Anthem, Arizona

Jose, can you see? Oops, that's the OTHER anthem. So sorry I haven't updated in about a week but when I started this thing up again I warned that I would not let this thing become a job again. Finding a home and a club and the due diligence involved in this is a full time job by itself.

OK, so Mike was convinced Anthem was the place. Fact, homes have fallen more than 50% since their hay day. Fact, the club meets our criteria of two courses, a trail fee for your cart, and very reasonable fees and dues. We have spent nearly everyday with our realtor, Kathleen, who has shown us nearly every home available with a three car garage. Homes range between three and four thousand square feet (too much) and mostly look like this...

with views like this...

All for between $400,000 and $500,000 depending on the lot,view, and upgrades. In between house hunting the Membership Director arranged for us to play both of the courses. We began with the easier of the two, Persimmon, which didn't seem to play so easily and offered up some very nice views.

A favorite of the higher handicaps, Persimmon offers vast landing areas, large greens, little crap to crawl over to reach those large greens, and yet is not without trouble.

Those large greens...full of ridges and tough to putt.

Next we played the harder of the two, Ironwood, which oddly enough I scored 8 strokes lower on than the easy Persimmon course. I guess I like crawling over crap, trouble around every corner, and very fast greens, at least I did that day.

After golf we enjoyed the 19th hole sharing the patio with a nesting mama owl the size of a bob cat. I got as close as I dared given the stink eye she was emitting in my direction.

As for the courses, we both enjoyed the challenge of the lay outs, the views, and the speed at which the Ironwood greens rolled. We were, however disappointed with the seeming acne pock marks on the bent grass greens that don't get regularly repaired by the members. The fairways and bunkers are also in need of repair. A private club, Anthem will be looking to their new owner, Club Corp, to make the necessary repairs over the coming months and years. Nothing we can't deal with in exchange for having a beautiful home on a course in a wonderful golf community. Sound too good to be true? Keep reading.

Today we said our good byes to our Anthem realtor over cappuccinos in the Winnebago before Mike and I went to Desert Ridge to play one of their two courses. Desert Ridge, part of the Marriott, is an unusual club concept located just outside of Scottsdale. We'd found it when we had gone to watch the LPGA tournament being held there last weekend. The Marriott built two championship courses with the idea that through business meetings and conventions, both courses would be bustling. Enter the economic crash. Two years ago they began offering memberships that for your dues, include as much golf (and carts) as your little heart desires, two spa treatments per week (including hair, nails, massages, etc) at the luxurious hotel, once a week entry into the VIP lounge with all you can eat and drink privileges, and so much more. It's basically a perpetual vacation and quite honestly very reasonably priced for what you get. We just weren't sure about it but agreed to play the Palmer course today and get a better feel for the place.

Although we can't drive our own carts, the free carts offer something most don't, a GPS.

The course was relatively flat, not too difficult, and had probably the best greens we've played in Arizona.

The Membership Director who knew we were also considering Anthem, slyly paired us with former members of Anthem who left there on, shall we say, less than wonderful terms. They are both very good players and seemingly calm individuals yet were twice suspended by Anthem for Jill's potty mouth. What does that mean? Neither could golf for 6 weeks each time they were suspended yet they had to continue to pay dues. Uh oh...Most of you have met Mike... They provided so much more information that really gave us pause. We are trying SO hard not to make a mistake with this decision. It just got harder.

We are off to the Palm Springs area in the morning where we will park our home in our friend Kaye's yard. For those of you following this blog from the beginning you may remember Kaye. She put us up in Destin at a retired military RV park on the water. She has since moved west and has graciously offered us electricity and Peanut babysitting while we continue this search in California, specifically at PGA West. The search itself sounds like fun to most, but if you're a couple who have been trying relentlessly for 18 months to conceive, you know that it isn't always as fun as it sounds.

I will try not to let so much time lapse, but no promises. Sorry Mom!

Comments

[Scottye Keller]

We wish you two the best of luck...sounds like taking your time is paying off....the courses look wonderful...and you two do too !! Enjoy Palm Springs...we love INDIO...if you née a great campground try THE COUNTRY CLUB In INDIO...it is a Signiture Resort...Jim and I love it...XOXO. J & S

[Andrew]

Curious how an abundance of options is almost as difficult as no choice at all.

I'm out of work and broke thereby facing challenge$ of my own - meanwhile a friend of mine has hit his own "gold mine" at work and has an abundance of cash - each situation has its own set of issues.

Wish I was in his shoes though.

Anyway good luck choosing the right place.
Sounds a lot harder to do that I would have thought.

Any chance you might be coming to Mesquite to play in the tournament? Check http://www.mesquiteamateur.com/ for details.

IF you do, lets have lunch at Los Lupes and a spin at Conestoga.

[Juanita]

Thanks for following our journey Andrew and Scottye! We also appreciate all the suggestions and advice we can get. Andrew, I checked out the dates and cost of Mesquite but I just can't justify the money or the time right now. I sure hope we are well settled by the time it rolls around next year. I'm really hopeful to go to the world am in Myrtle beach in august. We shall see. Thanks again!