Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Golf Course Reviews,
Golf Courses,
My Rounds
| Posted on Thursday, April 21, 2011
Let me just start off by saying that Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club is absolutely gorgeous. The pictures on their website are not embellished or touched up at all. What you see is what you get and what you get is a scenic round of golf on a very well manicured course.
Dove Valley is described as "a desert style golf course with hints of tradition, such as ample fairways and subtly contoured greens with openings in front, featuring a low, rolling mix of holes of varying difficulty."
On a lot of the courses in Arizona, golfers are penalized for missing the fairways off the tee because of the fact that your ball ends up in the desert if you are off line. While there is plenty of desert on this course, there is also enough rough just off the fairway, so that you will still be able to have a chance at going for the green in regulation.
The Doctor and I arrived just in time for our tee time due to the fact that our GPS took us way off course. We ended up on Dove Valley Rd. which is dirt, and in the middle of nowhere. If you are going to visit this course, be sure to put in "Dove Valley Golf Club" and not just "Dove Valley" or you will end up in rodeo country.
I hate starting a round without warm up but we had no choice. Patrick Gibbons, founder of Patrick Gibbons Handmade Exotic Golf was waiting for us on the 1st tee after we paid for our 1:30 time slot. I wasn't expecting much from the round but ended up doing alright.
I parred three of the first five holes which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I had trouble putting...Again. I knocked in a few great putts to save par, but I also 3-putted five times. Take away those extra putts and I shoot an 85. Like I've said before, I need to practice on really good greens like they have at Dove Valley and some of the other quality courses in the area. The course superintendent has done a great job to ensure that golfers are treated to tournament like conditions, and if you are not used to them, they tend to be a little slippery.
My favorite hole is probably the par 4 12th. It is a split fairway hole which you can play down the right to be safe, or if you're feeling good about your game, playing down the left will leave you with a wedge into the green.
For some reason, my driver wasn't getting more than twenty feet off the ground so I played it safe to the right. I was hitting it straight, just no loft. Going the direct route requires a tee shot that carries over tall cactus trees. The Doctor went for it and was rewarded with a short wedge into the green. I'll definitely be working on getting more height on my tee shot so that I can take advantage of a hole like this.
This is a course that everyone should play when making a trip to Arizona. For the price, location, and the quality of the course conditions, you will be hard press to find a better value. The friendly staff in the club house and pro shop only enhances the entire experience.
Stayed tuned for my next course review. It is about to get really hot, but that is not going to stop me from getting out there. Lots of water, Gatorade, and will power, should get me through. Have a great round and always hit your target.
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| Posted: 4/14/2011 Share on Facebook | |||
| Dove Valley Ranch (Dove Valley) | Tees: Gold, Slope: 120, Rating: 70.0 | ||
| Attested By: DrAnt23 | |||
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Grip is all about keeping the golf club. You need to develop a firm grip on the golf course to ensure that your hands do not become another direction you swing. The handle should not be too tight or too loose. Just put enough pressure on your hands to make sure you hold the golf club properly. The perfect sign to see if they have their golf club is to see if you have blisters after the game. There are different types of grip suite your preference. Each of these differences can exist, but it follows all the basic elements in making a good decision.
Thanks for stopping by Demoschlaeger:-D