Star Craven TR #2 Corporate networking aka Golf in the USA

[craven morehead]

Today is our 4th game and it's about 45 minutes drive from our hotel. We-Ko-Pa Golf Club Cholla Course : Cholla | Wekopa
Once again we were treated to some stunning desert scenery my turn to be designated driver today so no beers until we get back to base!!
"We-Ko-Pa’s two courses, Cholla and Saguaro, have much in common – both are meticulously maintained, both have received high praise from the golf media and consumers alike and both offer a tranquil golf experience free of houses and roads, thus preserving the unobstructed mountain views of the Sonoran Desert. That is where the similarities end. The Cholla course is recognized as the reference course for the quintessential target style desert golf course. Whereas, the Saguaro course was designed as a more traditional style golf course where greens are close to tees, ideal for walking, and the course follows the natural movement of the land."









Another good day out in the Sonoran Desert and probably the driest surrounds we've encountered so far. Humidity almost non-existent perhaps 6 or 7%

 

[craven morehead]

And so the cycle continues : Golf , drinks , dinner , breakfast , Golf , drinks .........Tonight's dinner is at "The Mission" in Old Town @ 3815 N Brown Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. Described as a Chic, dimly lit restaurant & lounge serving modern, upscale Latin cuisine & craft coughtails.
We had to make a booking to get in here and the placed was packed.

I took the "servers" advice on my starter and went with the Crispy Pork & Cola Lime Glaze. It was a little different but worked just fine. They even have a guy who goes from table to table with like a Guacamole stand with various ingredients and makes up whatever you desire for use with your starters. He said that was his one and only job.

For the Mains as I'm a bit of a duck fan I went with the Green Chile Duck Confit and wasn't disappointed.


A picture (borrowed) of the interior sans people. That is roughly one third of the restaurant in picture. A couple of the lads enjoying the night

After a few beers to settle in we then proceeded to wash meals down with this Malbec from Mendoza Argentina. It did the job. No complaints.



Pascual Toso Reserva Malbec 2015

 

[rock86]

The courses so far look fantastic!

 

[craven morehead]

The courses so far look fantastic!

Coming from a small regional town with a reasonably decent standard 9 hole / 18 tee course, these courses are mind blowing.

 

[rock86]

Coming from a small regional town with a reasonably decent standard 9 hole / 18 tee course, these courses are mind blowing.

I'll bet. While I've never played at Emerald (which looks very nice for a regional course in central qld!) I have played a few courses in south-west qld, so I know were you're coming from.

The greens over there look just that little better then the good old sand 'greens' you get with some of the regional courses, and that is after teeing up off the fairway (which has no grass on it....).

 

[craven morehead]

I'll bet. While I've never played at Emerald (which looks very nice for a regional course in central qld!) I have played a few courses in south-west qld, so I know were you're coming from.

The greens over there look just that little better then the good old sand 'greens' you get with some of the regional courses, and that is after teeing up off the fairway (which has no grass on it....).

My home track is an hours drive from Emerald and funnily enough the only time I've played on sand greens was over in Karratha

 

[craven morehead]

Rightio course #5 Troon North. First impressions : very fancy with huge clubhouse and fantastic facilities and surrounded by villas and multi-million dollar homes.
"Troon North Golf Club stands as a hallmark of the Scottsdale desert golf experience with two 18-hole courses stretching through the natural ravines and foothills in the shadows of Pinnacle Peak. Giant granite boulders lie strewn across the rugged landscape of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, where Troon North Golf Club combines iconic golf with the visual sensation of desert landscape, providing a standard unmatched in the American Southwest."
This particular day it was blowing a gale and for most of the day it was a 2 club wind. Coming from CQ I normally wear a wide brimmed cricket style hat but not today, I had to borrow a cap. On top of that this very very challenging course required a high degree of accuracy and with my limited ability to hit a straight ball especially under such conditions it turned out to be a tough day for me. However one cannot whinge as after all things are considered I'm combining my two favourite pastimes, playing golf with my mates and travelling now for some photos :





1st Tee : The GM of the company I was travelling/networking with actually smacked his first drive into that strategically placed roller shutter over the window on the house to the left !

Pretty hard to see but there were 2 deer behind these trees




Coming up the 18th after a tough day and tonguing for a beer to make it all good again


This beautiful and impeccably manicured course was very tough with little margin for error. I'm still glad I had the opportunity to have a game here. What do they say : a tough day at golf is still better than a good day at work! You low handicap AFFer's out there would love this place!

 

[craven morehead]

We followed on from the great golf course today to a highly recommended steak house for dinner. Mastro's City Hall @ 6991 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, USA.




I went for the 24oz Porterhouse and we shared a number of sides around the table.

Another Malbec from Mendoza Argentina worked a treat.



Verdict : Would return to this place in an instant. Great food albeit not cheap, lovely ambiance with live music and great service. Once again we had to book and the place was chockablock.

Now ............ which course will we play tomorrow ???

 

[craven morehead]

6th and final round for the Phoenix section of our trip and where better to play our final round than .................... Yep TPC Scottsdale !!

Got the bag tag to prove it

Believe it or not there was actually a multi-fatality light plane crash on the course about 3-4 days before we were due to play and we weren't certain we would even get a round in. It all worked out and even though it was quite windy (not as bad as Troon North) the day was awesome!
"PHOENIX — A small airplane crashed Monday night on the TPC Scottsdale Champions Course and police confirmed there were multiple fatalities.No one survived the fiery crash, police said.Scottsdale police and fire crews responded around 9 p.m. to numerous reports of an aircraft down near Bell Road and 82nd Street, just north of Scottsdale Airport.Scottsdale police confirmed the aircraft crashed on the Champions golf course.Video and photographs taken shortly after the crash showed wreckage of a burning aircraft."

Let's get out on the course and play some golf :





The halfway house : Lady cooking cheeseburgers and the like but also a kiosk just out of picture for Turkey wraps and cold drinks etc etc. Don't think I'll order another cheeseburger in the foreseeable future

I'll devote some more space to this course for any golf tragics reading this TR so please bear with me. TBC

 

[craven morehead]

TPC Scottsdale continued :

Tiger country



The 15th Island Green : I've hit a 9 Iron to 4'0" and 2 putted useless bugger

Another view of the 15th

The 16th par 3 " Party Hole" today with our caddy Wally in the picture. He sure had plenty of stories to tell. I managed a solid bogey here

The "Party Hole" when the championship is on !! Amazing to think it takes 4 months to erect this and then 2 months to disassemble.

Looking back and across to the 15th


A few more photos to conclude the TPC Scottsdale experience : TBC

 

[craven morehead]

TPC Scottsdale final post :
The 17th tee


Group photo on the 18th tee : My playing partners today were all members of The Grand Golf Club a privately owned & membership based club situated in the Gold Coast hinterland. Very decent chaps and more than tolerant of my high handicap.
Coming up the 18th


A useful feature when taking lots of photos : a USB charger in the cart

This accidental photo pretty much summed up my week in Phoenix. I was indeed living lucky !

TPC Scottsdale done & dusted. Time for a beer in the very nice clubhouse.



A great day out and excellent way to finish up in Phoenix. The weather was awesome barring the wind which for me really isn't an excuse. In conclusion I would love to return and play again sans wind and now with some understanding of the course. Hope I didn't bore everyone. Next up Las Vegas

 

[drron]

Some awesome golf holes there.

 

[NoName]

My home track is an hours drive from Emerald and funnily enough the only time I've played on sand greens was over in Karratha

Not Blackwater by any chance? Played there many times although not for a long time now.

 

[craven morehead]

Not Blackwater by any chance? Played there many times although not for a long time now.

I'm over in the small town of Tieri @NoName between Middlemount and Capella which is about 1.5 hours North of Blackwater if you come up the Bedford Weir road.

 

[craven morehead]

Some awesome golf holes there.

For sure and certain @drron !

 

[JohnK]

Thoroughly enjoying the trip report. Lovely golf courses.

TPC Sawgrass. I'd love to play there and try to shoot under 100.

 

[craven morehead]

Part of the thread title was Corporate networking and we managed to catch up with a wealthy business associate from Nova Scotia Canada who had come down for Arizona bike week. Think hundreds upon hundreds of the finest Harley Davidsons you've ever seen everywhere. So after catching up with him and a mate at Mastros the previous night he suggested we call by his rented pad for dinner and drinks after TPC Scottsdale. This would be a welcome break from the restaurants. The place they rented for the week for 2 blokes was massive. Consisting of 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms,dining table to seat 12 and virtually a commercial kitchen. They were staying at the small town of Cave Creek about 27 miles NE of Phoenix. Population ~ 6000. One of tour party while not a chef may as well be, so we all chipped in and sent him shopping for ingredients. We did the honourable thing and headed off to get the grog. All up we had a mighty feast and drinks for $60pp in a nice, relaxed environment and just "networked" I really should have got more photos of this $600/day pad.


We destroyed all the raw tuna, smoked salmon, prosciutto etc and cheeses in record time.


Most people I know would be happy to have this bike's sound system in their house it was awesome.This is what US$100k will get you.
A 2013 customised 2122cc Harley Davidson Road Glide with 26" front wheel. I don't much about bikes but it was a pearler!


The other HD is a 1600cc Fat Boy

Tomorrow we drive across to Las Vegas

 

[craven morehead]

Thoroughly enjoying the trip report. Lovely golf courses.

TPC Sawgrass. I'd love to play there and try to shoot under 100.

Thanks @JohnK , I had a sneaking suspicion you may enjoy the golfing side of this trip.

TPC Sawgrass another bucket list !

 

[JohnK]

TPC Sawgrass another bucket list !

So many courses so little time. I'm not certain but I may only get time for 2 USA golf trips and I like the desert theme you are experiencing.

My favourites would be Myrtle Beach, Florida, Phoenix, Palm Springs and Monterey Peninsula. Think I can do Myrtle Beach and Florida in one trip and some combination of the other 3 in another trip. TPC Scottsdale would be high on the list but not easy to choose the rest.

 

[craven morehead]

So many courses so little time. I'm not certain but I may only get time for 2 USA golf trips and I like the desert theme you are experiencing.

My favourites would be Myrtle Beach, Florida, Phoenix, Palm Springs and Monterey Peninsula. Think I can do Myrtle Beach and Florida in one trip and some combination of the other 3 in another trip. TPC Scottsdale would be high on the list but not easy to choose the rest.

Hopefully I can provide a few more candidates just to make it more difficult.