This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.
In this report, I will cover:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- San Diego, California
- Carlsbad, California
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Mexico City, Mexico
Talking Stick is a casino, resort, and golf club in Scottsdale, Arizona. I never won there gambling and didn’t do so well at golf either.
The Clubhouse
Rude! Like a Yelp review, I will start off exclaiming how rude some of the employees at this course were. I’m guessing it’s because the temperature outside read 100 degrees and they were over the sweltering heat but seriously it won’t make it any cooler to be impolite. From tossing the pen to sign the receipt on the counter to the failure to make meaningful eye contact, the guy running the clubhouse had no manners.
The Course
As a budding golfer, I have learned much about the game. In talking to the greenskeeper I learned that the golf courses in the desert use different grass depending on the season. In Arizona, if I’m not mistaken, they use Bermuda grass in the summer and then rye grass in the winter. As a result, the course plays differently depending on the season. For example, the greens are quicker in the winter as the grass doesn’t have to endure the harsh elements. Overall, the grass is greener in the winter and that’s one of the reasons why it’s cheaper to play in the summer.
This concludes my meek attempt to get schooled in the science of Turf Management, a degree offered at Rutgers.
The Breakdown
Cost: $30 for 18 & cart for Arizona residents. $175 in the winter.
Beer: It was too damn hot in the desert to consider drinking.
Ball Loss: This is a golf course in the middle of the desert. There are no natural water traps, no houses to hit, and nothing from mother nature to interfere with your drive. Thus, ball loss is next to nonexistent.
Score: Bleh Face: Following this Trip Report, I pledge to put real scores regardless of how terrible they are.
Favorite Hole: Killer Bees
- Wandering off the cart path is not advisable as there are snakes, scorpions, and bees waiting for you to slip up. In all my time living in Arizona I thankfully never saw a snake and only saw a couple of scorpions but the danger seems real in a golf course in the middle of nowhere.
Worst Hole: Sand traps were everywhere. If there was a bunker then my ball was naturally attracted to it.
What makes it unique: Take a step back and realize that you are playing golf in the desert. Look beyond the golf course and there’s nothing for miles.
TPOL Grade: 1/5 Tees
I’m sure this course is better in the winter but the miserable sun and the miserable man at the clubhouse means TPOL will not be returning.
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