White Mountains offers seven public golf courses
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Information for Buyers of The Arizona White Mountains
The White Mountains of Arizona offer the golfer perhaps the best summertime golf experience in the Southwest. To most Americans, Arizona¹s Valley of the Sun is the nation¹s golden Mecca. But in the hot summer months, the White Mountains is the place to be for Arizonans to escape the heat in search of cool, mountain breezes.
Ten area golf courses, seven open to public play and one more under development, offer championship-quality play in a variety of climates. From the tall, cool pines of Pinetop and Alpine to the high desert courses of Snowflake and Concho Valley, golfers can have the best of both worlds. Courses at the higher elevations are closed during the winter but most of the lower ones are open year-round, depending on snowfall.
Located a scenic 3-1/2-hour drive from both Phoenix and Tucson, this area is known for its cool summer weather, mountain views and the world¹s largest stand of ponderosa pines ? all of which provide a picturesque backdrop to some of the most affordable and challenging golf courses in the Southwest.
Pinetop has the highest concentration of courses ? three courses within three miles. Two are private, including the two oldest courses on the mountain ? White Mountain Country Club and Pinetop Country Club. In between lies Pinetop Lakes Golf and Country Club, which has both private membership and is open to public play.
Show Low has two tall-pine dominated courses ? the prestigious Torreon Golf Club, a private club designed by internationally acclaimed architects von Hagge, Smelek and Baril, and the public Show Low Golf Club. A few miles outside of Show Low lies Silver Creek Golf Club, nestled in the creek valley at White Mountain Lake. Silver Creek, a public course, offers year-round play in a pine-on-juniper setting and lots of water.
Further north, the municipal Snowflake Golf Course offers a 27-hole golfing oasis amidst the high desert at the edge of town. Nine holes encircle the Snowflake Mormon Temple, which is situated atop Pinhead Butte and visible for several miles.
Halfway between Show Low and St. Johns, Concho Valley Country Club is a public, 18-hole golf course situated beside Concho Lake in the community of Concho Valley.
Among the tall pines of the Mogollon Plateau, Pine Meadows Country Club in Overgaard is not only the closest to the Valley, but it also offers year-round play and special rates for seniors and for twilight play.
If you spend most of your time amidst the splendor of the high country wilderness, but still like to get in a round of golf, there is Alpine Country Club tucked away in the mountain landscape just west of the Arizona-New Mexico border.
A new course, River Run Golf Course, has been under development in Apache County. The nine-hole course and driving range is being built along the basalt cliffs of the Little Colorado River just west of Eagar. No opening date has been set.
Following is a list of the 10 courses currently open, along with a description of each course, services and other information.
Public courses
Alpine Country Club
58 County Road 2122
(928) 339-4944
Facilities:
€ Driving range, putting green
€ Cocktail lounge open every day
€ Restaurant open daily, except Monday and Tuesday.
Situated in the cool ponderosa pine, spruce and fir forest in the mountains known as ³The Alps of Arizona,² Alpine Country Club offers 18 holes for public play. The front nine as well as the back nine tests the golfer¹s accuracy, especially on approach shots, as the greens tend to drop off at the back sides.
The back nine opened in 1985 to complement the front nine which were built in the 1950s. The mountain course is at an elevation of 8,200 feet.
Concho Valley Country Club
Located 28 miles northeast of Show Low on State Route 61
(928) 337-4644
Toll-free: 1-800-658-8071
Web site: www.conchovalleycc.com
Facilities:
€ Driving range, practice green
€ Full-service pro shop. Golf pro is Brad Hindman.
€ Cedars Edge Restaurant serving lunch seven days a week, breakfast Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and dinner (including fish fry) every Friday.
€ Banquet facilities, lounge, eight-unit Concho Lake Lodge.
Designed by longtime Phoenix resident and architect Jack Snyder, the original nine holes opened in 1970. Snyder was brought back in 1991 to expand the course to its current 18 holes. It was felt that by bringing back the original architect the additional nine would retain the same character and playability that made the original nine so popular. Despite the 20-plus years difference, most players cannot tell which are the original holes and which are new.
Concho Valley Country Club is a great place to play either for a day or the entire summer. For membership information and banquet reservations call (928) 337-4644. For tee times and tournament information contact the pro shop at either (928) 337-4644 or call toll free at 1-800-658-8071. Golfers may book tee times online via the website listed above.
Pine Meadows Country Club
2209 Country Club Dr.
Overgaard
Facilities:
€ Driving range and putting green
€ Full service pro shop
€ Full service restaurant and lounge
€Club rentals
Pine Meadows Country Club features large and extremely undulated greens, sand traps on every hole and water hazards that come into play on four holes, including the final three. The large, contoured greens test even the most experienced putters.
The 29-year-old course reopened in 1987 after lying dormant for several years and has enjoyed a resurgence. The nine-hole course will be expanded to 18 holes in the near future.
Pine Meadows Country Club is open from 7 a.m. until dark during the summer and year round as weather permits.
Pinetop Lakes Golf & Country Club
4643 Buck Springs Rd. (1/2 miles east of State Route 260 on Buck Springs Road.)
(928) 369-4184
Pro Shop: (928) 369-4531
Web site: www.pinetoplakesgolf.com
Facilities:
€ Practice greens and driving range
€ Tennis courts
€ Fully-equipped golf shop. Head professional is Brian Zongker.
€ Fairway View Restaurant and Bar opens daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch. The dining room and cocktail lounge, upstairs in the clubhouse, overlooks hole 9 and 18.
This magnificent 18-hole championship course has been voted ³The Best Executive Course in the State² by the Arizona Republic. Pinetop Lakes Golf and Country Club is a membership-owned equity club, however, all facilities are open to the public at present. The Board of Directors and members invite visitors to enjoy a round of golf or game of tennis on a daily fee basis
As a member you will be able to participate in all the activities of the Men¹s and Women¹s Golf Associations, Card parties and all other events organized for members only.
The golf course, tennis courts and club house are available for company or group golf and tennis outings, meetings or seminars, company or group dinners cocktail parties and wedding receptions. Call the pro shop at (928) 369-4531 for more information or to book tee times.
Show Low Country Club
860 N. 36th Dr. (off Old Linden Road)
(928) 537-4564
Web site: www.showlowgolf.com
Facilities:
€ Complete practice facilities with driving range, putting green
€ Full-service pro shop with PGA teaching staff
€ Dimples Restaurant Bar and Grill provides a cool drink or food either in the bar, restaurant, lounge or outside patio
€ Tournaments, leagues and corporate outings available
The Show Low Country Club winds through meadows and pine trees in a beautiful setting. The 18-hole championship course has an open front nine and a tight back nine. A new irrigation system on the front nine and a new lake between holes six and seven were installed not too long ago. Mounding was also added along and between fairways. The clubhouse sports a deck facing the No. 9 hole.
Silver Creek Golf Club
Located in the community of White Mountain Lake, off State Route 77 east on White Mountain Lake Road, or go five miles east of Show Low on U.S. 60, then seven miles north on Bourdon Ranch Road.
2051 Silver Lake Blvd.
Facilities:
€ Par-three 19th hole makes Silver Creek¹s practice facilities among the most revered in the Southwest
€ Well-stocked pro shop and golf instruction is offered. Golf pro is Scott Rethlake.
€ Sandbagger¹s Bar and Grill serves breakfast and lunch daily throughout the year and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights May through October, featuring Friday night fish-fry and a variety of tasty Italian dishes.
Silver Creek Golf Club forged onto the Arizona golf scene in 1985 and was so impressive it earned a nomination in Golf Digest Magazine¹s Best New Public Golf Courses in the Country the very next year.
Nestled amid the master planned community of White Mountain Lakes, the property features a course that was built to be in harmony with the natural beauty of the rolling pinyon- and juniper-tree-covered terrain that surrounds it. While the course is maintained and prepared for championship golf on a daily basis, with the course design by architect Gary Panks, it provides an enjoyable experience for players of all levels.
A global positioning system in all the carts provides location and distance-to-green information. GPS is also used in tandem with horns to warn golfers of lightening in the area.
Silver Creek is open all year and offers Senior, Junior and Twilight specials and membership programs. Call (928) 537-2744 for tee times and additional information.
Snowflake Golf Course
90 N. Country Club Drive (take State Route 277 west of Snowflake, turn south)
(928) 536-7233 or 1-800-600-9033
Facilities:
€ Driving range and putting facilities
€ Pro shop. Head PGA professional is Steve Schneider can help organize group or private lessons or group outings.
€ Full service snack bar featuring sandwiches and ice cream
Snowflake Golf Course is nestled quietly quietly among the rolling hills of Snowflake. It opened in 1982 and has been one of Arizona¹s best-kept secrets. This 27-hole championship course will challenge any level of golfer. The front nine with its elevated greens and narrow fairways test your patience and skill. The back nine allows you to ³let the dog eat² by uncorking your driver. Generous fairways and sizable greens build your confidence until you finish on your signature 18th ? a risk-or-reward par five. Birdie, par or bogey, it leaves a lasting impression of an open invitation to try again.
The newest nine holes, dubbed the ³Frontier Nine,² encircle the Snowflake Mormon Temple on the west end of the course.
The friendly staff at the Snowflake Golf Course will gladly answer any questions for the public. Just call them at 1-800-600-9033.
All-private courses
Pinetop Country Club
(Three miles east of State Route 260 on Buck Springs Rd.)
(928) 369-4375
Web site: www.pinetopcc.com
Pinetop Country Club was formed in 1965 as a private membership equity country club and allows a total of 375 shareholding memberships. Other membership types are available. The club is entering its second generation of members.
Torreon Golf Club
651 S. Torreon Loop
Show Low
Golf shop: 532-4653
Clubhouse: 532-8000
Web site: www.torreon.com
Facilities:
€ Practice facility includes oversized driving range featuring Bent Grass tees and greens with superbly manicured practice targets.
€ Pro shop and men¹s and women¹s lockers.
€ Bar and grill
€ Swimming pool, 12-acre recreational complex
Located near the convergence of U.S. 60 from Globe and State Route 260 from Payson, Torreon is surrounded by the beauty of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest at an elevation of 6,400 feet.
Torreon features 27 holes of championship golf designed by internationally acclaimed architects von Hagge, Smelek and Baril. This private gold course blends in to the surrounding environment and preserves the esthetics of the land.
The golf course is the crowning glory of a gated community developed by Desert Troon Companies, which offers a sanctuary to urban families eager to escape the stressful lifestyle of the big city and embrace the natural beauty and four-season recreational opportunities of the White Mountains.
Every hole is distinctive and a premium is placed on the golfer¹s drive on some holes, while on others it is on the approach. All holes test consistency, but Torreon is considered a ³fair² course that rewards a good shot.
Torreon also offers an oversized driving range allowing simultaneous use by golfers hitting practice shots an those taking golf lessons from head processional Lloyd Harvey and his staff.
Torreon¹s 15,500 square foot golf clubhouse features a bar and men¹s and women¹s locker rooms. Situated on a knoll overlooking the East Course ninth hole, the entire east side consists of large spans of glass and multi-level decks offering dramatic views of the East Course ninth green and natural washes.
The dominant design feature of the structure is a 30-foot stone tower that relates architecturally back to the name ³Torreon,² a Spanish word for tower or fortress. The facility also features a fitness center and swimming pool that share the same spectacular views as the clubhouse and a family center with kids¹ golf, sport courts, tennis, fishing pond and amphitheater.
The course is open from mid-March to mid-November.
White Mountain Country Club
(Located east of State Route 260 in the White Mountain Summer Homes subdivision)
Pinetop
Golf shop: (928) 367-4913
Membership info: (928) 367-4357
The White Mountain Country Club is the White Mountain¹s first golf course. Founder Del Fisher founded the club in 1954, and the golf course opened with nine holes the following year. The original nine holes are now the back side of the course. Nine new holes were added years later and became the front nine.
The club is open to members and their guests only from April 1 to Oct. 31.
Jack Bartko, a PGA professional, is the golf shop manager. Mike Porras is the assistant golf pro. They can be reached at the golf shop at (928) 367-4913.
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Information courtesy of Mt. Skies, White Mountain Publishing Co. May 2005.
