If you come to Arizona to play desert golf, forget about Ocotillo. Ocotillo is a refreshing change of pace from most of the Valley’s courses precisely because it isn’t surrounded by desert. The White Course is the most unique of the three. It has only one par 5, and the water is a factor on just five of the holes. But it also has the best hole on the property — the 479-yard, par-4 ninth, which used to be an easy par 5 but is now a treacherous finishing touch.

The Gold nine is a devilish test and not just because water comes into play on six of the holes. The greens have a lot of slope in them and are difficult to read. And some pin placements are brutal; hit a downhill putt two feet past the
hole, and it might roll down into a swale and 30 feet by. Uphill putts, on the other hand, are extremely difficult to get to the hole, if for no other reason than Ocotillo’s greens aren’t as fast as some of the Valley’s marquee desert courses.