Golf! It's on the horizon

While Minnesota continues to languish in 40 degree days and a very gradual snow melt, its golf courses have had to delay their opening days.  Minnesota's handicap recording season officially opened on April 1st but no courses were open yet on that day.

But I have an ace up the sleeve. Well, actually an airplane.

My friend Michael talked me into booking a trip down to Arizona to play some golf.  We actually booked the trip a while ago and back then I figured we would already have some golf under our belts here.  Now I am not so sure.

We are leaving April 25th.  Hopefully in the 3 weeks until then Spring will have sprung around here.  We are actually scheduled to start our Minneapolis men's league on April 24th so we will see if I will be inaugurating the 2013 golf season in Arizona or if I can get some preliminary swinging done in Minnesota.

Michael and I leave Thursday and will be joined by my friend Keith on Friday afternoon.

Here is our itinerary for our trip:

Thursday 4/25

• Fly into Phoenix  in the morning
• Afternoon round and the TPC Scottsdale Champions Course.

Friday 4/26

• Morning round at Troon North Pinnacle Course
• Afternoon round at Troon North Monument Course

Saturday 4/27

• Morning round at We Ko Pa Saguaro Course
• Afternoon round at We Ko Pa Cholla Course

Sunday 4/28

• Morning round at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course - home to the PGA tour's annual Waste Management Phoenix Open.
• Flight home in the evening.

Now thanks to Mr. Google, here are some ariel layouts of the courses with hole numbers.  (These are pretty big full size):

TPC Champion:

 Troon North- Pinnacle:

 Troon North- Monument

 We Ko Pa- Seguaro

 We Ko Pa- Cholla

 TPC Stadium

I am so excited for this trip I can hardly stand it!  This will be first foray into desert golf.  I just hope my early season swing proves to be relatively straight!