Falcon Dunes, Waddell. Gary Panks, 1998.

Though they allow some outside play, this is the course associated with adjacent Luke AFB, so don’t expect a quiet round. Then again, a close up view of an F-35 is a lot cooler than most distractions. This course is entirely created from dead flat desert, as the surrounding area proves. Panks created elevation change that feels reasonably natural, even if most of the holes follow the typical formula of downhill drive and uphill second shot. But that formula makes for challenging golf, as do the many trees that were planted on the property, often protecting the inside corner of doglegs. The tempting short par-4 13^th does a nice job of traversing the course’s outer ridge, but don’t go right.

Arizona 4th Decile [2016]