Travel
Lake Powell National Golf Course
By JoAnn Roe

Like a Bedouin on a camel topping a rise in the sand and finding an oasis stretched before him, I descended a hill and rounded a curve at Page, Arizona, to encounter the Lake Powell National Golf Course reaching sinuously into the distance, impossibly green in contrast to the red rocks edging it. Not immediately visible were the heart-stopping views from this, the steepest, most rugged golf course I have ever seen.

The 18-hole championship, public course overlooks Lake Powell, backed up from the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River, and the Vermilion Cliffs. It’s a championship course of more than 7,000 yards; hole 17, designed by Bill Phillips of Tempe, is the second-longest fairway in Arizona at 655 yards. The course was awarded four stars of excellence by Golf Digest for 1998-99, 2000-01 and 2004-05 for its layout and superb scenery. Excellent service is a factor, too. A host meets the golfer at the car, helps him/her with the clubs (and cleans them later), and gives a few clues about playing the course.

“I stress to my staff that customer service is our most important topic. It is our goal to ensure that everyone experiences a great day at Lake Powell National,” said Johnny Miles, director of golf and PGA professional.

With Kentucky blue on the fairways, bentgrass on the greens, I found the course a joy to play. All points on the course oversee the crags and formations of red rocks, some looking as it they had been scraped by a hair comb before hardening. Glen Canyon Dam is clearly visible. Lake Powell’s blue waters contrast sharply with the gradations of red, yellow and chalk cliffs. Should your ball stray, it may bounce off similarly colorful rock formations that edge the entire course on the uphill side. The fairways and greens are user friendly, but hardly a level lie exists on the undulating course. The few bunkers are generous in size, but downhill the rough consists of wild desert.

The most challenging green is number 9 — relatively small with three tiers and plenty of undulation. The same for 18, about the time you are longing for a tall, cool one and a blackened hamburger in the clubhouse. On three holes, the greens are not visible from the tee box. What leads to exclamations of wonder, though, is the cart path that serves hole 15, incredibly steep with bumps to deter the downhill speed demon. If you can keep your mind on golf instead of the sweeping view from this mesa (holes 12 to 15), you tee off on 15 (the signature hole) to a heart-shaped green 123 feet below in altitude, 180 yards away for a par 3.

Lake Powell is one of the nation’s most popular water and desert playgrounds. Visitors rent powerboats, houseboats and personal watercraft to explore the lake’s length (186 miles) and 1960 miles of shoreline of soaring cliffs, coves and narrowing canyons. With tourism the main industry, it was wise for the small town of Page to keep its golf course public, playable and praised by even sophisticated golfers. Lake Powell National Golf Course —“National” because it is at the center of several national parks — is host to about 46 tournaments, most for regional service clubs or corporate outings from Tucson, Phoenix or Flagstaff. It also was host for the 1998 Arizona Shootout of the state’s fifteen best players. But it’s John and Jane Doe that cherish most this emerald in the desert. Management refers to the course as “the crown jewel of golf in northern Arizona.”

Call your AAA Travel Agent Today! 1-866-545-7377

Lake Powell National Golf Course,
400 Clubhouse Drive (just off Hwy. 89 south of the Colorado River) Page AZ 86040
Tel: (928) 645-2023. www.golflakepowell.com
Rates: 18 holes $55, 9 holes $32

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