PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Raven Golf Club-Phoenix

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Raven Golf Club-Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ.

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Raven Golf Club-Phoenix golf course

Raven Golf Club-Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ
Tournament tees · 6,980 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Raven Golf Club-Phoenix

Raven Golf Club-Phoenix offers a unique parkland-style experience in the Sonoran Desert, featuring plush Bermuda fairways framed by over 6,000 mature Georgia pine trees. Designed by Gary Panks and David Graham, the layout incorporates sculpted mounding, multi-tiered greens with false fronts, and strategic bunkering and water hazards.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Raven Golf Club-Phoenix

Off the tee

Fairways are generous and framed by dense pine corridors rather than typical desert wash areas. Drivers can be used aggressively on most holes, provided tee shots avoid strategic fairway bunkers positioned on dogleg corners.

Elevation & terrain

The terrain is predominantly flat, relying on artificial mounding and gentle fairway contouring for visual definition. Elevation changes across the layout are minimal and rarely affect club selection.

Approach play

Approach shots demand precise distance control to handle multi-tiered greens and prominent false fronts. Strategic bunkering and water features guard greens on critical holes, penalizing misjudged distances.

Around the greens

Large greens feature distinct tiers and false fronts that send short shots back down fairways or collection areas. Recovery requires controlled chip trajectory and careful positioning relative to greenside sand traps.

Best way to play it

Position tee shots on the open side of fairways to optimize approach angles around pine tree lines. Target the central portions of multi-tiered greens to clear false fronts and minimize steep downhill putts.

Key takeaways

  • Parkland layout featuring thousands of Georgia pine trees lining fairways instead of desert target zones.
  • Multi-tiered greens with false fronts require proper carry distance on approach shots.
  • Water hazards come into play on key holes, including the signature par-3 7th and closing 18th.
  • Strategic fairway bunkers penalize aggressive lines taken across dogleg corners.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
4
428
11
Aim down the center of the fairway to set up a clear approach angle into the opening green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~188 yards remaining by raw distance.
2
3
135
17
Select enough club to reach the middle tier of the green while avoiding short bunker hazards.
3
4
475
1
Favor the right side off the tee, where the parallel fourth fairway offers a safe miss if wide.
Your 240 yd driver · ~235 yards remaining by raw distance.
4
5
590
3
Play a confident tee shot down the wide fairway and lay up to a comfortable wedge distance.
Your 240 yd driver · ~350 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
5
4
330
15
A conservative tee shot down the right side avoids left-side hazards and leaves a simple wedge approach.
Your 240 yd driver · ~90 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
6
4
424
7
Favor the right-center fairway off the tee to clear left-side water and set up an uninterrupted approach.
Your 240 yd driver · ~184 yards remaining by raw distance.
7
3
214
13
Target the right-center portion of the deep green to avoid the lake and expansive bunker guarding the left side.
8
4
417
5
Take a conservative line left of the pond off the tee to avoid water right and three fairway bunkers left.
Your 240 yd driver · ~177 yards remaining by raw distance.
9
5
518
9
Thread tee shots between fairway bunkers on both sides, or lay up left to avoid the right fairway bunker short of the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~278 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
10
4
397
12
Aim for the middle of the fairway to set up a mid-iron approach clearing greenside sand.
Your 240 yd driver · ~157 yards remaining by raw distance.
11
3
182
16
Select enough club to carry the fronting bunker complex and settle safely in the middle of the green.
12
5
516
8
Position the second shot cleanly in the fairway to clear greenside bunkers on the pitch into the putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~276 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
13
4
367
10
Lay back off the tee to leave a full wedge shot, avoiding the cross bunker and preventing long misses that leave steep downhill putts.
Your 240 yd driver · ~127 yards remaining by raw distance.
14
3
162
18
Aim for the center of the putting surface to take bunkering out of play on this short hole.
15
4
360
14
Drive to the center landing zone to set up a short wedge shot into a well-guarded green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~120 yards remaining by raw distance.
16
4
453
4
Find the fairway off the tee to enable a long iron approach capable of holding the firm green surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~213 yards remaining by raw distance.
17
5
590
2
Treat this as a true three-shot hole, laying up cleanly to set up a short, accurate wedge into the narrow front portion of the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~350 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
18
4
422
6
Avoid the fairway bunker off the tee, then play a controlled approach over or around water framing the home green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~182 yards remaining by raw distance.

Course information and strategy are provided for planning purposes. Yardages, course setup, hazards and playing conditions can change. Always confirm current course information before your round.