Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2017 - 13

went a $1.8 million renovation, which
included replacing the greens, adding
new bunkers and irrigation, and replacing
about six acres of turf with native
desert fl ora. Cholla's No. 8, a 605-yard
par 5, was given a gentle makeover with
some of the arroyo reclaimed by fairway,
allowing a larger playing surface
and less-risky layup and approach to the
green. However, the hole still retains its
signature backdrop of mountains and
the Sonoran Desert.
On the tee at Cholla's home hole-
a 430-yard par 4 with a gently sloping
landing area bisected by cross bunkers
and an approach over a pond and supersized
bunker-a lightning-quick roadrunner
darted across our path ( " meepmeep " ).
After the round, seated on the
sun-soaked clubhouse patio enjoying a
Buffalo chicken wrap from the We-KoPa
Grille and views of the We-Ko-Pa
(Four Peaks) Mountains, we watched
a coyote saunter through cacti toward
the 18th hole (perhaps making plans to
catch the roadrunner).
We-Ko-Pa's other course, Saguaro,
opened in 2006 and was designed by
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. Both
courses rank in the top 50 courses you
can play, according to GOLF magazine.
They are closed in October for winter
overseeding.
STADIUM SWINGING
PGA Tour fans who tune in for the
annual Waste Management Phoenix
Open (airs on Golf Channel/CBS Sports,
Feb. 1-4) are familiar with the " loudest
hole in golf " -the par-3 16th hole
at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium course
(tpc.com/scottsdale). Skyboxes and
general admissions seats circle the coliseum-like
space, which swells to 16,000
spectators on tournament days.
In 1997, a 21-year-old Tiger Woods
aced the hole (a 152-yard 9-iron) and
the beer cans went fl ying, recalls Joe
Passov, Scottsdale resident and senior
editor of GOLF magazine.
Woods is linked to another hole at
the Stadium course: the 558-yard par5
13th, where his ball came to rest in
a waste area behind a one-ton granite
boulder (which was deemed a loose impediment).
Tiger persuaded a posse of
spectators to move the rock so he could
play toward the green. The spot, and the
favorable ruling, are now commemorated
by a plaque.
Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay
Morrish, the Stadium course was recently
renovated in 2014. Weiskopf added
a coffi n bunker to the 13th green and
church pew bunkers at the 18th-the
last in a memorable stretch of closing
holes.
It's Always
Sunny in Scottsdale
Scottsdale sees more than 300
days of sunshine per year, and
about 10 inches of average
annual rainfall. With temps ranging
in the low 70s during the
months of January through April
(the average low/high is 49/79
degrees), it's easy to understand
how the weather is a strong selling
point, especially to the mind
of a typical Midwesterner seeking
respite from winter.
" It's fairly simple, " says Joe
Passov, Scottsdale resident and
senior editor of GOLF Magazine.
" There's no other place in the
country with the same terrain,
desert fl ora, variety of traditional
parkland, and desert target-style
golf courses with consistent, reliable
weather in winter. "
TPC Stadium Course
www.mngolf.org
Fall 2017 MINNESOTAGOLFER
13
http://www.tpc.com/scottsdale http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2017

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