Superstition Springs Golf Club – “Getting back to the 90’s”

Superstition Springs GC – Mesa, AZ

Over the course of 4 or 5 years in the early nineties, I attended the Phoenix Open at the TPC Scottsdale as well as played golf at numerous courses in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa. Back then at The Phoenix Open you could literally stand right beside the tee blocks on the Par 3 16^thmere feet from the pros as they teed off. The rowdies used to sit on the big huge hill looking down on the tee box to the right of the players, most of them were ASU students there to cheer on Phil. It was a lot of fun. Now the 16^this a corporate cesspool of silliness, a golf version of the Roman Colosseum except the players get booed, not the “thumbs down” if they fail and death is not the penalty, a bogey is.

As busy as any practice area should be……very.

Back in the 1990s, the north Scottsdale area hadn’t really been developed. So, some of the mainstays for golfers popping down for the week from Canada as we did were the likes of Camelback, McCormick Ranch, Stonecreek, Tatum Ranch, Papago, Ocotillo and a certain beast of a layout in Mesa; Superstition Springs. Anywhere from 16-32 of us would play 6 out of 7 days and attend the Thursday round at The Phoenix Open.

Our new playing partner Dan from Maine leads us off on the Par 4 1st.

We played each day for a couple of KP’s and a deuce pot, chucking in a fiver each. I was the organizer each year and would dish out the prizes which I would buy from the pro. We’d have a few drinks, all of us ate and the courses welcomed us back each year.

Your first Par 3 hole number 3 requires hitting to an elevated green.

From year 1 onward, each time I organized the trip in advance I always made sure that we finished the week at Superstition Springs; not my suggestion, but the groups’ request. We all felt that we wanted 5 days of practice before playing there because back then it was one of the tougher courses to play. As well, it was always in mint shape.

Be prepared to accept the challenge of playing over water often, like here to the 5th green

Now some 24 years later and the group is just a twosome, me and Myra. I am back here in The Valley of the Sun and this time Superstition Springs is the first course for us to play.

Our host, GM Jeremy Strauss, greeted us in the pro shop and I shared some stories of my time in this area back in the 90’s. After a warm chat and a welcome from Abby, at the counter, and Mike in the pro shop, we headed off as we always do to hit a few balls and then tee it up.

I nailed it as hard as I could to get the back pin on the Par 3 7th – 215 yards of yikes!

Steve and Braxton at the bag drop were very strong and helpful young men. Larry, the starter, had the buoyancy of a Las Vegas entertainer. We hit a few balls, putted a little and then off we headed paired up with Dan from Maine and the very powerful hitter, Al from Oklahoma.

This long sweeping dogleg Par 5, hole 6 is a perfect example of the great delineation between the dormant Bermuda and over seeded fairways.

With no disrespect to this great course it wasn’t until the Par 3 12^ththat it all came back to me. That fact wasn’t that critical to our day and I easily grasped onto why we saved this course for the last day way back then. Accurate shot making to the greens, many of them elevated with undulating mounding and bunkering, was a must. Off the tees, other than the tough par 3’s, the landing areas were generous.

Dan gives Al that ” what kind of birdie putt was that” look after Al’s 3 wood stopped 10 feet pin high from the hole.

Playing from the green tees, our Par 3’s ranged from 165 to 208 yards so par was a solid score on any of them. The course has numerous doglegs and you must bring your A game if you want to score decently. Conditions were very good in spite of a recent torrent of rain, the fairways were very full and the contrast between the dormant Bermuda and the rest of the course made focusing on your aiming point easier. The greens ran very true and exact and all the tee boxes were nice and level. One part of the course that is lacking were a few of the bunkers which needed a little top of sand.

A very tough front nine finishing hole, with an environmentally sensitive area left, side hill mounds and bunkers right. What could go wrong you ask?

The course is ever improving. Many of the players I spoke with who have been playing there for years, stated that since Arcis Golf added Superstition Springs to its portfolio and took over its management they have seen features and factors key to its playability improve significantly. I am not sure who is responsible for the installation of wooden markers stakes on both side of the fairways on the longer holes, but I for one love the look that it presents.

Our day with the guys at this challenging venue was really enjoyable in many ways including one heck of a birdie on one of the Par 5’s by Dan and some mammoths drives by Al. His tee shot on the Par 3 7^th, a faded 3 wood to a back pin was near perfection as it landed and danced just past the flag.

A tricky start to the back nine, don’t be greedy off the tee and play it high on your second.

My little dynamo, Myra, hit some great drives with regularity and at one point showed great patience as she watched all 3 of us guys butcher one of the Par 4’s on the back nine as she casually 2 putted for a great bogey.

The view of 10th green from 100 yards out, water right and low area in front.

Then there it was as I remember it, the incredible Par 4 18th with the creek crossing the fairway at 2 different points and a green framed with vegetation to the right and bunkering around the back.

This one I remembered from 24 years ago, all 4 of us then ended up in the bunker, great par 3 the 12th.

Two great shots by me weren’t rewarded as I missed a little short putt for par, but as you often hear or say, “ It was a good bogey”.

A very tough finishing hole the Par 4 18th.

Twenty-four years is a long time, but worth the wait. Superstition Springs still holds its own amongst many big names in golf courses here in greater Phoenix.