Inside the course: Raptor Course at Grayhawk GC

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A scenic view of the sixth hole on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Oct. 19, 2009

The Fall Series continues at the Frys.com Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., at Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor Course). Learn more about this venue:

Fast facts

Original architect	Tom Fazio (1995)
Course superintendent	Ernie R. Pock
Number of PGA TOUR events as host venue	3 (including 2009)
Course ranking	Ranked 41 (out of 54) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2008
Par value	70
Yardage history	7,125 (2007-present)
Grass	Tifway 419 bermudagrass (tees, fairways, rough); Mini-Verde bermudagrass (greens)
Tournament Stimpmeter	12 ft
Water hazards	2
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Kevin Stadler

Year
2008

Round
2nd

Finish
Missed cut

Holes-in-one

There have been two aces recorded at Grayhawk GC.

Player	Hole	Year
Andrew Buckle	No.8	2007
Vaughn Taylor	No. 13	2008

2008 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-3, 211-yard 16th "Little Creek" - Perhaps the most scenic hole on the golf course, the sixteenth plays downhill into a natural amphitheater with a creek tumbling down the left side and empting into a greenside pond. A large grass collection area to the right side of the green acts as a bailout for those loose their nerve. But from there, the pitch back towards a front pin location can easily result in a dip in the pond. The ideal play is to aim at the collection area and work the ball back to the green which is severely sloped from back to front. 2008: 0 eagles, 37 birdies, 286 pars, 69 bogeys, 16 double bogeys, 2 others
Easiest hole in 2007
	The par-4, 332-yard 15th "Wee One" - A true risk/reward hole, the fifteenth allows for both conservative and aggressive options. The green lies downhill from the tee and if the "big dog" busts out of the kennel, it will result in a short pitch, green-side bunker shot or perhaps a putt for eagle. A long-iron tee shot results in a wedge to the well protected green which has two distinctive levels. 2008: 5 eagles, 196 birdies, 196 pars, 22 bogeys, 3 double bogeys, 2 others

Grayhawk GC - Raptor Course			2008 rankings		Last two years
Hole	Par	Yards	Average score	Rank	Average score	Rank
1	4	413	4.046	10	4.076	9
2	4	395	3.788	14	3.784	14
3	4	460	4.063	7	4.109	7
4	5	562	4.676	16	4.694	16
5	3	203	3.112	4	3.155	4
6	4	345	3.812	13	3.924	11
7	4	498	4.159	3	4.256	1
8	3	174	2.932	11	2.916	12
9	4	464	4.054	9	4.073	10
10	4	390	3.851	12	3.910	13
11	5	572	4.683	15	4.672	17
12	4	468	4.073	6	4.095	8
13	3	230	3.061	8	3.120	6
14	4	429	3.637	17	3.738	15
15	4	332	3.58	18	3.576	18
16	3	211	3.171	1	3.191	3
17	4	464	4.095	5	4.126	5
18	4	515	4.166	2	4.213	2

Course origins

Grayhawk Golf Club is built on a flat desert landscape and features a natural creek that has created 15-20 canyons throughout the layout of the course. The creek empties into a man-made lake between holes 10 and 18. The mountains create a vast backdrop for the scenic par-3 No. 8, which is known as "Aces and Eights" because of its propensity for being either a hit or miss hole.

Golf course superintendent Ernie Pock is a second-generation superintendent at Grayhawk, having taken the reins from his father who was the construction superintendent for the golf course and the first golf course superintendent in 2000. Pock is a second cousin to GCSAA CEO Mark J. Woodward, CGCS.

During the 2000 Williams Challenge at Grayhawk, Ernie Els brushed up against a tennis ball-sized cactus flower called a jumping cholla and required the assistance of paramedics to remove it.
-- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and PGATOUR.COM

Tournament course history

Course	Location	Years
Grayhawk GC	Scottsdale, Ariz.	2007-present

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-3, 211-yard 16th at the Raptor Course
LAST YEAR: The 16th played to a stroke average of 3.171, with players recording 0 aces, 37 birdies, 286 pars, 69 bogeys and 16 double bogeys.
DESCRIPTION: Perhaps the most scenic hole on the golf course, the sixteenth plays downhill into a natural amphitheater with a creek tumbling down the left side and emptying into a greenside pond. A large grass collection area to the right side of the green acts as a bailout for those who lose their nerve. But from there, the pitch back towards a front pin location can easily result in a dip in the pond. The ideal play is to aim at the collection area and work the ball back to the green, which is severely sloped from back to front. (Click here for Grayhawk tour)