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Phoenix Golf - Course
The Gila River Indian Community has woven championship golf with its rich cultural heritage to create Whirlwind Golf Club. Located just off of Maricopa Road and I-10, Whirlwind Golf Club currently offers 18 holes of championship golf with the opening of the 7017-yard Devil’s Claw course. Gary Panks has designed a masterpiece that will challenge players of all levels while maintaining a sense of fairness and playability.
The Devil’s Claw course reflects the plant palette indigenous to the Gila River - Mesquite, Saguaro, Palo Verde, and Cottonwood blend with native grasses to recreate the Gila River as it was when the waters still flowed on the reservation. This course will host the Gila River Buy.Com Classic in years 2001 and 2002.
The 7017-yard Whirlwind golf course encompasses 242 acres of land comprised of 92 acres of turfed area and 150 acres of native landscape enhanced by indigenous grasses and plants, and stands of Mesquite, Saguaro, Palo Verde and Cottonwoods. From Panks’ challenging-but-fair design, dramatic views of South Mountain and the Santan and Estrella Mountain Ranges accentuate the southwestern Troon Golf Experience.
Cattail, another 18-hole Championship Gary Panks' design, is under construction and scheduled to open in the Fall of 2002. The Cattail's design incorparates three lake features and the 2.5 mile, man-made recreation of the original Gila River. The personality of the Cattail will vary from its sister course, the Devil's Claw, with respect to length and elevation. This course will play approxiamtely 200 to 300 yards longer than the Devil's Claw from the back tees, yet will be comparable in length from the forward tees. As the Devil's Claw uses an increase in elevation as one of its design features, the Cattail will use a decrease in elevation with canyons and wash areas to accent its layout. This course will open in conjunction with the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa in the Fall of 2002 and will host the PGA Tour's event , The Gila River Classic, in the years 2003 & 2004.
The Devil's Claw course at Whirlwind is the first 18 of a planned 36-hole complex. Gary Panks designed the course with a sense of fairness and playability while still keeping the course competitive for better players. A second course, Cattail, will open in the fall of 2002 and promises to provide another level of championship golf to Whirlwind. Both courses are part of the Gila River Indian Community's Wild Horse Pass Resort located just off of Maricopa Road and I-10.
The Cattail, opening in October of 2002, complements the Whirlwind Golf Club's Devil's Claw course and will host the Gila River Buy.com Classic in 2003 and 2004. The Cattail plays to more than 7,300 yards from the championship tees, and will require golfers to navigate over and around several water features and deep canyons.
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