Pinewood Country Club: Escape The Heat Near Flagstaff
MUNDS PARK, Ariz - Pinewood CC is a fun course and a bit of an ego trip, since it is short and without much elevation change.
Those of us who live in this ferocious heat of the Phoenix Valley of the Sun need a break! And North is the direction we head. In a mere two hours, we can be 20 degrees cooler while playing golf at 7,000 feet in the Arizona pines of Coconino County. The location? South of Flagstaff about 20 miles in a little summer community known technically as Munds Park but more commonly as Pinewood.
It's a recreational community where a social membership can get you involved in tennis, golf, clubhouse dining, planned activities for toddlers to teens, volleyball, soccer and a community pool.
The real estate is still affordable and comes in all sizes and locations.
The golf course is quite flat with some big trees lining many of the fairways, which are in superb shape largely due to a new sprinkler system. Although out of bounds and trouble exist, it's reasonably easy to score well. The greens hold perfectly for those well-executed iron shots and are fairly tricky to putt with their subtle breaks.
The men's and ladies' handicap holes are extremely different in their ratings for no apparent reason, so it appears the course may need to be re-rated. The women's rating is 120 but plays much easier as it is quite short-5342 yards. The men's tips are 6560 yards, with a 120 slope as well.
The back nine has several interesting holes as it winds back into the pines and offers a few more challenging shots. Number 12 demands a drive in the center, as there is out of bounds to the left and swampy grass on the right. The next shot of this par 5 must be cautious, or the pine trees on both sides could disable your regulation third shot to the green. Over the green is trouble, so watch that aggressiveness.
The thirteenth hole is not long, but don't be above the hole when you are putting, or that seemingly easy par can easily turn into a bogey. Actually that statement could apply to several holes at Pinewood. It's a fun course and a bit of an ego trip since it is short and without much elevation change.
The clubhouse area is a series of "sixties" type buildings, constructed to be functional and not pretentious. Membership can be attained three ways: if you own a piece of property in Munds Park, you can buy a social membership and pay dues, or you can be an equity member which has more privileges. Either way, you can pay a cart fee and golf fee for the six month season.
A guest of the social or equity member pays $33.00 after 2:00 and $60.00 to $68.00 prior to that time. Membership is also available by purchasing a share of stock for $5,000 to $6,000.
Pinewood Country Club is an easy course to walk, with pull carts available. A summer shower is quite predictable in the afternoons but feels great to the Phoenicians who come up to escape the heat.
The real estate is still affordable and comes in all sizes and locations, from fairway to mountainside. One can easily walk to most of the activities and facilities. The pro shop is okay, but you'd be hard pressed to buy an article of clothing that doesn't say "Pinewood Country Club". Golf clothes don't need to scream where they came from or that you just finished playing golf!
Pinewood is a good family spot with great proximity to the Valley and access to Flagstaff shopping and restaurants. So, if you're looking for a summer hangout, check it out!
June 2, 2000