Sedona Golf Resort has actually spent over $400,000 fixing things that most golfers walk right past.

Bunkers, Irrigation pipes, not glamorous, but ask about this to any superintendent, this is what separates a course that plays well from one that looks good from the parking lot.

The Arizona resort wrapped the project last week after four months on the ground with Pro Turf International. 39 Greenside bunkers were rebuilt, and five-and-a-half bunkers were gone entirely when twelve hundred tons of Arizona 50/50 bunker sand went back in.

Holes 11 and 13 got new mainline irrigation pipes, and Holes five and nine had their lines rerouted. Same with the practice range tee.

General manager Jeremy Hayman said the irrigation work changes how the course plays night to night.

"The irrigation system upgrades will allow us to have more consistent irrigation cycles each night, which ultimately supports turf health to provide firmer and faster conditions," Hayman said. "Between the refreshed bunkers and improved conditions, golfers will definitely notice the enhancements."

Firmer and faster conditions matter a lot on a Gary Panks-designed course, which already challenges golfers.

The course is 6,646 yards long and plays to a par of 71. It goes through Sedona’s red rock area and includes big elevation changes.

The resort is owned by the Arizona Hideaway Collection and managed by Troon, and has been open since 1988. This was needed maintenance because the course has been in use for nearly 40 years.

Sedona Golf Resort Gets Serious About Its Turf After 4 Decades

That kind of age shows up in pipes and sand before it shows up anywhere else.

Most golfers rarely think about what's underneath their feet until the turf gets patchy or a bunker plays inconsistently. That's exactly what this project was designed to head off.

As Troon’s agronomy leadership has emphasized in similar long-term renovation projects across Arizona, small improvements to golf course maintenance may not seem like game changers, but many such changes equal a steep change forward.

From a management point of view, the goal is clear and strict. They have already started using more resources to improve the experience for members and guests.

Sedona already sells itself on scenery, and the red rocks do that work without any help, but a course that looks stunning and plays firm and true? That's a harder thing to pull off, and that's actually what the resort is now chasing.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Kalp Thaker