneandonlyresorts.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sandy Dunkin\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

If your notion of deserts includes lots of sand, you\u2019ll find exactly that at Quicksand Golf Course, a short camel ride from the airport in San Angelo, Texas<\/strong>.\u00a0 The Hurdzan\/Fry track provides an opportunity off every tee box to drive into the sand, though you might not be so quick getting back out.\u00a0 Thegolfcourses.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Man in Black<\/span><\/p>\n

The Westin Mission Hills resort, outside Palm Springs<\/strong>, is home to the Gary Player Course, which GOLF Magazine called \u201cdifficult, well-designed, and joyful.\u201d\u00a0 The 7,062-yard delight of stonework, waterfalls, receptive greens, lovely humps, and strategic bunkering is as elegant as Gary himself.\u00a0 The fifteenth hole includes an island green surrounded not by water, but sand.\u00a0 Westin.com\/missionhills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nines that are Tens<\/span><\/p>\n

Sixteen miles from Manzanillo, Mexico<\/strong>, Robert Von Hagge\u2019s three nines at Isla Navidad Golf Club provide 27 reasons to play through this Chihuahuan Desert oasis.\u00a0 The Lagoon, Mountain, and Ocean layouts combine classic golf course architecture with classic Mexican architectural features such as niches with hand-made folk art and stained glass doors and windows in the clubhouse and on houses around the course.\u00a0 Islanavidad.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The desert is hot and full of sharp things like cacti, yuccas, pyramids, scorpions, and Las Vegas.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6569,277563,3913,4007,4907,5048,6127,17],"tags":[200,4675,5660,5661,5662,5663,5201,5664,158,5665,3805,2158,5657,5666,944177,944161,5659],"class_list":["post-714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-azga","category-wisconsin-golfer","category-scottsdale-cvb","category-robert-trent-jones-ii","category-oregon-golf-assoc","category-alternative-golf-assoc","category-so-cal-golf-assoc","category-courses-and-travel","tag-roundup","tag-arizona-national","tag-twin-warriors-golf-club","tag-hyatt-regency-tamaya-resort","tag-palmilla-resort","tag-quicksand-golf-club","tag-troon-north","tag-hurdzan-fry","tag-jack-nicklaus","tag-westin-mission-hills","tag-robert-von-hagge","tag-gary-player","tag-caesarea-golf-club","tag-islan-navidad-golf","tag-shadow-ridge-golf-club","tag-travel","tag-royal-dar-es-salaam-golf"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2009\/11\/DS-Golfer-in-Bunker-6107.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3352,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714\/revisions\/3352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}