Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, USA

Designed by former U.S. Open and PGA Champion David Graham and golf course architect Gary Panks, Grayhawk’s Talon Course is one of the most exciting and dramatic tests of golf in the Southwest. Located in North Scottsdale, the 6,973-yard Talon course is one of the highest rated daily-fee golf courses in Arizona, and is included on Golf Magazine’s prestigious list of the “Top 100 You Can Play in the U.S.”.

The course also has hosted numerous high-profile golf events including the semi-finals and finals of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf; pro ams for the Waste Management Phoenix Open; the Heather Farr Trophy Matches and the Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl Golf Classic.

The Talon Course provides breathtaking views of the nearby McDowell Mountains as well as the Phoenix/Scottsdale skyline. And uniquely, Talon’s back nine was built around a series of deep box canyons with a handful of holes skirting steep drop-offs and thick stands of Mesquite, Palo Verde and Ironwood trees. Graham and Panks place a premium on positioning off the tee, but as always, a little extra distance will come in handy.

As a design element, the fairways appear smaller than their true size – adding a component of confidence to the scoring equation. Most of the greens are quite large, however, they are multi-tiered which effectively reduces their size. Careful consideration of the day’s pin sheet is required to avoid challenging putts from tier-to-tier. The areas around the greens are typically generous, giving golfers a shot at salvaging par after a wayward approach.