Ahwatukee Golf Club, a welcoming course in South Phoenix, is a varied, player-friendly layout that can even give beginner-level golfers confidence in their game. The club sits just 10 miles from Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport and 15 minutes from downtown Phoenix. John Bulla, a fascinating character who won the PGA Tour's 1941 Los Angeles Open, finished runner-up three times in majors and was also a pilot who founded Arizona Airlines (now Frontier Airlines), designed Ahwatukee Golf Club in 1974. Bulla built a traditional layout here. Though the desert provides a stunning backdrop, the forbidding, rugged desert landscape is well removed from play at Ahwatukee Golf Club. Rather, the playing field, which is lined by houses and trees, features flat and wide swathes of grass from tee to green. Lesser-skilled players will instantly take heart at Ahwatukee Golf Club. This is a straightforward course that doesn't try to trick you. Though out of bounds looms on either side of many fairways and houses can be in range, oftentimes when you spray your ball a recovery shot is possible without too much stress. As for hazards, six holes feature lakes that can consume your ball. Some 32 bunkers, generally situated beside Ahwatukee Golf Club's greens, dot the course. The putting surfaces present accessible targets that can be approached via the air or the ground game. Ahwatukee Golf Club's hardest and most memorable holes are a pair of par 3s the 4th and 14th. Both call for a carry over water to reach the green. Practice facilities are somewhat limited at the club. There's a driving range where all hitting is done off mats and a putting green. After your round you can relax in the club's bar and restaurant. Set in the Ahwatukee foothills, Ahwatukee Golf Club isn't the hardest or most memorable playing field, but it's a course that often leaves players feeling better about their games and thinking that golf is fun again. Many local golfers of all skill levels can attest to that.
