PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Wildfire — Faldo

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Wildfire — Faldo in Phoenix, AZ.

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Wildfire — Faldo golf course

Wildfire — Faldo

Phoenix, AZ
Black tees · 6,811 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Wildfire — Faldo

Designed by Sir Nick Faldo in 2002 alongside Schmidt-Curley Design, the Faldo Championship Course at Wildfire Golf Club offers a distinct contrast to typical Arizona target golf. Drawing inspiration from Australian Sandbelt classics like Royal Melbourne, the 174-acre layout features wide, generous fairways framed by native Sonoran Desert flora and over 100 deep, steep-faced pot bunkers. With no water hazards on the course, bunkering serves as the primary strategic defense, rewarding thoughtful positioning and smart approach angles into elevated, multi-tiered green complexes.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Wildfire — Faldo

Off the tee

Fairways are unusually wide and generous for a desert course, allowing players to swing freely off the tee. However, errant drives can quickly settle into deep Sandbelt-style pot bunkers lining the landing areas or trickle into native Sonoran Desert vegetation.

Elevation & terrain

The terrain is relatively flat to gently rolling across the desert floor, offering an easy walking layout. Minor elevation changes exist around built-up teeing grounds and elevated green complexes, but significant slope adjustments on distance are rarely needed.

Approach play

Approach shots demand precise distance control and solid ball striking to carry steep frontal sand traps and find proper green tiers. Positioning tee shots on the proper side of wide fairways is vital to open clear angles into greens angled away from hazard placement.

Around the greens

Green complexes are large, elevated, and moderately undulating, heavily defended by steep-faced pot bunkers with high sand flashings. Missed greens require skilled bunker play or soft chip shots from surrounding manicured collection areas.

Best way to play it

Success on the Faldo Course comes from managing bunker strategy rather than fearing target-style forced desert carries. Favor the open side of fairways to establish clean approach angles, play for the middle of green surfaces when pins are tucked behind deep pot bunkers, and manage risk on shorter par 4s.

Key takeaways

  • Inspired by Australian Sandbelt architecture, featuring over 100 deep, steep-faced pot bunkers guarding fairways and greens.
  • Features wide, generous fairways that provide friendly tee shot landing areas compared to traditional target desert layouts.
  • Completely free of water hazards, relying on strategic pot bunkering and native desert vegetation for defense.
  • Short par 4s like Hole 6 and Hole 16 offer classic risk-reward decisions off the tee.
  • Elevated and large greens with subtle undulations demand smart target selection away from steep bunker lips.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
4
411
7
Favor the right-center side of the wide fairway off the tee to avoid the lengthy sand bunker hugging the left edge. Play approach shots toward the middle of the large green to avoid front-guarding pot bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~171 yards remaining by raw distance.
2
4
408
5
Drive down the center of the expansive fairway to steer clear of deep pot bunkers placed in the primary landing zone. Approach the green from an optimal angle to navigate steep sand traps flanking the putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~168 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
3
164
17
Aim for the center or right side of the green. Pulling shots left risks dropping into native desert penalty area with a severe recovery, while short shots settle in the fronting pot bunker.
4
4
452
1
Hit a solid drive down the broad fairway corridor. Distance control on the long approach is paramount to carry fronting bunkers and hold the large green surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~212 yards remaining by raw distance.
5
4
389
15
Drive toward the center of the fairway away from deep fairway pot bunkers. Play the approach shot to the center of the slightly elevated green complex.
Your 240 yd driver · ~149 yards remaining by raw distance.
6
4
350
9
Lay up short of fairway bunkers using a hybrid or fairway wood, favoring the left side to stay clear of desert brush and overhanging trees on the right. Ensure your approach shot carries the native desert terrain short of the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~110 yards remaining by raw distance.
7
3
185
11
Target the heart of the deep green surface to avoid steep pot bunkers flanking both sides of the putting area.
8
4
341
13
Position your tee shot short or clear of fairway bunkering. A well-placed drive leaves a wedge approach into a well-protected green surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~101 yards remaining by raw distance.
9
5
534
3
Drive into the expansive fairway, then evaluate laying up or taking on the green. Shots attempting the green in two must clear desert terrain and fronting sand traps; misses long-left offer a far better bailout than short-right.
Your 240 yd driver · ~294 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
10
4
460
2
Target the broad fairway off the tee to setup an open approach. Club selection on the approach must account for green undulations and steep greenside pot bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~220 yards remaining by raw distance.
11
5
547
14
Find the wide fairway off the tee, then position your second shot to avoid fairway pot traps framing the lay-up area for a clean approach angle.
Your 240 yd driver · ~307 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
12
4
478
6
Drive firmly down the fairway corridor. A long iron or hybrid approach should aim for the middle of the large green complex to clear steep sand traps.
Your 240 yd driver · ~238 yards remaining by raw distance.
13
4
360
8
Place a tee shot into the generous landing zone to set up a short-iron or wedge approach. Take dead aim at pin positions on this receptive green surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~120 yards remaining by raw distance.
14
3
214
16
Choose enough club to clear fronting sand hazards and reach the middle of the putting surface, ignoring pin positions tucked near steep pot bunker lips.
15
5
607
4
Off the tee, favor the right side where an adjacent fairway and playable terrain offer safety. Lay up short of the narrowing fairway neck, then fire a precise short iron into a slender, undulating green protected by eight pot bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~367 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
16
4
314
12
Long hitters can challenge the green off the tee, but misses left find desert and right hazards catch errant drives. Laying up short of the six steep-faced pot bunkers leaves a controlled pitch shot to a multi-tiered green, particularly tricky to a back-right pin position.
Your 240 yd driver · ~74 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
17
3
177
18
Execute a crisp iron shot targeted toward the center of the green surface, avoiding edge pins protected by steep sand traps.
18
4
420
10
Drive into the wide fairway to setup the proper approach line. Approach shots into the final green must clear steep, flashed pot bunkers guarding the putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~180 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.