Troon North Golf Club

36 Holes of Championship Golf Pinnacle Course Reviewed

Troon North Pinnacle Course offers up outstanding boulders and Arroyo challenges throughout your round.

Troon North Golf Club

By By Nancy Howard

Imagine cart path only just days after reopening from overseeding and one doesn’t expect much from a course…as far as excellent play. That’s just NOT what happened during our round on Troon North’s Pinnacle course. It was superb! With bent grass greens, no overseeding necessary so they are always in excellent condition, and the fairways were lush and challenging..a pure pleasure to experience. Plus, with their new GPS golf carts, even cart path only was, ‘can’t believe I’m saying this’, no problem! Leave your rangefinders at home is what Troon North is stating since they have all new carts equipped with GPS. Just in time to help celebrate this year in their 25th year. 

My team can only imagine how awesomely fabulous this course is now, after a month has passed. However, that’s even hard to imagine since Murray from Canada repeatedly blurted out during our round, “What a beautiful course!”  And, even though Murray thought it was one big challenge, he loved the course/challenge along with his junior golfer son, Rees. It was a pleasure watching this junior golfer wind up like a rubber band and explode the ball off the tees, and his putting was pretty impressive, as well. Shame he’s not here year ‘round to be in the JGAA, however he’s a total soccer man for now. If it’s not soccer, it’s hockey in Canada, I guess. Experiencing Troon North’s Pinnacle  sure made him scratch his head about how great golf can be and considering options. 

With an elevation of 1,000 ft. higher than the Phoenix/Scottdale area, Troon North offers cooler temperatures during our fall months, which still hang on to low 90/high 80 temps, while still being just a short drive from the Valley of the Sun. 

True desert golf at it’s finest stretching through natural ravines, giant granite boulders, lush desert landscaping and all in the shadows of Pinnacle Peak. You feel as though you are in a secluded area with plenty of wildlife to amuse and amaze, and you may find that a roadrunner will follow you for several holes critiquing your game. It’s almost intimidating. 

Bentgrass greens, year ‘round, that are immaculate assure they hold and putt true, but do remember that you are playing mountain golf and it does affect your reads. The fairways are lush, the greens are smooth and the sand is fluffy.

Open to the public, Troon North gives you the experience of being at an exclusive private golf resort. That may be one of the reasons this property, hosting the Monument and Pinnacle Courses, has maintained it’s “Must Play” status with golfers throughout the country. And, “Must Play” over and over again to take on the challenge. 

Troon North offers a Clubhouse that blends in beautifully with the Sororan Desert landscape, offering a fully appointed pro shop, the Dynamite Grille as well as patio dining overlooking the courses’ and large practice facilities. Make plans to stay over for libations, awesome French Onion soup, great sliders, my favorite, at the Dynamite Grille. The ambiance is outstanding with live music smoothly delivered in soothing tones with outstanding service.

Hole #5, par 5, 525 yards from the tips: This is a risk/reward dogleg left fairway with a transition for your 2nd shot. Take the risk, per Rees who showed us that laying up was not the good course management we thought we were doing. He scored well, we added strokes! Naturally, it was his favorite hole.

Hole #8, par 3, 190 yards from the tips: Don’t let the huge boulder in the middle of the fairway blocking your view to the green intimidate you. Trust your swing and the yardage and go for it. Guarantee you’ll score if you pick the correct club from your bag.

Hole #10, par 4, 407 yards from the tips: What a challenge to start off the back nine! Let’s call this ‘bunkerville’ with bunkers stretching totally across the fairway with your 2nd shot to the green. It’s a vision to behold and will definitely make you think in order to score. Awesome but tough hole, for sure.

Troon,® the leader in upscale golf course management, development, and marketing, is now celebrating the company’s 25-year anniversary in 2015. And, it all began with Troon North!  

Since its beginnings in 1990 with the management of the iconic Troon North Golf Club, the company has grown to become the industry leader with more than 250 managed courses in 36 states and 27 countries and with international offices in Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, Dubai and Switzerland. Troon has successfully captured a dominant niche in the golf and hospitality industries, creating partnerships with leading brands like Starwood Hotels and its current capital and strategic partner, Kohlberg & Company.

Experiencing a true Sonoran Desert golf course at its finest is what Troon North Pinnacle serves up on a platter. Isn’t that why golfers from all over come to the Valley of the Sun? And, if word of mouth is as good as they say in getting the word out, you can count on Murray in Canada. He’s singing its praises, for sure. 

 

Congratulations, once again, to Troon North for 25 years of maintaining your high bar of excellence!