Holiday helper

Need a gift for the golfer in your life? Check out these suggestions

Posted: Monday December 13, 2004 4:31PM; Updated: Monday December 13, 2004 4:31PM

My quick picks for the holidays -- from courses to play in Phoenix to clubs, calendars and services.

Phoenix rises. Last week, during a five-day trip to Phoenix, I discovered two of the best public golf courses. I haven't played every course in the metro desert area and until now, my favorites were We-Ko-Pa, Talking Stick's North Course and the TPC of Scottsdale. I have to revise my rankings because my new No. 1 is the Raven Golf Club at Verrado. It's squirreled in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains in Buckeye, Ari., well west of Phoenix and suddenly in the midst of rampant development. The course was designed by former Tour player John Fought and acting Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman. Most of the area's best golf is in Scottsdale, but the new Raven track is worth the 50-minute haul if you're staying near the TPC course.

The Raven has what many desert courses don't -- spectacular views, elevation changes, generous fairways, exquisite conditioning and, best of all, playability. The course has a linksy feel, almost as if one of its designers had maybe, oh, I don't know, won a British Open. There are few forced carries, a lot of gigantic greens and lots of room for bump-and-run shots, which require more touch and skill than your average 60-degree sand wedge flop shot.

There's a par-3 hole on each nine that plays from a dramatic elevated tee to a green far below, and both offer panoramic views of the valley, which, unfortunately, is being ripped up to build hundreds of homes and stores in a massive development plan. The 12th hole was a lengthy par 4 that plays uphill and hooked to the left and in shades of Carnoustie, a gaping bunker guarded the middle of the fairway. I'm not a big fan of middle of the fairway hazards -- isn't that where we're supposed to hit it? -- but I have to admit, it gave this hole character. Playing from the silver tees, not quite as far back as the Raven tees, I was able to pound a driver past the bunker and have a short-iron approach. The 12th was the start of a delightful three-hole stretch that I'm sure someone will coin a catchy nickname for -- the Cactus Triangle or something. The 13th was a temptingly short par 4, 291 yards, but sharply uphill. The tricky part is a tiny, shallow green with a false front that somehow seems to repel approach shots of any length. Perhaps Donald Ross lives. Then the 14th is a beautiful 168-yard par 3 to a green set well below (one of the par 3s I already mentioned). It's as interesting trio of consecutive desert holes as I've seen and any of them could be the course's signature hole. The finish is dangerous because water guards the right side at the 17th, a shortish par 3, and 18, a manly par 4 at 457 yards.

Check it out at RavenAtVerrado.com. It's a daily fee course ($109 Sunday-Friday, $119 Saturday), but is also selling a limited number of memberships. It's a bargain compared to the $200-plus greens fees you find in-season at many area tracks.