DOVE VALLEY RANCH GOLF COURSE REVIEW

Dove Valley opened in 1998 to rave reviews, including the Arizona Republic’s award as Arizona’s Best New Public Golf course, and it continues to grow even nicer as the challenging and graceful layout by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. matures. At every turn, brilliant greens contrast with the desert’s muted palette of ocotillo, saguaro, ironwood, palo verde and cholla. The very playable front nine offers the golfer wide open areas mixing in sand and water with spectacular vistas. The course gently shifts between panoramic openness to the intimacy of lush desert foliage. By the 11th hole the shift from traditional style to pure desert golf is complete. With desert looming on both sides of each fairway on the back nine, accuracy and course management is the key to scoring well. The course features many temptations to be aggressive and go for the green, but usually it will take the perfect shot to get it there. If you play aggressively and don’t hit the perfect shots, you may end your round with a very high score. Robert Trent Jones Jr. put a premium on strategy and variety with Dove Valley, which translates into a challenging yet refreshing round of golf.

Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Year Opened: 1998

Awards: Arizona Republic Newspaper’s 1998 “Best New Public Course in Arizona”

Practice Facilities: Driving range, chipping and putting green.

Range Balls Included: No

19th Hole: Copper Bar and Lounge

Recommended handicap:  With four different tee boxes ranging from 5300 to over 7000 yards, Dove Valley is challenging to all golfers. Anyone with a golf handicap under 36 will enjoy the golf experience at Dove Valley. Very high handicap players may find the back nine to be too difficult.

1 -10 Course Rating by Meridian’s Golf Specialists: 8 ½

Comments by Meridian Guests: “I really enjoyed the course, even though I shot a 39 on the front and a 50 on the back”. “After playing Dove Valley I learned the meaning of risk to reward.”
“I loved the double fairway hole. The other three people in my group tried to cut the angle and drive the green; I played it safe and was the only one to par the hole.”

The Drive Only 25 minutes away in Cave Creek