Arizona Golf Resort, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Arizona Golf Resort is a course I have been meaning to play for a long time. But I have always put it off. However, this week, I put my foot down and decided to give it a go. I wasn’t expecting a lot. I knew the course was short and I wasn’t sure of the condition. Today, I find out what this course is like for myself and see if it is one that I will play more often.
Let’s get stuck in and see what Arizona Golf Resort has to offer.
Course layout (⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆☆☆)
The layout of the course is very limited due to the land constraints of the area allocated to the course. All of the holes bar one are straight holes. However, by lining the fairways with trees and making the fairways narrower you still need accuracy off the tees.
The course is quite short especially if you are a relatively long hitter. However, I found by playing the par 4’s differently on each nine it made the course more interesting.
The layout isn’t exactly challenging. To be honest it’s a bit monotonous. But what it did give me was a nice relaxing enjoyable round of golf. It’s perfect if you want to go for a stress-free round. Where you don’t have to overly strain your brain planning your way around or wondering what your lines are.
The course is also very good for short hitters or those who are not long in the game and want to get used to playing proper golf instead of learning on a range. And of course, the best place to learn is on the course.
Par 3’s
There are three par 3’s on the course of which the longest is 156 yards. To be honest I liked the par 3’s as I am not a fan of overly long par 3’s. The last hole at less than 100 yards is still a little test as you may be trying to hit an easy wedge or a half-shot in.
Par 4’s
For a long hitter like myself all the par 4’s bar one were reachable with fairway woods off the tee. The remaining one was still only a little flick of a wedge after a good drive. To make each nine slightly different I found it a good idea to play the par 4’s on the front nine using irons off the tees and leave myself wedge distance in. For the back nine I went for the greens. It made each nine a little different and was good practice for my iron play off the tees.
Par 5’s
There is one par 5 on the course and looking at the yardage you may be thinking it’s a par 4 hole. However, with a lake right in the landing zone off the tee, you will need to play two very good long irons to hit the green. A lot of shorter hitters may prefer to hit to the lay-up area just over the lake, hence the reason it’s a par 5. Again, for a long hitter it’s an easy hole to hit in two. But if you’re not long then it can be a tricky little hole.
Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)
This is the part of my day that really surprised me. I didn’t expect the condition to be quite as good as it was. I was pleasantly surprised. Tee boxes were cut nicely, they had a few divot marks but nothing to complain about. Fairways were perfect to hit from.
The sand in the bunkers was a little crusty but they had plenty of sand in them so all they need is a little raking to spruce them back up.
The greens however were the highlight. They were cut beautifully and rolled really well. It was a pleasure putting on them.
Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)
On site there is a driving range and putting green to prepare yourself for your round. The driving range is only about 200 yards in length, but it is a nice setting. It was perfect for loosening up by hitting short and mid irons. The putting green looked a bit unused when I visited so I didn’t actually try it out.
There is a pro-shop on site where you can get soft drinks and a coffee. During your round there is a drinks buggy moving around the course, so you are never far from a cool beverage.
Buggies do not come as part of the price but are available to hire. If you don’t want to fork out on a buggy, then you can hire a pull cart instead.
Price (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)
The cost during the weekend is SAR322 for 18 holes. This is a cheaper rate than most other courses in Saudi Arabia and because of the location is quite reasonable. To hire a buggy will set you back a further SAR58 but if you feel up for it you can easily walk the course as it is quite short.
For booking Arizona Golf Resort please click here.
Setting & Course location (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)
The course is in Arizona Compound on the north side of Riyadh. Because it’s a compound you will need to book ahead to get your name on the gate list for entry. This applies for both the golf course and the driving range.
For the location on Google Maps please click here.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my day at Arizona Golf Resort. True, the course isn’t long or overly challenging. But sometimes you just want to get out, play some nice relaxing golf, and have a good chance at posting an under-par round. Arizona Golf Resort gives you that. It’s also a good course for practicing your iron play. You can easily play the course without taking a headcover off if you wish.
You can’t blame the condition of the course on any mistakes or bad shots you play. The place was in very good condition and a credit to the ground staff. Just walking around the course at my leisure was relaxing. Even the little things like the small deer chilling out in the shade of the trees was soothing. I felt like my troubles were far away and that nothing could disrupt my day playing there.
It will be a course I will look forward to returning to, and if you are in the area and want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Riyadh, then you should too.
OVERALL RATING – (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)
Contact Details for Arizona Golf Resort
Website: Click here
Telephone: +966 11 248 4444
Email: Click here for the contact page
Hole-by-Hole
All distances from the blue tees which I played from. Indexes are men’s indexes, front nine and back nine indexes separated by “/”.
Hole 1/10: Par 4, 263yds, index 5/6
The first hole is a straight par 4 very slightly uphill. On the left you have an OOB to be careful of over the cart path. To the right it is tree lined. For long hitters it is reachable.
On the left of the green there is a bunker but stay away from that and you should have no problem finding the green.
Hole 2/11: Par 3, 120yds, index 15/16
The first of the par 3’s is to a green that slightly slopes from left to right. Short left of the green is a bunker you need to be aware of.
Hole 3/12: Par 3, 156yds, index 11/12
The front of the green for this hole isn’t visible from the tee-box. At the front of the green is a slope that may kick your ball onto the green. Right of the green and at the back of the green are two bunkers. If you’re going to miss the green, miss left.
Hole 4/13: Par 5, 376yds, index 3/4
The most unique hole on the course can be daunting for shorter hitters. Hitting down to your lay-up area be mindful of the lake in front. The trees lining the fairway shouldn’t be an issue. On the left and right of the landing area there are two bunkers waiting to catch any off-line tee shots.
The green is reachable in two with a good long iron, but you need to be careful of two bunkers, one short and one right of the green. Alternatively, there is a lay-up area just over the lake you can hit to if not confident of reaching the green.
Hole 5/14: Par 4, 325yds, index 7/8
This hole is the longest of the par 4’s and the fact it is slightly uphill makes it seem a little longer. Again, the trees lining the fairway can be a worry if offline off the tee. The lake to the right may also come into play for some people on this hole.
For your approach there is a palm tree covering the line to the right side of the green. There are also two bunkers, one left and one right.
Hole 6/15: Par 4, 252yds, index 13/14
This is another hole reachable off the tee. The bank on the right may throw your ball down right of the green. If laying up take care of the interesting little bunker on the right of the fairway.
Coming in you have a bunker short left and one short right of the green.
Hole 7/16: Par 4, 250yds, index 9/10
Slightly uphill again and reachable off the tee. In front of this green is a long bunker so if you go for it, you may be in this.
This bunker is one you need to make sure and get over if you are hitting in after a lay-up off the tee.
Hole 8/17: Par 4, 256yds, index 1/2
Another reachable one off the tee but just in front of the green is a dip. If in this, you have a tough uphill chip. It may be a better option to stay back and have a fuller approach shot in.
There are two bunkers to the left and right of the green. With the green above these it’s important to steer clear of them.
Hole 9/18: Par 3, 92yds, index 17/18
A nice short little hole to finish. But you still have to hit a good little shot in. Trying to hit an easy shot can sometimes lead to a pull and if you miss the green left you are OOB. In front of the green is a horseshoe shaped bunker so make sure to be over this.
