Trip Journal: Arizona Golf Trip 2016
Avondale (and elsewhere around the Phoenix area) and Sedona; March 5 - 12
Planning for the 2016 Arizona golf trip started while the 2015 trip was still in progress. Housing options for 8 guys in the area that we like are getting tough to find, so we tried an experiment this year. Haas was staying an extra week in the area following the 2015 trip and rented a nice 3-bedroom place for him and his wife and another couple and as luck would have it the owner of that house had another similar house just a couple blocks away in the Coldwater Springs area. While three-bedroom houses were not ideal, it was worth a shot, as long as someone in each house was willing to bunk on a couch.
Another experiment for this year was the use of Turo for one of the rental cars (House Alpha crew used it to get a nice minivan for about two-thirds the cost of our vehicle from a rental car dealer (granted we had a huge SUV, so that accounted for some of the difference).
Finally the golf itself ended up being a little different this trip as well. Some of the courses that we wanted to play (Cimarron, Eagle’s Nest, Tuscany Falls) do not take tee-times very far in advance (4 to 5 days) so that the residents of the courses have plenty of time to call dibs, so I held off on the Thursday and Friday tee-times and just locked in the schedule for Sunday through Wednesday. A last minute twist was that the House Alpha crew really wanted to play Estrella while the House Bravo crew was more interested in a road trip to Sedona. No worries; we opted to divide and conquer so everyone got want they wanted.
A nice addition to the trip this year was that the Cuzs, Scott and Mike, were also playing golf in the area so we got to hang out a bit. The baseball schedule was also favorable so that we could watch everyone’s favorite teams, Indians, Reds and Rangers. Plus the forecast showed excellent weather throughout the week (cooler to start but warming nicely as the days passed). So we had all the makings for another great trip.
Saturday, March 5 – Travel Day. This trip started with a relaxed morning. I was already packed and ready, although I did have to do some last minute reorganization to get my golf bag under the 50 pound limit for a free checked bag (golf shoes and balls into the carryon). I had time to get a few miles in on the treadmill which was a bonus since I’ll be stuck in the flying tubes the great of the day. On the road at 1000. No issues on the drive except to call Lynn to make sure I had packed my shaving kit after the rearranging. Hey, I knew I had, but it is best to make sure. No worries in was safely stored in the golf bag. At CLE about 1035, plenty of room in the Orange lot. No lines at check in or security, although TSA was sluggish the morning...no surprise there. I guess I was on the gate side if security before 1100.
Now for some breakfast. But it is lunch time so. I opted for a salad at Panini's. I'll, be good and skip a beer even though they have Rajah on tap. The server recommended was the spinach salad. Sold. Not bad at all, albeit a bit pricey...airport prices, WTH. As I was finishing my meal I hear a familiar voice saying "Earnie." “Hey, Kirk, what brings you here?", I joked. He pulls up to my table and orders a bowl of chili and a Bud Light. Really, I have such higher expectations for you! But since I hate to see anyone drink alone, I ordered a tall White Rajah. Poor Kirk looked a bit dismayed as that is one of his favorites as well. Once the beers arrived he commented that the Bud Lite tastes horrible and later ordered a short Rajah just to get the taste off his palette. We passed the time talking beer (we both like a good IPA) and home remodeling. The Cleveland Beerfest has to be on the schedule for this year, Kirk said it was a great event.
Another experiment for this year was the use of Turo for one of the rental cars (House Alpha crew used it to get a nice minivan for about two-thirds the cost of our vehicle from a rental car dealer (granted we had a huge SUV, so that accounted for some of the difference).
Finally the golf itself ended up being a little different this trip as well. Some of the courses that we wanted to play (Cimarron, Eagle’s Nest, Tuscany Falls) do not take tee-times very far in advance (4 to 5 days) so that the residents of the courses have plenty of time to call dibs, so I held off on the Thursday and Friday tee-times and just locked in the schedule for Sunday through Wednesday. A last minute twist was that the House Alpha crew really wanted to play Estrella while the House Bravo crew was more interested in a road trip to Sedona. No worries; we opted to divide and conquer so everyone got want they wanted.
A nice addition to the trip this year was that the Cuzs, Scott and Mike, were also playing golf in the area so we got to hang out a bit. The baseball schedule was also favorable so that we could watch everyone’s favorite teams, Indians, Reds and Rangers. Plus the forecast showed excellent weather throughout the week (cooler to start but warming nicely as the days passed). So we had all the makings for another great trip.
Saturday, March 5 – Travel Day. This trip started with a relaxed morning. I was already packed and ready, although I did have to do some last minute reorganization to get my golf bag under the 50 pound limit for a free checked bag (golf shoes and balls into the carryon). I had time to get a few miles in on the treadmill which was a bonus since I’ll be stuck in the flying tubes the great of the day. On the road at 1000. No issues on the drive except to call Lynn to make sure I had packed my shaving kit after the rearranging. Hey, I knew I had, but it is best to make sure. No worries in was safely stored in the golf bag. At CLE about 1035, plenty of room in the Orange lot. No lines at check in or security, although TSA was sluggish the morning...no surprise there. I guess I was on the gate side if security before 1100.
Now for some breakfast. But it is lunch time so. I opted for a salad at Panini's. I'll, be good and skip a beer even though they have Rajah on tap. The server recommended was the spinach salad. Sold. Not bad at all, albeit a bit pricey...airport prices, WTH. As I was finishing my meal I hear a familiar voice saying "Earnie." “Hey, Kirk, what brings you here?", I joked. He pulls up to my table and orders a bowl of chili and a Bud Light. Really, I have such higher expectations for you! But since I hate to see anyone drink alone, I ordered a tall White Rajah. Poor Kirk looked a bit dismayed as that is one of his favorites as well. Once the beers arrived he commented that the Bud Lite tastes horrible and later ordered a short Rajah just to get the taste off his palette. We passed the time talking beer (we both like a good IPA) and home remodeling. The Cleveland Beerfest has to be on the schedule for this year, Kirk said it was a great event.
Perfect timing reaching the gate as boarding is underway, in fact group 3 was in progress so I dive through the group 2 line and headed up the gangplank. I grabbed my ear buds and books from my backpack and settled in. I knocked off a couple more games of QuizUp while waiting to get airborne. The Rajah is starting to kick in now, so maybe I can get a nap in the plane, although I should try and do a little research on Death Valley, which in the next excursion for Lynn and I later in March. The flight arrived at LAX with no issues (yes, CLE to LAX to PHX…I’m taking the long way the year; Kirk was on a flight through Chicago, but was schedule to arrive in PHX just before me). However, about 4:30 a flight delay was announced, now 6:30 departure, arriving Phoenix at 9:00. I start the texting with Kirk and Haas to relay the flight SNAFU. I’ve got time now so I went off looking for dinner. The only thing in the area of my gate that looked interesting was Engine Company No. 28. Good chicken sandwich but The Angel City IPA was uninspired. Boarding finally started and I was on the RJ175 about 6:40 and our uneventful flight landed at 8:55, a little over an hour behind schedule. Baggage claim included the standard carousel shuffle (it seems that they always advertise one claim area then move to another, sometimes without an announcement, just to keep the passengers on their toes). The guys waited for me. “Never leave a man on the field,” Jeff said. I knew he would say that. Easy drive to Avondale with a stop at a fast-food drive through for the guys the Kirk ditched us at House Bravo.
David and Mark were already at the house. We had a round of “howdys” and handshakes, then checked out the house. Very nice. Now the question of who is sleeping where. Well, Mark had come up with a plan that he and David executed; a coin-flip tournament of sorts. Why not, March Madness is upon us, so brackets make sense. Well, no complaints on the results as Mark ended up without a bedroom, but was able to create one out of the dining room as there was a foam mattress topper available. I’ll get my turn in the dining room next year based on the coin flip bracket results.
Sunday, March 6 – Warm-up at Falcon…and then some! First day of golf in Arizona for the 2016 trip and a great day it looks to be! The weather is almost ideal with the temperature around 70 F, partly cloudy but a bright blue background, a little windy but still very playable. Outstanding for playing a little golf. I gave us a little break with an 8:20 start time at Falcon so that we were not rushing about on the first day, but still early enough to give us options for later (stock up for the week or more golf).
Great first day. Ideal weather, albeit a bit windy, but still playable. Temp in the 70s, partly cloudy, but blue background. Outstanding day for golf. Before leaving for golf I called about tee times for Thursday and Friday. Cimarron is out both days and nothing at Pebble Creek on Thursday and pickings looked slim for Friday. More investigation is needed.
Sunday, March 6 – Warm-up at Falcon…and then some! First day of golf in Arizona for the 2016 trip and a great day it looks to be! The weather is almost ideal with the temperature around 70 F, partly cloudy but a bright blue background, a little windy but still very playable. Outstanding for playing a little golf. I gave us a little break with an 8:20 start time at Falcon so that we were not rushing about on the first day, but still early enough to give us options for later (stock up for the week or more golf).
Great first day. Ideal weather, albeit a bit windy, but still playable. Temp in the 70s, partly cloudy, but blue background. Outstanding day for golf. Before leaving for golf I called about tee times for Thursday and Friday. Cimarron is out both days and nothing at Pebble Creek on Thursday and pickings looked slim for Friday. More investigation is needed.
The first round of the week was at one of our standard opening day tracks, Falcon Golf Course next to Luke Air Force Base. In years past when we played during the week we were treated to an airshow with F-16s (thus the name of the course) and other military aircraft. But all was quiet here on a Sunday. Shoot even the course was not that crowded. We set our foursome “by house” this morning. Mark and I rode together, playing with Haas and David. Haas suggested that we play a blended set of tees, a mix of the white and red tees to give us a total yardage of about 6000 (a good distance for a fun day on the course. We all played well, at times anyway. My highlight for the round came on number 14, a 349-yard, straight-away par 4, which was playing downwind today. I had been hitting driver pretty well and opted to swing away here and hit a towering shot that landed just short of the green and bounded up the slope to end up on the front of the putting surface. I guess I had about 18 feet up hill for eagle. I hit a good putt but it trailed off to the right leaving me a kick-in birdie. I’ll take it! The was the first time I had played the course in the morning so it felt odd finishing so early, as we usually are walking off the course right at twilight when we played Falcon on arrival day in the past, back when we still had direct flights to PHX.
During the round we talked options for later in the week and I spent time between swings looked for looking at the discount tee-time sites. I found Foothills for Thursday and grabbed 8:40 and 8:48 tee-times since it would be a bit of a drive to the course. We will try Pebble Creek for Friday, or maybe Coldwater again.
The House Alpha foursome was off the course first so they checked the replay options. Ten bucks and the course is fairly open, so why not. For that price we can just play 9 if we start spraying the ball too much. Someone suggested a two-man scramble basing the teams on the scores from this morning. Kirk was the low man with a 69 (and he probably should have had a 67) and I was high with an 88 so we were a team, playing with Swan and Mark. Haas and Nak were a team playing with Phuoc and David. We were worried that afternoon round would be slow as we watched the geriatric foursome in front of us slowly trundle up no. 1 fairway. We were thinking skipping a couple holes or moving to the back 9, but those options did not seem viable, so we just waited. No worries as the old folks (two couples), kicked in the afterburners and we never waited on them the rest of the day. Shoot we finished the round on record time. The going in play was $10 a man for a pot but that detail was forgotten at some point after it was everyone found out that Kirk and I came in at even par to win the little event. Swan had the big drive on 14 this afternoon, coming up just short of the green but he did chip in for eagle during the scramble.
It was nice finishing up early. Even with playing 36 holes there was plenty of daylight left and plenty of time for a shower before dinner. Kirk suggested a cook-out at House Alpha tonight, burgers and brats under the supervisor of grill master Phuoc. Lot of fun just hanging on the patio talking about stuff. No politics, which was good, but rather TV, movies, remembering Kent, golf courses...mostly just random but enjoyable banter. Very nice evening. The food was excellent; Phuoc rivals Howie at the grill! We headed back to House Bravo at 9:00 and crashed shortly after that.
Great first day! Lots of fun. Just great being with the guys and cutting up. We poked at everyone but all in good spirit (Nak keeping us all informed about his maladies and Kirk calling for the 10-minute Nak updates!). I was very happy with my play and even my score. These days anything under 90 is a win!
Monday, March 7 – Palm Valley and the Tribe. As with most western trips I was up early but only by 0430 so not too bad. While waiting for the rest of the j'bones to rise I did a little Death Valley research and knocked off a few more opponents on Quizup. But the guys were shortly up and at it as we had an early tee time at Palm Valley (I grabbed the 7:21 and 7:28 tee times as these were $20 cheaper than the rest of the slots listed on the website. Not sure why but 20 bucks is 20 bucks). After 36 yesterday I think the whole gang will opt for just 18 and a ball game today.
Brisk morning, but a lovely day in store. Blue skies, light breeze…again ideal for golf. The rule for pairings this morning was to play with someone from the opposite house. So I rode with Nak, played with Haas and Phuoc. Haas and I played mixed tees again. And with the deep rough we encountered on the course, every yard counted! Plus I was a little stiff following 36 holes yesterday, so not swinging as well this morning. The course was in wonderful shape and very lush…as mentioned too lush perhaps with the depth and thickness of the rough. This was not just around the greens but all along the fairways as well. It was a ball-eating, club-grabbing, gnarly rough and everyone had at lead some issue with it. But it was still a fun day and we played fairly quickly and were done by noon. While it was a good day at Palm Valley, the group was ready for a little chill time at the ballgame.
During the round we talked options for later in the week and I spent time between swings looked for looking at the discount tee-time sites. I found Foothills for Thursday and grabbed 8:40 and 8:48 tee-times since it would be a bit of a drive to the course. We will try Pebble Creek for Friday, or maybe Coldwater again.
The House Alpha foursome was off the course first so they checked the replay options. Ten bucks and the course is fairly open, so why not. For that price we can just play 9 if we start spraying the ball too much. Someone suggested a two-man scramble basing the teams on the scores from this morning. Kirk was the low man with a 69 (and he probably should have had a 67) and I was high with an 88 so we were a team, playing with Swan and Mark. Haas and Nak were a team playing with Phuoc and David. We were worried that afternoon round would be slow as we watched the geriatric foursome in front of us slowly trundle up no. 1 fairway. We were thinking skipping a couple holes or moving to the back 9, but those options did not seem viable, so we just waited. No worries as the old folks (two couples), kicked in the afterburners and we never waited on them the rest of the day. Shoot we finished the round on record time. The going in play was $10 a man for a pot but that detail was forgotten at some point after it was everyone found out that Kirk and I came in at even par to win the little event. Swan had the big drive on 14 this afternoon, coming up just short of the green but he did chip in for eagle during the scramble.
It was nice finishing up early. Even with playing 36 holes there was plenty of daylight left and plenty of time for a shower before dinner. Kirk suggested a cook-out at House Alpha tonight, burgers and brats under the supervisor of grill master Phuoc. Lot of fun just hanging on the patio talking about stuff. No politics, which was good, but rather TV, movies, remembering Kent, golf courses...mostly just random but enjoyable banter. Very nice evening. The food was excellent; Phuoc rivals Howie at the grill! We headed back to House Bravo at 9:00 and crashed shortly after that.
Great first day! Lots of fun. Just great being with the guys and cutting up. We poked at everyone but all in good spirit (Nak keeping us all informed about his maladies and Kirk calling for the 10-minute Nak updates!). I was very happy with my play and even my score. These days anything under 90 is a win!
Monday, March 7 – Palm Valley and the Tribe. As with most western trips I was up early but only by 0430 so not too bad. While waiting for the rest of the j'bones to rise I did a little Death Valley research and knocked off a few more opponents on Quizup. But the guys were shortly up and at it as we had an early tee time at Palm Valley (I grabbed the 7:21 and 7:28 tee times as these were $20 cheaper than the rest of the slots listed on the website. Not sure why but 20 bucks is 20 bucks). After 36 yesterday I think the whole gang will opt for just 18 and a ball game today.
Brisk morning, but a lovely day in store. Blue skies, light breeze…again ideal for golf. The rule for pairings this morning was to play with someone from the opposite house. So I rode with Nak, played with Haas and Phuoc. Haas and I played mixed tees again. And with the deep rough we encountered on the course, every yard counted! Plus I was a little stiff following 36 holes yesterday, so not swinging as well this morning. The course was in wonderful shape and very lush…as mentioned too lush perhaps with the depth and thickness of the rough. This was not just around the greens but all along the fairways as well. It was a ball-eating, club-grabbing, gnarly rough and everyone had at lead some issue with it. But it was still a fun day and we played fairly quickly and were done by noon. While it was a good day at Palm Valley, the group was ready for a little chill time at the ballgame.
We watched the Indians play the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, probably the nicest of the spring training ballparks we have visited. The bonus for today is meeting up with Scott and Mike at the game. We started texting once I was off the course so that we could zero in on a meeting spot at the ballpark. We got to the park first, so while waiting I grabbed a $9 beer from one of the vendors; Hop Knot from Four Peaks. Very good but oh so pricey. Scott finally texted that they had arrived, but they came in through the gate in the outfield and were standing under the flags while I was behind home plate. I replied to stay put and I would come to them. I spotted them as I came out from behind the main seating structure. Passed Swan on the way, so he walked along to the outfield to meet the cousins. We stood out there for a while just catching up and talking golf. The Tribe hit at least two homers during the time we were there; long half inning. We eventually needed more beer and something to eat so started to explore the concessions along the third base side of the park. I bought the first round for the cousins then looked for lunch. Ended up going to the BBQ stand and tried the mac and cheese with BBQ beef brisket in a souvenir helmet. Quite tasty! (the BBQ, not the helmet). I gave the little helmet to a young mother for her kid (what was I going to do with it?). We found the rest of the gang seated in a nearly empty section along the third base line. Great location to hang out and watch the game. Amazingly, no one ever questioned us or asked for our tickets, unlike other ballparks. Great time in the ballpark, just handing out with the crew and the cousins, cutting-up, enjoying a few beers and watching the games. The Indians were winning 8 to 5 when we left in the 8th inning.
We headed home after the game. Plenty of time for a shower and a nap this afternoon before heading out to dinner, just the House Bravo crew tonight. We went to Majerles Sports Bar (review). My fish tacos were pretty good, but the rest of the guys were unhappy with the food, so maybe we can stop going to this place (it is just not that good and there are so many other more interesting dining options popping up each year in the area). Then it was back to the house for a little quite time before lights out.
Tuesday, March 8 - Road trip to Sedona. Today was “divide and conquer” day, as the Alpha House crew wanted to play “the deal” at Estrella and really were not interested in making the drive to Sedona while the Bravo boys were less interested in Estrella and more so the Zen of Sedona. So we split up and headed to our respective golf courses. A great day was had by all.
We were on the road at 0700. The drive up I-17 is lovely and it was a beautiful day to enjoy the scenery as we climbed from Phoenix toward Sedona. But there was a chill in the air this morning when we left Avondale and even more so when we arrived in the Village of Oak Creek. In fact the temperature reading on the Sherman said 37 degrees when we rolled into Red Rock Country. No worries, we were prepared for a brisk start to the day and still had a couple hours before we teed off. We had left early this morning so that we would not be rushed and such that we had plenty of time to get there and get some breakfast. I had suggested Miley’s as our morning stop, having eaten there a couple times during our trip to Sedona last fall. Did not disappoint! As expected the service was fast and friendly and the food was delish.
We headed to the course at 9:45 to check in, putt a bit and enjoy the scenery; plenty of time before our 10:42 start. Moved up and played the shorter tees with Haas; I don’t think playing shorter really impacts the score that much but it is more fun as it is just less pressure on the game (not always hitting driver-wood on long holes). We all played pretty well, but also had our struggles at times, but that’s why we are engineers and not playing on the pro tour! But it is a fun course to play; all up hill on the front then downhill on the back. On the first hole I had the worst drive of the group, pulling into the woods on the right, but long. Fortunately I had an opening, landed my gap wedge shot on the green and two-putted for par. The guys with the drives in the fairway all made bogey. The Zen of Sedona found me on the tee at number 2. Such a peaceful and beautiful place. I didn’t even care that I sailed my wedge over the green into the bunker then scuffed around to double, I was just happy to be here. Jeff and I both birdied the short par 5, number3. Shoot, I thought I had made a good par on a long par four, so birdie was sort of a bonus. I also made bird on number eight and miss a short birdie putt on number 6. But there were also a couple doubles on the front nine. Overall I was very pleased with my play.
Tuesday, March 8 - Road trip to Sedona. Today was “divide and conquer” day, as the Alpha House crew wanted to play “the deal” at Estrella and really were not interested in making the drive to Sedona while the Bravo boys were less interested in Estrella and more so the Zen of Sedona. So we split up and headed to our respective golf courses. A great day was had by all.
We were on the road at 0700. The drive up I-17 is lovely and it was a beautiful day to enjoy the scenery as we climbed from Phoenix toward Sedona. But there was a chill in the air this morning when we left Avondale and even more so when we arrived in the Village of Oak Creek. In fact the temperature reading on the Sherman said 37 degrees when we rolled into Red Rock Country. No worries, we were prepared for a brisk start to the day and still had a couple hours before we teed off. We had left early this morning so that we would not be rushed and such that we had plenty of time to get there and get some breakfast. I had suggested Miley’s as our morning stop, having eaten there a couple times during our trip to Sedona last fall. Did not disappoint! As expected the service was fast and friendly and the food was delish.
We headed to the course at 9:45 to check in, putt a bit and enjoy the scenery; plenty of time before our 10:42 start. Moved up and played the shorter tees with Haas; I don’t think playing shorter really impacts the score that much but it is more fun as it is just less pressure on the game (not always hitting driver-wood on long holes). We all played pretty well, but also had our struggles at times, but that’s why we are engineers and not playing on the pro tour! But it is a fun course to play; all up hill on the front then downhill on the back. On the first hole I had the worst drive of the group, pulling into the woods on the right, but long. Fortunately I had an opening, landed my gap wedge shot on the green and two-putted for par. The guys with the drives in the fairway all made bogey. The Zen of Sedona found me on the tee at number 2. Such a peaceful and beautiful place. I didn’t even care that I sailed my wedge over the green into the bunker then scuffed around to double, I was just happy to be here. Jeff and I both birdied the short par 5, number3. Shoot, I thought I had made a good par on a long par four, so birdie was sort of a bonus. I also made bird on number eight and miss a short birdie putt on number 6. But there were also a couple doubles on the front nine. Overall I was very pleased with my play.
Number 10 is the signature hole, a par three that has Cathedral Rock as a backdrop. We all played it pretty well, with three pars and a bogey. The pin was back so the hole was playing around 160 yards from our tees. I hit a five iron right at the flag, ending up about 10 feet behind the hole. Missed the birdie but a tap-in par is a great score on this scenic hole. Even as my swing started to unwind during the latter part of the round I was still playing well. The only really bad hole was the last. I should have just chunked a 5 iron or 7 wood down the hill on this very short and very downhill par 4, but under the “you didn’t come to Arizona to layup” rule we all hit driver and I crushed mine…but left into the pond. Oh well. Into each life a little triple-bogey must fall. Still, I broke 90 on one of my favorite courses of all time.
It was only mid-afternoon when we finished our round, so plenty of time to drive into Sedona before dinner. David suggested the Golden Goose so we stopped there for a beer and chatted with Steve, the manager/bartender who hailed from England. He was a bit frazzled today as he was trying to get set up for a big party this evening but he was still all too happy to talk to us about his experience in the restaurant business and how he ended up in Sedona. After our beer we headed back to the Village of Oak Creek for dinner at the Schoolhouse. Lynn and I enjoyed this place so I thought the guys might as well. We walked in at 4:57. The young lady hostesses said that dinner seating does not start until 5:00 and that we should just “stand over there.” Really? We’re three minutes early and you just dismiss us? No mention of happy hour, or help yourself to a seat in the bar, or just chit-chat for a couple minutes then seat us. Fortunately the bartender, Amy, came to the rescue and directed us to a table in the bar. She was excellent and took great care of us. Dinner was outstanding and the Schoolhouse was a hit with the crew. I had the seafood bisque followed by the shrimp and cheddar polenta which was an awesome pairing. David had to look at the dessert menu and found a dark chocolate cake that was huge. Forks all around! So glad we split that as there was no way that one person could, or should, eat that whole thing. It was great. Here's the review.
Before leaving, I had a quick chat with Amy, thanking her for the outstanding service and suggesting that she provide some coaching for the two hostesses who really needed a clue. She concurred.
The ride back to Avondale was fun. Beautiful as we were cruising south on I-17. Mark had his phone connected to the Panzer’s stereo and we were all jamming to Garth Brooks. Yeah, we’re not going to be moving to Nashville but that’s OK, we’re only entertaining ourselves. Once back at the house we caught the end of NCIS and a Big Bang Theory rerun before calling it a day. And a great day it was.
It was only mid-afternoon when we finished our round, so plenty of time to drive into Sedona before dinner. David suggested the Golden Goose so we stopped there for a beer and chatted with Steve, the manager/bartender who hailed from England. He was a bit frazzled today as he was trying to get set up for a big party this evening but he was still all too happy to talk to us about his experience in the restaurant business and how he ended up in Sedona. After our beer we headed back to the Village of Oak Creek for dinner at the Schoolhouse. Lynn and I enjoyed this place so I thought the guys might as well. We walked in at 4:57. The young lady hostesses said that dinner seating does not start until 5:00 and that we should just “stand over there.” Really? We’re three minutes early and you just dismiss us? No mention of happy hour, or help yourself to a seat in the bar, or just chit-chat for a couple minutes then seat us. Fortunately the bartender, Amy, came to the rescue and directed us to a table in the bar. She was excellent and took great care of us. Dinner was outstanding and the Schoolhouse was a hit with the crew. I had the seafood bisque followed by the shrimp and cheddar polenta which was an awesome pairing. David had to look at the dessert menu and found a dark chocolate cake that was huge. Forks all around! So glad we split that as there was no way that one person could, or should, eat that whole thing. It was great. Here's the review.
Before leaving, I had a quick chat with Amy, thanking her for the outstanding service and suggesting that she provide some coaching for the two hostesses who really needed a clue. She concurred.
The ride back to Avondale was fun. Beautiful as we were cruising south on I-17. Mark had his phone connected to the Panzer’s stereo and we were all jamming to Garth Brooks. Yeah, we’re not going to be moving to Nashville but that’s OK, we’re only entertaining ourselves. Once back at the house we caught the end of NCIS and a Big Bang Theory rerun before calling it a day. And a great day it was.
Wednesday, March 9 – Coldwater and a ballgame. We were the first on the course at Coldwater this morning, 0700 tee time. That’s just fun to do. No one in front of us and no one pushing. Played with Kirk, Mark and Phuoc. We played at a pretty good clip. I just could not pull my game together; there just seemed to be something off on most holes. For example, on number 2, the downhill par 5, I hit a nice drive then a great layup, leaving me less than 80 yards to the green. Just a simple wedge to the green which I proceeded to skull over the green on my way to double-bogey. Or I would butcher a drive or chunk an iron shot, but there were a few good shots mixed in so the round was still enjoyable. At the turn Kirk suggested that I had the ball too far forward in my stance which was contributing to poor contact. So I started working moving the ball back and that paid immediate dividends. Feels a little odd but did improve my overall results. This is something that I’ll have to work on the rest of the week.
We were done in a little over four hours so we plenty of time for a beer on the deck at the clubhouse. The only thing they had worth drinking was the Kiltlifter, the Scottish Ale from Four Peaks. But it was a good primer for the ballgame. Reds hosting the Rangers at the Goodyear Ballpark. good bit warmer this afternoon so finding some shade was important. We left in the 6th inning with the Reads trailing the Rangers 5-nil. After a quick stop for groceries it was back home for some quiet time on the back patio before dinner. The ACC basketball tournament had started and David wanted to see his Virginia Tech Hokies play so we headed to BW3 (review) to watch the game. Kirk was waiting on us there (the rest of the House Alpha boys went elsewhere). The Gobblers defeated Florida State so David was happy.
We were done in a little over four hours so we plenty of time for a beer on the deck at the clubhouse. The only thing they had worth drinking was the Kiltlifter, the Scottish Ale from Four Peaks. But it was a good primer for the ballgame. Reds hosting the Rangers at the Goodyear Ballpark. good bit warmer this afternoon so finding some shade was important. We left in the 6th inning with the Reads trailing the Rangers 5-nil. After a quick stop for groceries it was back home for some quiet time on the back patio before dinner. The ACC basketball tournament had started and David wanted to see his Virginia Tech Hokies play so we headed to BW3 (review) to watch the game. Kirk was waiting on us there (the rest of the House Alpha boys went elsewhere). The Gobblers defeated Florida State so David was happy.
Thursday, March 10 - Foothills is a keeper. Today was an experiment of sorts. Since I could not secure tee times at any of the community courses (Eagle's Nest, Tuscany Falls, Cimarron) I had to look at other public courses in the area for Thursday and Friday. Pickings were slim, so we opted just to double up on Cold water for Friday. The only other course I could find that as still in Phoenix and not over C-note was Foothills which was on the other side of South Mountain so about an hour away. It looked nice on the website, so we decided to give it a try.
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I made the tee times made while on the 10th tee at Falcon, as I recall. The experiment was not just that this is a new course for us but more so that it is grouped with Club West and they are very near to each other. Club West was one of the rare courses that we just did not like at all and wrote off as “do not return.” It rated a 0 on our 1 to 5 scale. As it turned out, Foothills was nothing like Club West.
We all liked Foothills. A lot! It was a little rough around the edges, but it is a desert course. Very playable. Wide fairways. Many holes funneled the ball back to the fairway on errant shots which is a big plus for me. Four sets of tees, so a yardage for all golfers. The greens had been recently top dressed, so the speed and break were a bit inconsistent but they rolled nicely. Staff was friendly; shoot the starter was a comedian with his “Southwest Airlines” stich about playing the course (the foot wedge is the most important club in your bag). Pretty clubhouse up on the hill overlooking the course. Good food at the grill. And the rates were low at $55 for the first 18 with cart and $25 for the replay. (review)
For the morning round I rode with David, and Nak and Phuoc rounded out the foursome. Lovely morning and a fun round. I was just on the bogey train for the front nine, but hit the ball well. On the back I shot 38, although that was probably aided by Haas’s unbalanced mixed tee format. Still an 83 is a pretty good score for me regardless of the tees used. Since the day was so pleasant, albeit a little warm, and the course was so nice we opted to play a little more, so we grabbed lunch at the clubhouse then headed back to the first tee to start our “Ryder Cup” play. House Alpha versus House Bravo, loser will pay for the Friday night cookout. For this first round we played a two-man scramble, me and Mark versus Nak and Phuoc. Short story is that Mark and I gave away the game. It was a close match but we blew it on the number 7, the long par three. Nak and Phuoc both blew their tee shots while Mark placed his pin high about 10 yards off the green. Then both Nak and Phuoc butchered their second shots AND the subsequent chips. So they're laying three in front of the green while Mark and I have a fairly easy chip. Well….we both chunked the chip, then both blew the second chip well past the whole. By the time it was all over, both teams recorded a double bogey. We should have made par, bogey at worse. So the game was even. Both teams made par on number 8, but then both Mark and I had bad drives on the finishing hole (I crushed my drive but pulled it into the back yard of the houses lining the fairway. We managed bogey but the other guys eeked out par to win by one. Not a good afternoon for House Bravo as we lost both matches. But hey, it was still a lot of fun!
For the morning round I rode with David, and Nak and Phuoc rounded out the foursome. Lovely morning and a fun round. I was just on the bogey train for the front nine, but hit the ball well. On the back I shot 38, although that was probably aided by Haas’s unbalanced mixed tee format. Still an 83 is a pretty good score for me regardless of the tees used. Since the day was so pleasant, albeit a little warm, and the course was so nice we opted to play a little more, so we grabbed lunch at the clubhouse then headed back to the first tee to start our “Ryder Cup” play. House Alpha versus House Bravo, loser will pay for the Friday night cookout. For this first round we played a two-man scramble, me and Mark versus Nak and Phuoc. Short story is that Mark and I gave away the game. It was a close match but we blew it on the number 7, the long par three. Nak and Phuoc both blew their tee shots while Mark placed his pin high about 10 yards off the green. Then both Nak and Phuoc butchered their second shots AND the subsequent chips. So they're laying three in front of the green while Mark and I have a fairly easy chip. Well….we both chunked the chip, then both blew the second chip well past the whole. By the time it was all over, both teams recorded a double bogey. We should have made par, bogey at worse. So the game was even. Both teams made par on number 8, but then both Mark and I had bad drives on the finishing hole (I crushed my drive but pulled it into the back yard of the houses lining the fairway. We managed bogey but the other guys eeked out par to win by one. Not a good afternoon for House Bravo as we lost both matches. But hey, it was still a lot of fun!
For dinner the opening option was Black Bear Diner posed by Swan and Haas but the non-retirees rebelled and want a less old folks vibe. So we went in search of the beer and jambalaya place that Swan, Mark, Kirk, Nak and Phuoc found on the last year on the last day of the trip (they had later flights so an extra day of golf). Unfortunately no one could remember the name of the place but we had a general idea of the location. So we were driving back toward Avondale, searching on the web and texting options between the vehicles. First stop was 8-bit Aleworks (review), but that was not the place and besides they don't serve food only brews, but we tried a few of the craft offerings...nothing great but still some interesting ales and stouts. Next was Saddle Mountain. This looked promising from the website. Right area from what the guys could remember and jambalaya was on the menu. Bingo! Once we were all in the scene Swan confirmed that this was the place. Sort of an industrial vibe, with an aviation theme. The kid at the door put our party on the waiting list but could not estimate the wait time. Clueless. Kirk and I headed to the bar.
I got a flight of IPAs. Flight has 6 samples but there were only 4 IPAs so I had the barmaid pick the other two, and she did well with a couple of hoppy red ales. There were a couple nice options in the group but nothing that would crack my top 10. The Problem Child was the best, so I had a pint with my jambalaya...once we got seated which was a bit of on adventure. The short story is that the host was an idiot and skipped over us for seating and some of the guys took issue with this and eventually left. Mark and I were still at the bar at this point and missed this part. The manager came over and explained the situation, apologized, seated us immediately and comped our meal. I’m sorry the rest of the guys missed out, but David, Mark and I had an excellent meal. The jambalaya was outstanding. I’ll be back next year, for sure! (review)
I got a flight of IPAs. Flight has 6 samples but there were only 4 IPAs so I had the barmaid pick the other two, and she did well with a couple of hoppy red ales. There were a couple nice options in the group but nothing that would crack my top 10. The Problem Child was the best, so I had a pint with my jambalaya...once we got seated which was a bit of on adventure. The short story is that the host was an idiot and skipped over us for seating and some of the guys took issue with this and eventually left. Mark and I were still at the bar at this point and missed this part. The manager came over and explained the situation, apologized, seated us immediately and comped our meal. I’m sorry the rest of the guys missed out, but David, Mark and I had an excellent meal. The jambalaya was outstanding. I’ll be back next year, for sure! (review)
Friday, March 11 – Coldwater and Cookout. Down to the last full day in Arizona for this trip, but there is still plenty to do. We’re heading back to Coldwater today with an early tee-time. Homeless (Swan’s new nickname based on the scruffy beard he has been sporting all week) should be happy as this is effectively his home course on these trips (he generally always plays well here, so the 90 he carded on Wednesday was a major anomaly….now he’s got a chance for redemption).
We’ll continue the Ryder Cup play today, with a different game for each nine-hole segment. First we’ll play a 2-man best ball, then individual match play and finally a 4-man scramble, assuming we can get a replay. That was the first thing I checked when I reached the clubhouse and we got lucky as there was space available. The guy at the counter said we really got lucky as a replay on Friday is usually not possible.
For the first nine, David and I rode together and played Homeless and Chuckles (Nak’s recently acquired nom de guerre from Haas earlier in the week; for whatever reason it just stuck.). This was a tight match to the end and everyone was playing well (low scores for all). I birded the short par four number 7 to pull the match to even, but then Chuckles birdied number 8 (short par 3) and Swan birdied number 9 (long par 4) to secure the two point for House Alpha. But our comrades from House Bravo pulled the big upset so the morning round was a smash.
for the second nine, the groupings stayed the same but the format changed to individual match play, me versus Nak and David against Swan. By the way, in terms of handicapping, there were no strokes given, but House Bravo got a tee-box advantage which I think worked out to even the playing field. More good play from the foursome and two more tight matches. Swan closed David out on the 8th hole of the match (17th). After spotting Nak an early hole I came back and won my match, 1-up. Swan got back on track with the home course and shot 79.
We’ll continue the Ryder Cup play today, with a different game for each nine-hole segment. First we’ll play a 2-man best ball, then individual match play and finally a 4-man scramble, assuming we can get a replay. That was the first thing I checked when I reached the clubhouse and we got lucky as there was space available. The guy at the counter said we really got lucky as a replay on Friday is usually not possible.
For the first nine, David and I rode together and played Homeless and Chuckles (Nak’s recently acquired nom de guerre from Haas earlier in the week; for whatever reason it just stuck.). This was a tight match to the end and everyone was playing well (low scores for all). I birded the short par four number 7 to pull the match to even, but then Chuckles birdied number 8 (short par 3) and Swan birdied number 9 (long par 4) to secure the two point for House Alpha. But our comrades from House Bravo pulled the big upset so the morning round was a smash.
for the second nine, the groupings stayed the same but the format changed to individual match play, me versus Nak and David against Swan. By the way, in terms of handicapping, there were no strokes given, but House Bravo got a tee-box advantage which I think worked out to even the playing field. More good play from the foursome and two more tight matches. Swan closed David out on the 8th hole of the match (17th). After spotting Nak an early hole I came back and won my match, 1-up. Swan got back on track with the home course and shot 79.
The cool critter sighting for the day (just like on Wednesday) were the two little Burrowing Owls living under the cart path just before number 7 tee. I also spotted an Anna's Hummingbird at number 1 on the replay, and there were several Gila Woodpeckers, Mockingbirds and other songbirds out today.
We chilled for a bit on the clubhouse deck as we had a little time before our replay. This gave us an opportunity to start planning for next year. Everyone indicated that they are coming back, we’re all good with the two houses and the first week of March is a fine time to visit. Haas will lock up the houses and we’ll go from there.
We were back out on the number 1 tee at 12:38 for the final nine of the trip was another House versus House 4-man scramble. That tally at this point was 5.5 to 2.5 in favor of House Alpha, so the four points riding on this game would determine the winner and more importantly who was paying for the cook-out. Another tight game and it came down to the last hole. We played well as a team with 5 birdies through 8 holes, but we left one on the table at the par 5 number 6. We birdied the short par three number 8 to go 5 under and were able to watch from the number 9 tee as the Alpha guys had to make a much longer putt to stay even with us. Three misses but Swan pulled the home course magic and drained the birdie. All square going into the last hole. Number 9 is probably the only hole on the course where there is not real advantage off the tee from the greens compared to the blues where the House Alpha team teed from. They were higher and not that far behind us, so the drive they played from was 30 yards ahead of ours. Then we all butchered our approach shots. If not for a fortunate kick off a rake on Mark’s shot we would have had nothing on the green. Mattered not as Kirk stiffed one to inside 2 feet. That pretty much sealed the match as their birdie was basically a gimme, and we had a long putt from the upper tier. We gave it a go and scared the cup a couple times but nothing dropped. Kirk tapped in his putt for a 1 stroke win. Still I was happy that we kept things this close.
We chilled for a bit on the clubhouse deck as we had a little time before our replay. This gave us an opportunity to start planning for next year. Everyone indicated that they are coming back, we’re all good with the two houses and the first week of March is a fine time to visit. Haas will lock up the houses and we’ll go from there.
We were back out on the number 1 tee at 12:38 for the final nine of the trip was another House versus House 4-man scramble. That tally at this point was 5.5 to 2.5 in favor of House Alpha, so the four points riding on this game would determine the winner and more importantly who was paying for the cook-out. Another tight game and it came down to the last hole. We played well as a team with 5 birdies through 8 holes, but we left one on the table at the par 5 number 6. We birdied the short par three number 8 to go 5 under and were able to watch from the number 9 tee as the Alpha guys had to make a much longer putt to stay even with us. Three misses but Swan pulled the home course magic and drained the birdie. All square going into the last hole. Number 9 is probably the only hole on the course where there is not real advantage off the tee from the greens compared to the blues where the House Alpha team teed from. They were higher and not that far behind us, so the drive they played from was 30 yards ahead of ours. Then we all butchered our approach shots. If not for a fortunate kick off a rake on Mark’s shot we would have had nothing on the green. Mattered not as Kirk stiffed one to inside 2 feet. That pretty much sealed the match as their birdie was basically a gimme, and we had a long putt from the upper tier. We gave it a go and scared the cup a couple times but nothing dropped. Kirk tapped in his putt for a 1 stroke win. Still I was happy that we kept things this close.
After the round we had another beer on the back porch and made plans for the rest of the day. Mark and I ended up taking Phuoc to Costco to buy supplies for the big cook-out. That was my first experience in a Costco. Wow. I think I’ll stick to the standard grocery stores, thank you very much. We delivered Phuoc along with the steaks, salmon and other fixings back at House Alpha then headed back to Bravo HQ for a quiet afternoon and a little packing. After a very refreshing shower, I spent the better part of the afternoon on the back patio. Great place to relax as it opens up on to the golf course (number 1 green is just over the fence).
We went over the House Alpha at 6:00. The cousins had also just arrived. Now it was time just to relax, have a beer and hang with the crew. The entertainment was watching Phuoc prepare dinner. He is a flurry of activity! But he does not really want help; this is his gig. Fine by me. And Phuoc really outdid himself! Salmon in particular was excellent but the entire meal was outstanding. Steak, salmon, asparagus for dinner and apple pie (OK, that was from the bakery) for dessert. That basically blew the diet but it was worth it!
The party broke up about 8:30. We said goodbye to the cousins and the House Alpha crew and headed back to our digs. We watched a little TV before calling it a night. The Big Bang Theory rerun was hilarious.
Saturday, March 12 – Heading Home. Time to go home. I was up early to get a quick shower, finish packing and help get the house ready for departure. I was on the early flight with Swan and Kirk, so they were coming to get me while the rest of the crew went out for breakfast as they had later flights and Haas was staying another week. I got the call that Kirk and Swan were on the way, so I dragged my gear out to the driveway. Perfect timing as I was pulling the door closed as they pulled up in front of the house. Kirk made a big turn in the middle of the road; ah, he’s going to back into the driveway I was thinking but no. The big sweeping course correction turned into a U-turn and they sped away. WTH. I walked out into the deserted street to try and flag them down, but they were history. I sent a text to Swan requesting another flyby and they were soon back. Just an address miscommunication but we’re all good to go now.
The experiment with Turo was a success, it seems. We met the owner of the van in the cell phone lot, Kirk completed the transaction and she dropped us at the terminal. Pretty easy overall. No issues with check-in, security or the flights. Shoot, the flights went a lot faster than planned and we were home in CLE about 40 minutes early. Bonus!
Phuoc picked up a new nickname due to the texts he sent Kirk during the day. IT seems that Phuoc is addicted to the United Club and sent photos of him with David and Nak at the PHX club and again when he visited the club in Denver. He is now Lounge Lizard.
We also heard from Haas while we were waiting for departure out of Phoenix. He had an update on the houses. It seems that we did not get first dibs on the houses as we thought we did, so we had to move the trip back a week and adjust to a Sunday to Sunday schedule. But he was able to lock in the 12-19 March dates for 2017, so all is well.
That’s a Wrap! Outstanding trip! While all of these trips have been fun, this one really seemed to go smoothly and just a bit more relaxed than in the past. The location surely helped as the houses on Coldwater were a short drive to most places. Everyone was relaxed about the golf, so no pressure on that point. I don’t know exactly what it was, but this was just a great trip. The courses were all in great shape, the cook-outs were outstanding, everyone played well, at least part of the time and then there was the Zen of Sedona. I just had a blast.
As for the scoring, the final tally is shown below. I was thinking that Phuoc was going to win the low net honors this year since he played so well and his Arizona handicap was high based on the previous year scores. Then it looked like Nak had a shot due to the way his handicap was inflated from his previous AZ trip. But David is declared the champion for 2016. He played really well at times, was fairly consistent in his scores and was always under his AZ handicap. David could be the man to beat for a couple years until his handicap catches up with his improving play.
Birdie Boy for 2016 is Kirk with 11. He built a big lead early and outlasted Nak who ended up with 8. But everyone had at least one bird.
We went over the House Alpha at 6:00. The cousins had also just arrived. Now it was time just to relax, have a beer and hang with the crew. The entertainment was watching Phuoc prepare dinner. He is a flurry of activity! But he does not really want help; this is his gig. Fine by me. And Phuoc really outdid himself! Salmon in particular was excellent but the entire meal was outstanding. Steak, salmon, asparagus for dinner and apple pie (OK, that was from the bakery) for dessert. That basically blew the diet but it was worth it!
The party broke up about 8:30. We said goodbye to the cousins and the House Alpha crew and headed back to our digs. We watched a little TV before calling it a night. The Big Bang Theory rerun was hilarious.
Saturday, March 12 – Heading Home. Time to go home. I was up early to get a quick shower, finish packing and help get the house ready for departure. I was on the early flight with Swan and Kirk, so they were coming to get me while the rest of the crew went out for breakfast as they had later flights and Haas was staying another week. I got the call that Kirk and Swan were on the way, so I dragged my gear out to the driveway. Perfect timing as I was pulling the door closed as they pulled up in front of the house. Kirk made a big turn in the middle of the road; ah, he’s going to back into the driveway I was thinking but no. The big sweeping course correction turned into a U-turn and they sped away. WTH. I walked out into the deserted street to try and flag them down, but they were history. I sent a text to Swan requesting another flyby and they were soon back. Just an address miscommunication but we’re all good to go now.
The experiment with Turo was a success, it seems. We met the owner of the van in the cell phone lot, Kirk completed the transaction and she dropped us at the terminal. Pretty easy overall. No issues with check-in, security or the flights. Shoot, the flights went a lot faster than planned and we were home in CLE about 40 minutes early. Bonus!
Phuoc picked up a new nickname due to the texts he sent Kirk during the day. IT seems that Phuoc is addicted to the United Club and sent photos of him with David and Nak at the PHX club and again when he visited the club in Denver. He is now Lounge Lizard.
We also heard from Haas while we were waiting for departure out of Phoenix. He had an update on the houses. It seems that we did not get first dibs on the houses as we thought we did, so we had to move the trip back a week and adjust to a Sunday to Sunday schedule. But he was able to lock in the 12-19 March dates for 2017, so all is well.
That’s a Wrap! Outstanding trip! While all of these trips have been fun, this one really seemed to go smoothly and just a bit more relaxed than in the past. The location surely helped as the houses on Coldwater were a short drive to most places. Everyone was relaxed about the golf, so no pressure on that point. I don’t know exactly what it was, but this was just a great trip. The courses were all in great shape, the cook-outs were outstanding, everyone played well, at least part of the time and then there was the Zen of Sedona. I just had a blast.
As for the scoring, the final tally is shown below. I was thinking that Phuoc was going to win the low net honors this year since he played so well and his Arizona handicap was high based on the previous year scores. Then it looked like Nak had a shot due to the way his handicap was inflated from his previous AZ trip. But David is declared the champion for 2016. He played really well at times, was fairly consistent in his scores and was always under his AZ handicap. David could be the man to beat for a couple years until his handicap catches up with his improving play.
Birdie Boy for 2016 is Kirk with 11. He built a big lead early and outlasted Nak who ended up with 8. But everyone had at least one bird.
In addition to golf, I was also on the look-out for critters, as usual. There were a lot of other birds that I could not identify (they were just moving too fast) but here's the list:
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Finally, I did not take a lot of photos during the trip but I did get a few decent shots (a few at the courses, several beer selfies and the birds that were close enough for the SX710 HS). Here's the link.