Dove Valley Ranch Golf Course Review
Images - Dove Valley Ranch Golf Course
Course Review - Dove Valley Ranch Golf Course
Dove Valley opened in 1998 to rave reviews, including the Arizona Republic’s
award as Arizona’s Best New Public Golf course, and it continues to grow even
nicer as the challenging and graceful layout by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
matures. At every turn, brilliant greens contrast with the desert's muted
palette of ocotillo, saguaro, ironwood, palo verde and cholla. The very
playable front nine offers the golfer wide open areas mixing in sand and water
with spectacular vistas. The course gently shifts between panoramic openness to
the intimacy of lush desert foliage. By the 11th hole the shift from
traditional style to pure desert golf is complete. With desert looming on both
sides of each fairway on the back nine, accuracy and course management is the
key to scoring well. The course features many temptations to be aggressive and
go for the green, but usually it will take the perfect shot to get it there. If
you play aggressively and don’t hit the perfect shots, you may end your round
with a very high score. Robert Trent Jones Jr. put a premium on strategy and
variety with Dove Valley, which translates into a challenging yet refreshing
round of golf.
There are many well designed holes, but the 2nd hole is the signature hole.
On the tee shot you can go over the water on the right side and try to cut the
angle leaving a short approach shot. However, it is deceptively long to carry
the water and many players have reached into their pocket for another ball. If
you play it safe down the left side of the fairway you take the water out of
play but will leave yourself at least 190 yards for your next shot to the
green. To even complicate matters there is a 20,000 square foot bunker wrapping
behind the green and water on the right.
Score Card - Dove Valley Ranch Golf Course
