Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw (1997)

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

History: Owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indians, Talking Stick Resort opened in 1997 with two Coore and Crenshaw public courses. Originally known as the North and South courses, they are now known as O’odham and Piipaash after the tribe that owns them. The North O’odham Course is considered the better layout, earning the following accolades:

• #48 Best Casino Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #10 Best Course in Arizona – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #25 Best Course in Arizona – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)

Conditions: 8/10, Talking Stick is in overall strong condition with firm, fast fairways and greens that roll true.

Value: 6/10, Public golf in Scottsdale is quite expensive and season-dependent but Talking Stick is one of the better values in the area with prices below $100 in the afternoon and discounts for Arizona residents.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Black                 70           7133                72.6               124

Gold                   70           6510               69.9              119

Gold/Jade        70           5945               67.0              116

Jade                   70           5532                65.2             111

Rust                  70           4677               65.7             109

Hole Descriptions: Sometimes an architect is given a wonderful piece of property where anything but excellence would be a disappointment. Courses such as Pebble Beach and Fishers Island certainly are examples of such properties. Then, there are courses where the land is less than optimal and the architect needs to really put their best effort forward to make a decent course. The two courses at Talking Stick are certainly the latter and bravo to Coore and Crenshaw for taking on such a project. Located on a square, dead flat piece of desert outside Scottsdale, there is little compelling land movement at Talking Stick. This certainly holds the course back and it is well down the list on Coore/Crenshaw’s impressive portfolio, but there’s lots to like at Talking Stick O’odham. For one, the course is free of houses and offers wonderful views of the surrounding desert and mountains. It is also readily walkable and playable for the masses with wide fairways and firm conditions. Talking Stick’s best features are its greens and bunkers, which are thoughtful and interesting, something not usually seen at public courses. I much prefer We-Ko-Pa and some others in the area, but Talking Stick is a solid option and should not be overlooked.

The O’odham Course opens with a 379 yard slight dogleg left par 4. This fairway is very generous but is lined by OB and the range left and a well-placed bunker down the left at 220 yards. Three bunkers guard just short of a back-to-front sloped green.

Coore and Crenshaw are known for their minimalism and it is very evident on the 509 yard par 5 2nd. This dead straight hole features a generous fairway lined by OB left the entire way in the form of a linear fence. There’s no real danger until the end of the hole where a subtle back-to-front sloped green is defended by bunkers right and short. Essentially the strategy of the hole is to have an open approach from the left side of the fairway but OB the entire way makes this a risky endeavor. This is a very simplistic and polarizing hole and one I’m not sure how I feel about.

The 3rd hole is the number 1 handicap as a straightaway 417 yard par 4. OB continues down the left the whole way and this generous fairway is well-bunkered, with a left crossbunker at 150 yards and numerous bunkers down the right beginning at 200 yards. Bunkers guard short and right of a subtle, back-to-front sloped green.

The 4th is the most exciting hole on the front side as a 390 yard par 4. This hole features a split fairway divided by a large bunker down the middle at 230 yards also defended by numerous bunkers down the right for much of the landing area. This fairway is initially quite wide but narrows as you approach a back-to-front sloped green defended by bunkers on either side.

At 356 yards, the 5th hole is the shortest par 4 at O’odham but is only reachable for the longest hitters. Somewhat reminiscent of the 4th at Streamsong Red, this straightaway hole features a midline bunker at about 210 yards. While this hazard is small, it certainly is in the golfer’s mind on the teebox and affects strategy. This back-to-front sloped green is very well-defended with bunkers short, left, and right.

The 6th hole is the first par 3 on the course at 187 yards. A stubborn tree down the left forces you to favor a draw into this large, back-to-front sloped green defended by bunkers on either side and an additional bunker well-short.

The 7th is a pretty hole with the mountains in the background but overall is pretty boring as a straightaway 427 yard par 4. Desert lines this wide fairway on both sides with an additional left bunker at 245 yards. This green again slopes back-to-front with a bunker short left.

At 143 yards, the 8th hole is the shortest on the course with bunkers guarding short and left of a green with a central plateau that repels balls.

The front side closes in fairly mundane fashion with another straightaway 412 yard par 4 defended by a bunker on the right at 205 yards and left at 250 yards. A large and undulating green awaits at the end guarded by a large right bunker.

I much prefer the back 9 at the O’odham Course and it begins with a solid 390 yard par 4. There’s more strategy on this hole, with a narrow fairway lined with sequential crossbunkers beginning at 140 yards down the left. This green is bunkerless but features mounds on the corners leading to some difficult pins.

At 217 yards, the 11th hole is the longest and best par 3 at Talking Stick playing slightly uphill over a giant bunker to a green that slopes both left-to-right and back-to-right as almost a reverse redan.

The 12th is somewhat of a signature hole and my favorite on the course as an interesting 358 yard par 4. This hole again features a split fairway with a large slab of fairway down the right divided by a bunker from a smaller slab of fairway that begins down the left at 190 yards. While golfers down the right will need to carry this bunker on their approach, OB lines the left the entire way and makes going at this left slab a risky endeavor. This green generally slopes back left-to-front right. This is both the most strategic and beautiful hole on the course and would fit well on any Coore/Crenshaw course.

The 13th hole is a 356 yard dogleg right par 4 playing slightly uphill with a generous fairway lined by several bunkers down the right beginning at 175 yards. I love the rumpled look of this fairway on the approach to a back-to-front sloped green defended by a false front and bunker left.

The 14th hole is another strong par 4 as a 410 yard slight dogleg left. Desert lines both sides of a gentle right-to-left sloping fairway lined by numerous pretty bunkers down the left. This approach plays to a large, back-to-front sloped green lined by bunkers on either side.

At 425 yards slightly uphill, the 15th is another excellent par 4 featuring another split fairway with a 220 yard carry over bunkers to reach the right side of the fairway. This side leaves a better angle into a diagonal, back-to-front sloped green defended by a bunker right.

The 16th hole is the last par 3 at the O’odham Course playing 161 yards over desert and shrubbery. This green is relatively large and features right and center mounds.

At 534 yards, the 17th hole is the longest on the course and a true marathon par 5. Your teeshot must find this generous fairway and avoid the numerous bunkers on either side for the first 230 yards. This fairway snakes left on the lay-up with a well-placed bunker down the right about 85 yards short of this green. This green then juts back out to the right, sloping back-to-front with a bunker right.

The O’odham Course closes with a strong 439 yard par 4. This teeshot plays to a generous fairway that slides to the right with a pair of bunkers down the right at 180 yards. This approach then runs back to the left and uphill to a green that falls off to the right and short with false fronts and bunkers on either side. An additional group of bunkers is well-short of the green and should be avoided.

General Comments: Talking Stick features a sprawling property with a giant parking lot, cozy clubhouse, two championship courses, and a large grass driving range and practice green. A casino and Topgolf are situated next door for extra entertainment. Like Coore and Crenshaw’s We-Ko-Pa, the O’odham Course is readily walkable if the weather cooperates.

Verdict: Although limited by a dead flat terrain, the polarizing and minimalist O’odham Course at Talking Stick should be commended for its strong conditioning and interesting bunkers and greens. It isn’t the best public course in Scottsdale, but you could do far worse.