Positive Posts at Poston Butte

Positive Posts at Poston Butte
  • General Manager: Ryan Eckroat
  • Course Superintendent: Arnie Galvez
  • Course Architect: Gary Panks
  • Par 72 – 7282 yards from the tips
  • Slope/Rating:  74.1/127; 72.1/123; 69.5/121; 72.9/125; 69.4/119
  • 520-723-1880
  • 6100 W. Merrill Ranch Pkwy,  Florence, AZ 85232
  • www.postonbuttegc.com

Are we there yet?  Someone is bound to ask on the drive from Phoenix, but you know when you have arrived by the beautiful, wide stepped falls marking the grand entrance to the Anthem oasis community and the well manicured Poston Butte Golf Club. Well worth the ride (which is much shorter on the return as the memories are relived), this very playable Gary Panks design holds no pranks. The driving range sets the stage for the sweeping views of Superstition Mountain, the San Tans, and a range of smaller buttes. Leave plenty of time to loosen up with the included range balls and find your stroke on one of the largest practice greens in the valley. Freshly over seeded grass in November had been tediously cared for as you would expect when managed by Troon Golf. The fairway mowing sequence leaves a pattern of half light and half dark carpet. Fine red gravel, sprinkled with desert foliage lines the fairways, making lies easier if a great drive slightly misses the green grass, thereby extending the acceptable target areas. Brilliant greens are fast and smooth.

Hole #3, par 5, 616 yards

A cross breeze makes this an even longer par 5. The huge fairway bunker at the crotch of the dogleg right shouldn’t be a big problem with all the room on the left, but use caution as some balls are naturally drawn to it. Approach the green from the right to escape the beach guarding the front left. Check out the pin placement to maneuver the steep hill in the green.

Hole # 9, par 5, 544 yards

Coming home on the front nine is a risk/reward experience. Begin the long journey with a dogleg left opening while bunkers beckon on the right side of the fairway. Big hitters can reduce the yardage by cutting the corner, but must maneuver two bunkers midway to the flag and another set guarding both sides of this uphill two tiered green.  Players must consider course management on this great semi final hole.

The front nine turns out to be just a warm up for a great back nine. Grab a dog and your favorite libation at the turn and proceed to the first water hole. Across the shore is one of many impressive parks at Anthem, which accommodates families and seniors in separate but easily crossable sections of affluent yet affordable American living.

Hole #17, par3, 169 yards

Here’s the island green, man. It almost makes you giddy to look at it. Don’t go right and don’t go left. Don’t leave it short and don’t go long. Anything but a nice target iron will be swimming. Up the number on that iron and march across the wooden bridge, footsteps echoing,  to sink your birdie like our publisher Nancy and you will have a happy foursome all the way in!

Hole #18    564 yards Par 5

Finish strong, uphill on this dogleg right. Big hitters must really grip and rip to have any chance of reaching the green in two. After the drive, the fairway rises the last 250 yards to a complex green with multiple tiers and subtle divides requiring accuracy to pin placement. Adding to the difficulty is a large bunker on the front right and a smaller one at the back. The course looks easy, but can bring you to your knees- literally when trying to emerge from a steep bunker.

In Troon fashion, a fabulous ration of merchandise is available in the pro shop. Right outside, the Greenside Café offers special daily selections and efficient service in a lovely patio setting. Watch players coming and going with the majestic mountains as the backdrop.

Pyramid shaped tee box markers reflect the outline of an Apache ruin atop a hill in Florence where Charles Poston “Father of Arizona”, resurrected a fire temple and called it Poston Butte. It looks quite similar to the butte in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, which like this course has a magnetic draw that brings you back  again and again. It’s a perfect day of golf at Poston Buttes. See the website www.postonbuttegc.com for a fly over course tour, specials and more. Discount tee times are available at http://www.bookthebutte.com.

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