Golfing the Apache Stronghold

Should You Play Apache Stronghold on Your Scottsdale, Arizona Golf Vacation?A few years ago, when a major golf magazine selected Tom Doak's Apache Stronghold as the No.1 golf course in Arizona, we knew we had to make the two-hour drive east from Scottsdale to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation to see if it was truly a "must play" on a Scottsdale, Arizona golf vacation. After our round, we had only one question: What were they thinking?

When we visited, the grass was thin and the overall maintenance was far below Scottsdale's standards. More importantly, it wasn't nearly as picturesque as, say, We-Ko-Pa or Troon North. That said, Apache Stronghold is a superb design that often costs half as much as first-rate courses in Scottsdale.