The Boulders North Course

If you haven't golfed in the desert Southwest before, you're in for a real treat. At the Boulders, the green of the fairway grass against the browns of the surrounding Sonoran Desert and the great view of Black Mountain in the distance may distract you from the task at hand. The North Course is an 18 hole, 6811 yard, Par 72 beauty with a 137 slope. Rental equipment is available from the full service pro shop if you happen to show up without your own sticks. Let's take a closer look at some of the holes on the North Course and see what's in store for you.

The first hole is a 513 yard Par 5 that will introduce you to desert sand very quickly if you're not careful. You need to clear about 200 yards of scrub to land on the first part of the two part fairway. The landing area is fairly wide and at least there aren't any trees to cause you additional worry. For most of us, the smart second shot is to layup in front of the sand traps guarding the front of the first green. If you succeed with your second shot, a pitching wedge could get you on the narrow oval-shaped green. Not much room for error on that shot either - too short and you're in the traps in front of the green and too long puts you back in the desert. Assuming you're ready for more, let's keep going.

You can catch your breath a bit on the second hole, which is a 195 yard Par 3. Again you'll need to clear some desert scrub to get to the fairway, but once there, you'll have an essentially unobstructed shot at the pin. No front traps, but be careful not to overshoot because there is a trap in the right back corner of the green.

Let's jump up to the fourteenth hole which will provide another good test of nerve for you. It's a 183 yard Par 3 over a pond that stretches right up to the edge of the green. If you need to land short of the green on the fourteenth, your options are limited to a very narrow fairway to the left of the pond. Go for the green (if you have a few extra balls in your bag.)

The eighteenth hole is no pushover either at 424 yards. It's a Par 4 with a right dogleg that starts about 250 yards from the tee box, so watch you're driving distance or once again you'll end up in the desert. Stay in play on the fairway and the approach to the green isn't too intimidating and you could finish your round on the North Course with a Par.

If you're staying at the resort, a visit to the Golden Door Spa could be just the thing after 18 holes. You can indulge yourself with special Native American wraps and therapies and there are Yoga and Pilates classes available too. You really have to go to Boulders resort site online and look at some of the pictures of the course and the pueblo style accommodations. Words don't do the Boulders justice. It's a beautiful place and well worth a visit.

Pete Cullen runs Great Web Resources. To find out more about golf destinations and equipment, visit http://www.Great-Web-Resources.com/gpage33.html

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