D Moriarty: It was a very tough assignment that involved a land exchange. Ultimately it resulted in a referendum and the vote of the City of Phoenix was sent it to the Supreme Court to be sorted out. Since it was always going to be a golf course (regardless of delays, reduced land, lawsuits, etc.), the background story is pertinent. Golf courses are like children, not all are perfect or model citizens. The Pointe (later called Phantom Horse, now Arizona Grand) is a good story of how to make the best of things gone bad. Whether that makes it "worth playing" was not my point. I was providing the context to some of the quirkiness that now gets criticizes. I do not ever expect the criticism to vanish.
Alex: The island green was added by the previous owner in the 1990s. Bad idea. Not my work. (Why add quirk to a course that has so much to begin with?) This owner had reversed the opening hole and made it #18. You could not see the island on the par-4 second shot unless you were exactly at the right spot. Some tee balls ended up in the drink if hit too far! I reversed it (back) 7 years ago and we left the island for the tees in order to avoid changing the expensive lake work. The island now has a small practice green and, once again, you play off up the hill and through the pass. The clubhouse now has a pleasant path to the bridge and island where a restaurant and bar now looks over the action at the 1st tees.
Ken: A to of women love the course, as do short hitters with accurate tee balls. These remains today as the two categories that pay the course the best accolades. Big hitters used to wide open spaces do not typically like it at all. Ron Whitten called it a PRECISION COURSE, which I have always embraced as a very good description.
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Want you all to know that my comments are not necessarily meant to get you to drop other plans and play Arizona Grand. I am only defending my first-born child…