Red Rock Mountains Frame Fabulous Golf in Sedona
There’s no doubt that golf is a great game and that pleasure is magnified when you are playing in a nature palace such as can be found in this Valley of the Sun of northern Arizona.
Sedona has only a relative handful of courses but it more than makes up for its sparsity of fairways with a bevy of beauty.
In fact, the three courses here rank among the most beautiful courses in America. Yep, the whole country.
As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the vast majority of those who have played Seven Canyons, Sedona Golf Resort and Oakcreek come away with their golf cap in their hand, realizing they have trod on royal soil.
It’s not just knowing they have played on courses that rank high nationally for their pristiness and A-1 playing conditions, but with the realization that all three courses in Sedona are replete with gorgeous postcard-quality views at almost every turn.
Red-coated mountains are everywhere, stretching thousands of feet into the sky with their jagged shapes, from razorpoint edges to jellyroll roundness.
The reddish copper color permeates throughout and is especially beautiful on sunny days (which exist here most of the time). Sedona’s striking red-rock formations were shaped by millions of years of sediment deposits and erosion. The rocks owe their red hues to a thin coating of iron oxide.
Because the area (about a two-hour drive north of golf-rich Phoenix) is mostly above the 5,000-foot level (some mountains stretch to over 7,100), the courses weather is comfortable most of the year (though beset with a lot more rain than usual in March 2020).
Seven Canyons is in a Sedona gated community of more than 100 multi-million dollar homes and has been declared “the most beautiful golf course in America” by several renowned golfers.
Its fairways are plush, the greens are fast and fair, its sand traps are large and impeccable. The clubhouse is large and includes a dining area to suit any palate. There is also a practice golf area providing golfers an opportunity to warm up every facet of their game.
Golfers are provided GPS-equipped carts. The course plays from the tips at 6,818, but only 6,252 for members and 5,757 from the regular tees. The women play from 5,082. The course was designed by famed golfer Tom Weiskoff (who, reports say, marveled at the geography when given the job of designing the layout.)
Water comes into play on only a few holes (primarily par fours at 6 and 7). The course has a rating/slope of 71.4/141 from the tips, 68.1/129 for regular members, 70/4/138 for members and 63.3/115 from the forward tees. More
