Gold Canyon Golf Course

This Arizona Golf Review is Taking us to the beauty of Golf Canyon Golf Resort. Taking a trip out towards Globe doesn’t sound too exciting does it? Its about a 40 mile trip from the heart of Phoenix, but well worth it. As rated the top public golf course in Arizona by Golf Digest, there is a lot of hype to live up to. However, we are not scared or intimidated by this rating. I mean who is golf digest anyhow?It starts as a beautiful day, hot and 104 degrees, we pull up the winding trail to find out there is complimentary valet at the bag drop. The reasons for the Golf Digest Ratings are starting to become oh so clear. We were greeted by three outside service employees and the transition was very nice. The clubhouse was right by the drop so walking in the heat is minimal to that point. Thankfully it was close so we looked like we belonged there. After paying for the round the pro-shop informs us that there are no water coolers on the course due to an incident that happened a few years back with infected water coolers at a golf course in the valley. The story stems from a course in south Phoenix. Somehow somehow a parasite made its way into a few water coolers at a golf course (we won't say any...vistal... names right now) It just so happened to be hosting a youth tournament. To make a long story short the child became deathly ill and a final decision unfortunatly linked to the drinking water of the course to the childs illness. We don't know the facts exactly but that is the consistant story we have been told. Back to Golf Canyon Golf Resortdamn..its hot out! Potable water is very easy to come by....Strike one Golf Digest. However, an outside beverage and food stand is in very close proximity to where the carts are staged, and a big cooler filled with ice for the taking. Directly behind this beautiful snack shack and down the little hill is the practice green and chipping areas. One small annoyance here, only problem. The target seemed to be mini flags sitting on the ground, like they were weighted down. You put to them, but your ball never falls in the hole. Back up the hill is the driving range where a few more things festered, and were not very enjoyable. First, you were forced to hit off  mats rather than actual grass. This is concerning considering the quality of the facility. Practicing before a round off of a mat is shenanigans. And secondly, no drivers are permitted on the range. WTF. $150 per round and I can't hit my driver! Strike 2 Golf Digest. We are really considering what type of bribe the guys at Golf Digest recieved. Then a lightbulb goes off, albeit a dim bulb, but lite nonetheless.  The views alone help you forget the to mighty strikes the place served up. Then you get to the first hole and the irritation is back as you wonder which way your driver is going to go! The first hole is an uphill short par 4 where keeping it straight is a must off the tee....damn!. This hole is so unique that there isn’t another hole at all similar for the rest of the round. Again, the views take over and some of the stuff is forgotten. The next four holes are unbelievably scenic and you can find yourself getting caught up in taking pictures rather than concentrating on golf. Three times in a row you are hitting straight downhill from the top of a mountain and it is an unbelievable feeling. If you are lucky enough to pipe it down the fairway it feels even better! Things are looking better. Its suddenly 0-3 and the meatball is coming. Golf Canyon Golf Course is hitting it out of the park. The greens are VERY true to putt on and checking up on them is not a problem at all.  We then see our first round of the beverage cart and it is a very nice experience. High priced drinks for a cheap skate like me, but like we have said before, it's the nature of the beast. There is an assortment of drinks on the cart, PowerAde's, water, beers, and sodas. On this day there was limited food but we were told that it usually is pretty full. The rest of the course is mind blowing, there are so many picturesque holes and you cannot figure out which hole would be the signature. Honestly the video doesn’t explain well enough..... you just have to experience it for yourself. Ahh maybe thats how you get to number one. The price of $65.00 per round during the afternoon, is down right high, and we must have been to want to travel that far. THis is a course that charges of $150-$200 in the winter. So to summarize this place in the context of worth the money. It had unbeatable views. It has the allure of the GOlf Digest Rating, The course was kinda playable, but in great condition. For the record this is a very tough course. Then you factor in the drive and the prices of everything, the terrible practice area. It is clear that making this trip ONCE might be worth it. $65 is stretching it anytime of year.  There are courses with the similar aesthetics at much less the price and the drive. Also at $65 there are many nicer golf courses to play. So all things considered the IFIGOLF rating!

Overall on the IFIGOLF scale of 1-10 I would have to rate Dinosaur Mountain at Gold Canyon a 8.5.

I challenge all of the IFIGOLF fans to debate this on our discussion boards if you think I am wrong!

Course:	Gold Canyon Dinosaur	View Larger Map
Course Rating:	Gold:   71.3/143 Black:  69.2/135 Blue:    66.7/122 White: 64.7/117
Hardest Hole:	Hole 4
Easiest Hole:	Hole 10
Map:	6100 S Kings Ranch Rd, Gold Canyon, AZ 85219 (480) 330-0928