TPC Desert Course reopens as the TPC Champions Course

Although I greatly enjoy playing golf, I don’t play very often.  I’m optimistic that one day, after my kids are grown up, I’ll be able to retire and play regularly.  Until then, I’ll just have to deal with being happy to play 3 or 4 times a year, and somehow shooting in the 90s. 

At any rate, last Friday, one of my favorite golf courses, the TPC Desert Course in Scottsdale reopened, after being closed for almost 11 months.  With a nearly complete redesign, the old name was tossed away, in favor of the new name, the TPC Champions course.  What makes the TPC Champions course special, is that greens fees right now are only $65.69 for a resident with a cart.  If you compare that with every other course in North Scottsdale, you’ll see it’s a true bargain.  How the City of Scottsdale and the TPC make this possible, is that they don’t overseed the fairways with rye grass in the summer each year.  Instead, they let the summer bermuda go dormant.  The greens, however, are of the same style and quality as the TPC stadium course, which creates an affordable alternative to the championship course.

The changes to the course are visible immediately as you drive up and you notice that the old clubhouse is gone, and a new larger, more open clubhouse rests in its place.  The pro shop of the new clubhouse feels bigger, but I’m not sure it actually is.  I think it probably just uses space better, and features significantly higher ceilings.  Adjacent to the clubhouse, the snack shop is definitely bigger, plus it’s easier to access by golfers making the turn.  The covered patio that overlooks the 18th green looks to me like an excellent place to sit and relax after a round.  The old covered patio had perhaps 3 or 4 tables the size of the ones that exist now, so seating has improved immensely.  Plus, I love the orientation of the new patio.  It should be well shaded during the hot summer afternoons.

Another change you notice right off the bat is with the practice range.  Gone is the old chipping green that was between the practice tees and the parking lot.  This chipping green was always too small, and because it was adjacent to the parking lot, a bit dangerous for cars parked near it.  The elimination of the practice green has allowed the range to get longer, which should keep even the longest hitters on the range.

The new practice chipping area is on the far side of the clubhouse.  If there’s any criticism of the new layout and design, it’s that the chipping area is on the other side of the clubhouse from the rest of the practice area.  Still, it’s an infinitely better place to practice your chipping and green side sand play.

More than half of the holes on the course received some type of change, and many, like hole #1 shown here, faced significant changes.  In fact, standing beside the first tee, I almost didn’t recognize the hole it was so different from what it was before.  To my eye, it appears much more interesting, although the new green location does move the water on the left further out of play.

I’m anxious to play the new layout, and I just might sneak out on Thursday and give that a shot.  My wife tells me we are playing in a charity golf event on Saturday in Fountain Hills, so a practice round seems in order, and I can think of no better place than the new TPC Champions course.  FYI, they take tee times a week in advance, in case you are interested.

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