Talking Stick Golf Club: Piipaash Course

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's 1997 Piipaash Course at Talking Stick, the more traditional of the facility's two layouts, with tree-lined fairways, raised greens, and water features on five holes (the sibling O'odham has zero water). A parkland complement to the minimalist desert of the O'odham Course, using a more conventional design vocabulary. The par-5 16th is the signature risk-reward test: water crosses the fairway, tempting big hitters to carry the creek while everyone else plays for position. The par-4 4th ('Right is Right') uses a central fairway bunker as a mental obstacle that tests players both mentally and physically. Raised greens defended at the sides throughout the routing keep the approach-shot decision interesting, while more vegetation and water features than the O'odham give this course its own personality. A strong pick for mid-handicap players who find the O'odham's minimalism unsettling. Pair with O'odham for 36 and a full exploration of Coore/Crenshaw's Scottsdale ecosystem.