Golf in Mesa

Sculpted through the desert and framed by distant mountain peaks, Wickenburg Country Club's 18-hole course roams across 6,320 yards of dazzling terrain. Fresh off an October 2011 overseeding, the course's fairways, greens, and tee boxes blanket the arid terrain with a thick carpet of immaculately mown grass stitched by palm trees, intervening waterways, and tumbleweeds that generously lead golfers to wayward balls. The course bounds over naturally undulating terrain that creates numerous uphill and downhill shots, which gives an advantage to players who trust their yardages and can handle sidehill lies. After rounds, players can continue honing their game at the driving range, check out golf apparel at the pro shop, or drink in views of the rolling, sandstone-hued tundra amid the adobe accents of the clubhouse patio, where clubbers can recapitulate memorable shots or interrogate each other's 9-irons about the veracity of their owners' scorecard.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 6,320 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 70.5 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 128 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options
• Link to scorecard

As head instructor at Grayhawk Learning Center, PGA Class A Member Jeff Yurkiewicz calls on more than 12 years of teaching experience to help players improve their individual games. Jeff perpetuates the thorough understanding of the sport he received from his mentors, both Golf Magazine Top 100 instructors: Paul Trittler, host of Golf Academy Live on the Golf Channel, and Peter Kostis, whose detailed commentary on CBS Sports telecasts keeps viewers informed as to each blade of grass’s exact length. In addition to his work with Trittler and Kostis, Jeff boasts an impressive playing resumé of his own, making appearances in both the 2003 Phoenix Open and the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

Over the course of a professional golf career dating back to 1990, PGA Teaching Professional Ken Carpenter has developed a talent for helping students of all stripes, from beginners to tour players on both the Nationwide and LPGA Tours. Today, Ken applies his teaching skills at Westin Kierland Golf Club, tweaking swings to address unnecessary backswing hitches and under-rotating hip turns that might be sacrificing distance off the tee or Olympic pommel-horse dismounts. Ken can incorporate video technology into the lessons to break down swing mechanics in order to play back in slow motion or pause to illustrate how much a divot resembles a silhouette of Rory McIlroy.

A PGA Tour instructor and former tour player, Rohan Teasdale enhances players’ power and control by making each golf swing biomechanically sound. He operates his training school, G'Day Golf, at McCormick Ranch Golf Club, where he works with players of all skill levels to lower scores through the use of video swing analysis and a strict diet of sautéed golf balls. In addition to adjusting swing patterns to improve efficiency, Rohan also tweaks other facets of the game to produce well-rounded players. More than just a coach and instructor, Rohan acts as a full support system and friend to each student as they strive to reach their goals.

Since 1998, golfers have toted their clubs to the emerald, mountain-draped grounds of Talking Stick Golf Club to seek out the swing-honing wisdom of golf instructor, Chad Rogers. Chad cultivated his skills during a competitive career that included playing for Scottsdale Community College's golf team and contending in two US Amateurs and two PGA Tour Qualifying Tournaments. Certifications from Troon Golf Academy and ESPN Golf Schools illuminate Chad's experience, and his coaching insights have been showcased in Golf Tips magazine, for whom he contributes game-grooming advice and fictional fantasies about turning the solar system into a 9-hole executive course. Chad's client list ranges from beginners to fellow professionals, all of whom benefit from a teaching philosophy that emphasizes fundamentals and calls upon techniques learned during Chad's time working with renowned golf instructors Hank Haney and Tim Mahoney.