Ndsquirrel's travel blogs:
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A Jewel in the Desert
Entry 19 of 25 | show all | print this entry |
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Today, mom and I explored the southern end of Lake Havasu. It was difficult driving on the highway because I was constantly looking to my right to admire the views of the lake and the mountains. We pulled over for a few minutes at the point when State Highway 95 crossed the Bill Williams River and watched some local fishermen try to catch the striped and largemouth bass native to these waters. In addition to bass, the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge holds one of the last strands of natural cottonwood-willow forest along the lower Colorado River. Most of the riparian forests have been drowned as the result of the over-damming of the Colorado River. From what I have been told, the Bill Williams NWR is a good place to go bird watching with over 350 species of birds.
Next stop was the Parker Dam, the structure responsible for the creation of the 45 mile long Lake Havasu. Based on the literature, Parker Dam is the deepest dam in the world with over 235 feet of the total 320 feet below the original riverbed. There was a guard post at the dam crossing, we were prohibited from stopping on the dam and we were running short on time, so we did not spend much time at the dam. Our final destination is the Emerald Canyon Golf Course and I wanted to be able to tee off early enough to finish before the sunsets.
I do not know who designed the course, but the Emerald Canyon GC does live up to its nickname, "Jewel in the Desert". As you drive up to the course, you could not help but notice the strikingly green fairways in contrast to the red/brown canyon clay. I could not believe how many people were playing this course on a Tuesday. I was fortunate enough to walk on to a tee time which was opened because of a cancellation. I was paired with another lucky hacker dentist, Darren. Darren brought his entire family with him; his wife, Denise, his son Mason, his daughter Alexis and toddler Addison (?). Mason also had his clubs with him and would occasionally play a hole or two with his dad. Darren always made sure we kept up with the group ahead of us, so the marshals did not mind that Mason was playing. Mason actually out drove his daddy on hole #3 and I could not contain my chuckle when Denise openly declared that fact to the entire crew.
Although I struggled with my swing the entire round, the pleasant company and the amazing layout made the round an enjoyable experience. An example of the intriguing design is the three hole stretch from holes 4-6. Hole #4 is a relatively short par 4, measuring at 272 yards; however the fairway is very tight and flanked on both sides by a canyon wall. Even though I have been slicing my drives, I thought I was safe hitting a driver off the tee because I figured that the canyon walls will deflect any wayward shots back to the middle. I was wrong!!!...and failed to consider that I high fade/slice will put the ball on the plateau on top. With the stroke penalty, I still managed to finish the hole with a 6. The next hole was a 113 yard par 3, which probably dropped at least 130 yards in elevation from box to green. I had no clue what club to use and sailed my pitching wedge shot over the green and against the canyon wall backstop. A good chip and a two putt resulted in a respectable 4. Hole #6 was the number one handicap hole. It required a blind uphill tee shot on to a narrow ridge. A marshal was posted at the ridge with a stop sign to signal when it was safe to tee off. Too bad the marshal was not paid to watch where my errant drive ended up...off course he was ducking for cover as my drive screamed towards him so he probably did not see where the ball went. I did not post any pars on the front nine but managed a respectable 48.
The back nine started well when I drove the ball straight as an arrow on to the fairway on #10. My mother asked where my ball went. When I answered it was straight ahead, my mother chided that is why she did not see it because she was looking on the right side where all my other balls went. As we waited to tee off on #11, the kids were exploring the underbrush and spotted a covey of quails. While Alexis was distracted watching the birds, Denise found a twig which looked like a snake and brushed her daughter's leg with it and scared Alexis half to death...mothers can be so cruel. I did manage to make one par on a relatively short 243 yard par 4 #16. I almost drove the green and needed only a quarter swing sand wedge to get on the green in regulation. My favorite hole was the #17, a 462 yard par 5. The landing area for your drive was located on a elevated ridge probably 150 feet above the remainder of the hole. I had a poor drive and chose to layup on the edge of the drop off. My third shot was a 5 wood which missed to the right (again) and almost rolled into the brush. Although I did not score well, it was a gorgeous hole. A 50 on the back nine completed a sub 100 round and a most pleasant excursion into the desert.
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