Play SunRidge Canyon and the Wicked 6

SunRidge Canyon’s 6,823-yard, par-71, Keith Foster-designed golf course unfolds around the rugged ridges and shady canyons unique to the desert mountains that divide Fountain Hills from Scottsdale, Arizona. This Scottsdale golf course gradually descends on the way out before doubling back to climb up the slope on the way in. This subtle elevation change lies at the heart of the dramatic golf experience at SunRidge Canyon. Golfers also discover that it wasn’t so much created by a bulldozer as it was carved out over eons by the relentless pressure of wind and water. Foster had the good sense to follow Mother Nature’s lead, and in the end, the beauty and challenge of SunRidge Canyon is unlike any other desert golf experience in the Valley of the Sun.

SunRidge Canyon’s Famed ‘Wicked 6’

Six of the best finishing holes in all of Arizona.

Most golf courses have a series of holes that are particularly noteworthy for their beauty and challenge, some even to the point that they begin to develop a mystique of their own. These holes represent a battle within the battle, the high-water mark of the round when it’s either sink or swim. Augusta National’s Amen Corner, PGA National’s Bear Trap and La Costa’s Longest Mile come to mind as examples of dastardly golf holes that have menaced golfers for generations. Somewhat less famous, but every bit as daunting, SunRidge Canyon Golf Club confronts golfers with a devilish half-dozen holes known as the Wicked 6.

Made up of two par 5s, two par 4s and two par 3s, all except the par 3s play uphill. It is this gradual, yet significant uphill climb that poses much of the challenge. Plus, the prevailing breeze tends to blow down the canyon into the golfer’s face. Couple all this with the fact that the holes would play moderate to long even if they were on level ground, and it’s easy to see why the Wicked 6 has earned its distinction.

Feeling a bit intimidated? Here’s the Pro Tip: choose the appropriate tees at the beginning of the round to bring these six brutes under control at the end of the round.

The 13th hole kicks off the Wicked 6 with a tee shot that must find a landing area that slopes from a high point on the right to a low-lying desert wash that runs along the left side of the wide fairway. The second shot is straight away with a lake located to the right. The elevated green is not normally reachable in two, and the approach to the green is decidedly uphill.

The 14th is one of those holes that accepts nothing less than a good shot. Unlike its wicked kin, this hole plays significantly downhill from terraced tee boxes carved into the side of the canyon wall to a green flanked along its entire right side by a lake. It’s a white-knuckle tee shot for sure.

No. 15 is an uphill brute of a par 4. A series of bunkers along the left side of the fairway must be avoided. The approach offers plenty of room to the right of the green for those who choose to shy away from the trouble to the left, but the up-and-down from there can be difficult.