Las Sendas GC, Mesa. Robert Trent Jones, Jr., 1995.
Most everything I heard from people about this course before I played it was about how hard it is. Given that the back tees rate 73.1 (on a par 71) with a 144 slope for tees that play less than 7,000 yards, those reviews aren’t wrong. There’s no simple remedy for that, either—moving up a set of tees doesn’t make the greens any less elevated, the bunkers any shallower, or the greens less sloping. On the other hand, for a course surrounded by development, you rarely feel hemmed in by houses and the front nine especially offers a number of splendid views and natural holes.
The course’s finale didn’t wow me, especially the double dogleg, two-lake 18th. But the stretch from 4-7 is lovely; those holes work their way up into, along and then down off of the hill. The 11th is a nifty uphill par 3, which isn’t always easy to pull off.
Arizona 4th Decile [2014]
ardentgolfer.com 