Whirlwind Cattail, Whirlwind Devils Claw Golf Courses
Challenging but Flat Enough if you Want to Walk
Golf courses in the Phoenix Metro area this time of year are just amazing, but with the the Rye grass overseeding of dormant Bermuda grown in and looking spectacular, the Cattail and Devils Claw golf courses at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler are holding their own against some stiff competition. Both can be had for a great price.
In early December, the Web.com tour had the final stage Q school qualifying at Whirlwind. Wow, what a couple of great tracks. As the occasional caddie and father of a Web.com player, I’ve seen plenty of top-tier venues decked out for high-level competitions, but these folks did it right.
You roll up to the clubhouse and you are greeted by these wonderful people who are extremely happy to help you get all your equipment ready to go. With the Web.com there, and players just a couple of rounds away from the final stepping stone to the PGA Tour, Titleist, TaylorMade and all the other major club makers had trailers onsite.
Our son, Timothy Madigan, was playing in the event and enjoyed perks most amateurs never encounter. He visited the trailers and had them build some clubs for him right on the spot. Free hats, gloves, balls and much more. Sad to say, despite shooting a 66 one day, he did not make it to the top 45, so he has only conditional status and nothing, really, that will likely get him any starts.
Back to the golf courses. The practice facility at Whirlwind golf resort is incredible, with a chipping green with bunkers all around it. The green is huge, with plenty of room for a variety of shots. Next is the driving range, which is as flat a pancake and with 100 yards worth of hitting stations. There are two ends to the range at Whirlwind and two huge putting greens, one for the Whirlwind Cattail golf course and another for the Whirlwind Devils Claw golf course. Each matches the speed of the actual greens of the two courses.
Phoenix’s Valley of the Sun is a fantastic place to place golf this time of year. The weather is beautiful. The course is not hilly at all, so if you like to walk it’s not a hard walk. I even did it, so if I can make it anyone can. Whirlwind’s tee-time booking site shows rates varying from $107 to $128, cart included through December. Or you can wait to play in the summer when it is 118 degrees and no body is out there and the rates are cheap.
If you like Arizona golf, visit our previous articles, Tucson: Working Man’s Scottsdale, or our roundup of Phoenix-area golf and Spring Training baseball or our review of Notah Begay III’s signature course at Tucson’s Casino del Sol Golf Club, the home of the University of Arizona Wildcats golf team.
