With 36 holes of Arizona’s best golf to choose from, picking a favorite hole at We-Ko-Pa is like telling your children which one you love more, so we opted to highlight individual characteristics rather than pick one above the rest. To that end, here is the first installment of the We-Ko-Blog Featured Holes beginning with the recently renovated, Cholla No. 8.
Once you reach the tee of Cholla’s No. 8, a 608-yard behemoth par 5, your perception of Arizona desert golf and all its beauty is ratified. Unrestricted views and incredible topography send your eyes on an incredible journey of twists and turns normally reserved for trailblazing adventurers.
Grab the lumber because you’re going to need it. Tee shots sail over a desert arroyo to a wide fairway tumbling dramatically downhill left-to-right revealing a scenic green complex below. Before the renovation, a long and strong drive would still leave you on the wrong end of a risk-reward scenario, with a deep, sandy and rocky desert arroyo jealously guarding the green from even the most well-struck fairway woods. Even the best tee shot of the day made the vast majority of players layup, which was no picnic either, as the desert pinched in on both sides of the landing area.
Reduced Risk for a Better Reward
Now, with the widened layup landing area and part of the former arroyo grassed all the way to the green complex, Cholla’s No. 8 offers more everyday amateurs a realistic opportunity for eagle. Even those who do layup will find their ball further down the hill and on a more level lie closer to the hole.
Hitting to a wide fairway off the tee opens up tons of opportunities for a second shot and an even better chance to score. Pair that with unparalleled views of the Superstition and Mazatzal mountain ranges, the undisturbed silence of nature, immaculate and rolling fairways, a true risk-reward approach, and a fast but fair green, and you have a nearly perfect par 5.
