SunRidge Canyon Golf Club, a popular golf course in Fountain Hills, Arizona, has reopened after its annual overseed. But what's happening at this venue just minutes from Scottsdale has been in the works for a decade.
Don Misheff and his family bought the golf course 16 years ago and they've spent the last 10 years constantly fine-tuning the product.
Nestled in the canyons and foothills of the McDowell Mountains, the layout is a wild ride of target golf and scenic views. The last third of the course has been nicknamed the "Wicked Six" for its tricky yet fun finish.
But like all golf courses, work must be done to maintain its excellence and among the latest upgrades
at SunRidge Canyon was the complete resurfacing of the green complexes on Nos. 3, 5 and 18. It's part of what Misheff calls a "never-ending journey" at his family's layout.
"Our job is to keep making this place better, and we will," he said. "However, the improvements to the course and clubhouse are only part of the story, as our management team and staff are critical to our success. They take care of our guests like family, and that's something you can't build with a renovation budget. I'm incredibly proud of the people here."
The golf course closed at the beginning of July for this latest round of enhancements and re-opened Oct. 1.
In recent years, all the greens have been resurfaced, many bunkers were removed to help playability, new tees added at Nos. 2 and 14 to improve sight lines and many of the hazard areas have been cleared, with some additonal mounding added to reduce rollout into those hazards.
If your game needs improvement, check out the CoolClubs driving range, a 3,500-square-foot facility with three hitting bays, TrackMan launch monitors, club testing and fitting and a putting lab. CoolClubs remains a club-agnostic fitter as well.
It's not just the golf course that's been upgraded, as the clubhouse has a show kitchen, an outdoor bar, an outdoor pizza oven, a fire pit and the Wicked Six Bar & Grill. Live music can be enjoyed four nights a week, but in a significant change, the golf course will no longer host weddings.
The Keith Foster-designed SunRidge Canyon originally opened in 1995. The par-71 course plays at 6,823 yards.
Todd Kelly is the assistant managing editor of Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 'Never-ending journey': Popular Arizona golf course glimmers after 10 years of renovations
