PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Sunridge Canyon Gc

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Sunridge Canyon Gc in Fountin Hills, AZ.

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Sunridge Canyon Gc golf course

Sunridge Canyon Gc

Fountin Hills, AZ
Black tees · 6,747 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Sunridge Canyon Gc

Designed by Keith Foster in 1995 and set in the McDowell Mountain foothills of Fountain Hills, Sunridge Canyon Golf Club is an acclaimed 18-hole desert layout that descends 200 feet down a natural canyon on the front nine before climbing back up through the canyon on the back nine. The course is famous for its demanding finishing stretch known as The Wicked Six, featuring dramatic elevation changes, strategic desert washes, stacked sod bunkering, and fast Champion Ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Sunridge Canyon Gc

Off the tee

Tee shots on the descending front nine offer more receptive landing areas downhill, though native desert margins and saguaros punish off-target shots. On the ascending back nine, driving plays uphill into the prevailing canyon wind, making fairway positioning vital to avoid difficult layup angles over cross washes.

Elevation & terrain

The front nine gradually drops nearly 200 feet down the canyon floor, causing drives and approaches to play slightly shorter than listed yardages. The back nine climbs continuously uphill toward the elevated clubhouse, where golfers routinely need to take one to two extra clubs to counteract the incline and breezes.

Approach play

Approaches on the outward nine require precise distance control to avoid running off downhill greens into surrounding desert or sand. On the inward nine, approaches feature severe uphill carries over natural barrancas, desert washes, and water hazards.

Around the greens

Champion Ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens are contoured, fast, and protected by deep bunkering and natural rock outcroppings. Missing to the short side often results in awkward lie recoveries out of steep collection areas or native desert terrain.

Best way to play it

Capitalize on scoring opportunities during the descending front nine by hitting controlled tee shots to wide fairway zones. Save your strength and club up aggressively on the back nine to survive the uphill challenge of The Wicked Six finish.

Key takeaways

  • The Wicked Six (Holes 13 through 18) forms one of Arizona's toughest closing stretches, playing continuously uphill and into the canyon breeze.
  • The layout drops nearly 200 feet on the front nine before climbing back up the canyon floor on the back nine.
  • Strategic desert washes bisect several fairways, requiring smart layups on holes like 7, 9, 11, and 16.
  • Water protects key approach shots, most notably on the driveable par-4 10th tee shot carry and downhill par-3 14th green complex.
  • The signature 17th par 3 demands a nerve-testing shot across a box canyon to a boomerang green guarded by a massive bunker.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
4
313
13
Select a controlled club off the tee to hit the fairway center, setting up a short wedge approach to an undulating green while staying clear of the surrounding desert.
Your 240 yd driver · ~73 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
2
4
440
11
Target the broad landing zone off the tee to establish a clear angle into a fast, well-protected green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~200 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
5
536
3
Favor the fairway center off the tee; two long shots can reach the green downhill, but play to the correct tier to avoid difficult putts near the rock outcroppings.
Your 240 yd driver · ~296 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
4
4
423
9
Aim down the left-center of the fairway to avoid right-side sand, then hit enough club to hold the elevated green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~183 yards remaining by raw distance.
5
4
451
7
Focus strictly on finding the fairway off the tee to leave a manageable long-iron approach into the guarded green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~211 yards remaining by raw distance.
6
3
199
15
Select enough club to comfortably carry the desert expanse, aiming for the deep center of the green.
7
4
362
5
Lay up short of the cross wash off the tee with a fairway metal or iron to leave a short wedge approach into the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~122 yards remaining by raw distance.
8
3
241
17
Use a long iron or fairway wood to clear fronting hazards and hit the center of the putting surface.
9
5
544
1
Hit a controlled drive away from fairway bunkers, lay up short of the wash, and attack the green with a precise third shot.
Your 240 yd driver · ~304 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
10
4
306
14
Clear the pond safely off the tee, then lay up short of the steep green-front bunker to set up a short pitch.
Your 240 yd driver · ~66 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
11
4
409
10
Favor the left side of the fairway off the tee to secure a cleaner approach line over the wash and wall.
Your 240 yd driver · ~169 yards remaining by raw distance.
12
3
166
16
Aim toward the center or right-center of the putting surface to avoid the left greenside bunker.
13
5
573
2
Target the higher right side of the fairway to let the slope feed the ball center while avoiding the left wash.
Your 240 yd driver · ~333 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
14
3
175
18
Aim for the left-center of the green away from the right-side water, taking downhill elevation into account.
15
4
449
8
Drive to the right side of the fairway to bypass the left bunker complex, adding extra club for the uphill approach.
Your 240 yd driver · ~209 yards remaining by raw distance.
16
5
526
4
Hit a straight drive, lay up short of the cross barranca, and select an extra club into the wind for the approach.
Your 240 yd driver · ~286 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
17
3
207
12
Club up to account for canyon breezes and clear the box canyon, targeting the safe center of the boomerang green.
18
4
427
6
Hit a powerful drive up the fairway and take up to two extra clubs on the steep uphill approach shot.
Your 240 yd driver · ~187 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.