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Grayhawk Golf Club is a paradise for those with a passion for the game. Both golf courses – Talon and Raptor – offer unique challenges as they wind through some of the most spectacular Sonoran Desert on the planet.
Talon was the first to burst on to the Scottsdale, Arizona golf scene in 1994 followed by Raptor in 1995. Since then, they have become widely considered as two of the finest golf courses in the Valley of the Sun.
Designed by former U.S. Open and PGA Champion David Graham and golf course architect Gary Panks, Grayhawk’s Talon Course is one of the most exciting and dramatic tests of golf in the Southwest.
Nestled in North Scottsdale, Talon is of the highest rated daily-fee golf courses in Arizona, and is included on Golf Magazine’s prestigious list of the “Top 100 You Can Play in the U.S.” The course also has hosted numerous high-profile golf events including the semi-finals and finals of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf; pro ams for the FBR Open; Hospice of the Valley Pro Am; Grayhawk Golf Club Charity Day Presented by Scottsdale 101 Auto Collection; the Heather Farr Trophy Matches and the Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl Golf Classic.
The Talon Course provides breathtaking views of the nearby McDowell Mountains as well as the distant skyline of Phoenix and Scottsdale. However, Talon’s true beauty lies in the way the golf course blends with its natural surroundings. The back nine of the golf course was built around a series of deep box canyons and many holes skirt thick stands of Mesquite, Palo Verde and Ironwood trees while ancient Saguaros and numerous species of native flowering plants dot the out-of-play areas.
Graham and Panks place a premium on positioning off the tee, but a little extra distance will come in handy. As a design element, the fairways appear smaller than their true size – adding a component of confidence to the scoring equation. Most of the greens are quite large, however, they are multi-tiered which effectively reduces their size. Careful consideration of the day’s pin sheet is required to avoid difficult putts from tier-to-tier. The areas around the greens are typically generous, giving golfers a shot at salvaging par after a wayward approach.
Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor course in Scottsdale, Arizona, designed by Tom Fazio, offers a thrilling challenge that commands a player's respect through a daring, high-stakes game of risk and reward.
Stretching 7,135 yards from the back tees, the par-72 Raptor Course meanders over the gentle hills and across shaded natural washes that are typical of this picturesque corner of the Sonoran Desert. Raptor offers players panoramic views of Scottsdale's rugged McDowell Mountains as it surrounds them with towering Saguaros, Palo Verde, Ironwood and Mesquite trees that were preserved in creating the golf course.
Typically, Raptor's fairways are generous, however, strategically placed fairway bunkers can quickly transform an offline drive into a scramble for bogey. The greens tend to be large, with a fair amount of undulation. Wayward approaches are duly penalized as most of the greens are perched above deep bunkers and grass collection areas. Fazio utilized water sparingly, but where it does come into play, he created intriguing hazards that add drama as well as aesthetic value to the golf course.
The Raptor course is generally considered to be one of the finest daily-fee golf courses in Arizona and is listed among the "Top 100 You Can Play in the U.S." by Golf Magazine. No stranger to professional golf events, Raptor was the host site of the 2007-2009 Frys.com Open, a Fall Series PGA Tour event to be played in October. Other events held on Raptor since opening in 1995 include the inaugural Williams World Challenge; the semi-finals and finals of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf; Tommy Bahama's Desert Marlin; AJGA Thunderbird International Junior; the National Team Championships presented by Golf World; Antigua Team Challenge; FBR Open Pro Ams sponsored by Honeywell and Xerox; and Grayhawk Golf Club Charity Day Presented by Scottsdale 101 Auto Collection.
To customize your next golf vacation please call
Adrienne Beattie at: 800-777-0770: ext 2
Create a golf vacation including Grayhawk Talon and Raptor Course:
To customize your next golf vacation please call
Adrienne Beattie at: 800-777-0770: ext 2
