Sedona Golf Resort

Sedona Golf Resort is a fun layout with breathtaking scenery! The front 9 has three par 5 holes and plays to a par of 37. The first hole is a gradual uphill par 4 that is pretty basic and a good warmup for what is to come. Next you have a spectacular downhill par 3 that drops at least 100 feet from tee to green. While the measured distances seem long you'll need to go down one or two clubs due to the elevation change. As you continue on with the front 9, you wind your way through the foothills of Sedona with wonderful red rock views.

The course does not wrap back by the clubhouse at the turn, once you are out you are there until done. The 10th hole is one of the most scenic around, a longer par 3 hole with red rocks behind and to the left. This is a sure photo opportunity.

With a lot of elevation changes, this is one fun course and you can score well if you keep the ball in the fairway and can find the greens. The greens are a bit quick but roll true and were quite fair the day we played.

We played in under four hours and at about the 12th hole, the marshall who had been by a couple of times stopped to tell us that the group in front would wait at the next tee for us to play through. We had one less player than that group and had been directly behind them all the round. While we were on a pace for 4 hours or just under, this was a nice surprise and welcomed. We finished in just over 3.5 hours and had a great time.

The staff was friendly and helpful the entire time we were at the property.

If you're in Sedona, I'd recommend a round at Sedona Golf Resort and I know that I'll return here next time I'm in town.

Sedona Golf Resort was, a long time ago, a spectacular place to play. Not because of the design, nor due to shot values... both of which ARE better than average. Simply put, the incredible views are unlike any other course, anywhere. (Then we got Seven Canyons!) Dramatic elevation changes allow for sight lines that are breathtaking, no doubt. But one comes to a screeching halt when you look at just HOW goofy some on the holes are (beginning with number one)... Much less the routing of par 37 on the front nine and 34 on the back. Then you take into account course conditions, the overworked staff and you have to come to the conclusion that Sedona Golf Resort has seen much better days in the past.

One of the difficulties that you cannot get past lies in the golf course architecture, itself. It's the desert Southwest (this is NO desert course - it's high desert, maybe) and that means, if you play golf, your going to be playing one of the numerous designs by Mr. Gary Panks that exist in Arizona. Nothing personal about him, but his designs are just NOT that great...at all. His two best courses, perhaps, are in Phoenix: The Talon Course at Grayhawk (back when he was paired with newly-inducted Golf Hall of Fame member, David Graham) was the site of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf, the progenitor of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. The Raven (formerly The Raven Golf Club at South Mountain) was also designed by the Graham-Panks duo. One of the most unique elements of the course are the 7,000 or so pine trees that line the fairways of the course. Needless to say, in the Sonoran Desert, pine trees are generally not a hazard one has to contend with. But the fall-off from those two courses to the rest of Gary Panks Associates portfolio is precipitous: His designs rarely are intriguing. They are much closer to pedestrian, save for his penchant towards brutal bunkering the likes of which Poe could write about.

Pank's fairway bunkering can just get out of hand, as evidenced by the rework that was done on his Aguila Golf Course in Laveen, a southern suburb of Phoenix. Ostensibly renovated due to deterioration, the fact of the matter was that some of the bunkers were almost unplayable, leading to brutal group mashups on holes nine and eighteen. Say hello to Mr. Five Hour round. As for bunkers protecting greens, they, often times, were even worse (see The Legacy in Phoenix, next door to The Raven): Faces that are horizontally steep, sculpted and scalloped to the point of overkill, with no real entry or exit points. Say Bataan Death march quietly three times and click your spikes together. The same stands true for Sedona Golf Resort.

While trying to maintain the ambiance of the Red Rock experience of Sedona, the sand in the bunkers is a reddish clay based mixture. It is hard to play out of consistently because it is so clumpily inconsistent. Pank's also loves multi-tiered greens, yet he also likes to build them small. That's all fine and good if you have playable lies when you have missed one of the greens but too often that is not the case. While the rest of the course rarely ever suffers from too much water, the surrounds of the greens almost ALWAYS do. So, you're either faced with heavy, thick collars of blue grass rough, OR closely-mown bent grass that is sopping wet and spongy. More than once I've played a shot like an explosion out of a bunker off of those lies than I have trying to nip clean a Phil Phlopper, leaving me to be a sod farmer, instead.

Finally, as the course gets significant tourist play, the marshaling is next to ineffective. Pace of play is often brutally slow. Primarily the player at Sedona Golf Resort is playing it with their camera in hand, their handicap thrown out the side of the cart after the 5th hole and more beverages than are necessary. They're on vacation, don't you know? Getting them to move along isn't part of the gig. Nor is asking them to make sure to repair their ball marks. A few of the greens which receive a brunt of the shots are eternally pockmarked. Certainly that is not an exclusive to Sedona Golf Resort, but I have seen courses invest a few dollars in hiring additional grounds staff to repair them in the early morning or late evening. Not here...

OB Sports has managed the course since 2010, taking over for SunCor Golf when they crashed and burned the previous year. Perhaps that's where the real heat should placed. Not everyone can run a Troon. Nor even a ClubCorp. But one should be able to do better than an American Golf. That's the real puzzler: Orrin Vincent and Ed Francese are two deeply respected men in the game of golf. OB Sports manages some extraordinary properties, too: The Rim Golf Club in Payson, AZ; Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, CA; Somerby Golf Course in Rochester, MN and Tetherow Golf Club in Bend, OR. It's apparent that OB Sports has an affinity for quality conditions when you look at those golf courses. They have a terrific VP of Agronomy in Like Beardmore. Let's hope they hear more about what it is like to ACTUALLY play Sedona Golf Resort and invest a bit more into the course. The vacationing resort players may not see the difference but the returning players from Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff and Las Vegas who make more than just the occasional trek to Sedona might be more inclined to include Sedona Golf Resort in their rota than they do now.

first was quoted a $47.00 price on their website,when I got the the guy in the pro shop said it was wrong and it is:$62.00,said i'm giving you a break normally $70.00,since I drove up from phoenix,played the course,used to be good,not anymore,no sand in the bunkers and haven't been raked at all,cart girl saw us in the 5th hole and I asked how many more time she would be around,said this is it no more:@2:45pm,no marshalls at all waited on every tee bax after about the 6th or 7th hole,lots of ball marks on the greens and the fairways in some places mud bogs,not what I was expecting from this golf course,used to be in excellent shape,WILL NOT GO BACK ..

This course takes full advantage of the gorgeous views of surrounding Sedona. It is in good condition for a desert course. The staff was helpful and facilities were more than adequate. We stayed at the hotel and enjoyed our accomodations. The pace was a bit slower than we would have liked, as we were waiting on virtually every shot. Also, at just over 6,000 yards from the whites, the course did play very short. This led to my best score in years.

Very picturesque course, and a pleasure to play. Quite challenging, great views, great pace of play.

We loved it and can't wait to visit again!

Very beautiful course, immaculate conditions. Nice variety of holes. Pace of play was slow; I guess to be expected on a resort course with many novice players.

This is the most beautiful course in Northern Arizona! Period!!!

Wonderful golf course with enough challenge to make it worthwhile for the majority of golfers. Sometimes hard to keep your mind on your game as you scan the horizon and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.

Well worth the time and effort to enjoy.

Very fun, challenging and in great condition. Pace of play was really good and the staff couldn't be any nicer. I have to say this course is a notch above the neighboring golf course (oak creek)

Great corse and value if you buy the Red Rock Card
If you have a chance, have a round at Seven Canyon Club in Sedona

You must play this course. Unbelievable views, and a beautiful course.

While the golf course is very scenic, with incredible views, the golf experience was disappointing. Biggest issue is pace of play, our group stopped playing after 16 holes due to slow play. We waited on every tee box on average 5 minutes. When we got to the 17th tee box, there were two groups waiting to tee off. Marshaling of course was inept. In addition to slow play, the tee boxes and greens were not mowed to my liking - way to long for each, resulting in fuzzy, bumpy and slow greens.

played 3 days in a row. challenging from both the back and white tees. course is in great shape. Everyone was super firendly and helpful. Beautiful views.This has become a yearly trip. Looking forward to returning

Fast smooth greens and fairways in good shape.
The views are the best ever and the course lay out is really good. The course is very popular so do not be in a hurry. A real must play !!!

Course in great condition and almost every hole has a background good for a postcard. This is a must play course.

My husband and I have played many golf courses in Arizona this is one of the most beautiful!

This was the first time I played this course and now it's one of my favorites in Arizona. The views of the Sedona Red Rocks were an amazing backdrop. Course was in very good shape with good sand and very true greens. We were paired up with a couple of locals for an enjoyable morning. Pace of play was perfect never waiting for the group in front of us and never pushed from behind.

We drove up from Scottsdale. The scenery on the way was spectacular and the course and facilities were fantastic. The views of the red rock mountains and formations from almost every hole were beautiful. The layout was excellent and the conditions were pristine. Pace if play was excellent, no waiting on tees and no push from behind. A must play course.

I was mostly happy with this challenging course. Fair. Moderate greens. At 9:30am the greens weren't mowed and dew covered. I had higher expectations. The only other issue coloring our experience was the ranger twice coming telling us to speed up. The first time no one had waited for us on any shot. The second time, the group behind us played an extra hole (10 vs 9) and had to wait on that par three. We finished in exactly 4:20, the recommended time. Beyond that, it was a nice, not great experience.

We drove up from N Phoenix to play on a GolfNow Hot Deal. Well worth the drive & price. The setting in red rock country is beautiful, the course is fun... challenging but not penal. The bent grass greens were fast with a fair amount of undulation and slope. The only negative was slow pace of play... 5 hrs to complete 18. We'll be going back again.