Verrado Golf Club - Victory Course

Review & Rating of Verrado Golf Club's Victory Course in Buckeye, Arizona

The Verrado Golf Club in Buckeye is home to 36 holes (The Founders Course and the newer Victory Course) of spectacular golf designed by PGA Tour star and Ryder Cup Captain, Tom Lehman, and architect John Fought.  Both courses have been carved out of the foothills of the White Tank Mountains and as such they offer massive rock outcroppings, elevation changes, scenic vistas for miles, and desert washes as the course meanders up and down the foothills and through the desert filled with ancient saguaro cacti, old-growth ironwoods, colorful native fauna, and plenty of wildlife.

Each of the championship courses at Verrado Golf Club has it's own unique personality and characteristics:

• The Founders Course is a traditional desert course playing through the foothills with elevation changes, beautiful views of the White Tank Mountains and the Phoenix skyline, large desert washes, picturesque box canyons, huge beautiful homes dotting the hillsides, and generous landing areas.  Read Texas Outside's Review of the Founders Course to learn more.
• The Victory Course is the easier of the two courses and it was carved out of the foothill and has undulating fairways, massive rock outcroppings, and views of the entire western Phoenix valley

Common to both courses is a spectacular clubhouse with a well-stocked pro shop and grill serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner;  outstanding friendly service;  good practice facilities, and rates that are reasonable for such a quality course.  It's not surprising that Verrado Golf Club was named in the "Top 50 US Courses" by Golf Advisor and the "Best Courses You Can Play" by Golf Week.

The Victory Course can best be described as a minefield of massive boulders that will devour your golf balls, challenging greens, and two very different nines.  The front nine plays through the desert and boulders of all shapes and sizes in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains and offers some beautiful views of the mountains and west Phoenix valley.  The back nine plays through a housing development with some nice homes sitting above both sides of the fairways.

The Victory Course has 5 sets of tee boxes plus 4 combo tee boxes and yardages ranging from 4646 to 7258 yards.  It can be a bear from the tips but fair and forgiving from the other tee boxes – pick the right set of tee boxes for your skill level and you'll have a fun and enjoyable round. 

Each nine has some excellent holes but the last three on the back nine will make you want to come back and play the Victory Course again.  Some of what you'll encounter during your round includes:

• boulders of all shapes and sizes lining the freeways
• scenic vistas of the desert and mountains
• colorful (red, white, and yellow) desert fauna and a wide variety of different cactus
• very challenging greens and some huge strategically placed bunkers
• rolling and contoured fairways with generous landing zones
• a variety of shot-making opportunities ranging from blind shots to risk-reward shots to challenging approach shots plus elevation changes and wind that can be a big factor

Hole 18 is a 590-yard par 5 and a perfect example of some of the above and it's a breathtaking "wow" hole.  The back tee boxes are elevated and require a long carry over the lake (an excellent risk-reward opportunity) to a wide-open landing zone that heads right with a slight climb uphill past a mound and rock splitting the fairway.  The green is small and guarded by a big back bunker.  You'll want to play this hole again!

When we played the Victory Course greens were in excellent condition, rolled true and smooth, and were very soft and held the ball well.  Several of the greens are raised with false fronts and they range in size and shape with most being large – the depth of the greens ranges from 26 to 51 yards deep. All of the greens are challenging, thanks to lots of slope and contour plus tiers, ridges, and more.  Make sure you practice putting before you head out and carefully study the green before you putt.

The fairways at the Victory Course are forgiving off the tee box but some strategically placed bunkers can cause a problem.  Miss the fairway and you're lost in the boulders and rocks. All of the fairways were in great condition, had plenty of slope and contour, and were lined by a playable rough.

The bunkers ranged in shape and size with most being large.  The faces are steep and the sand was soft.