Troon Country Club, Scottsdale, AZ

I've visited Troon CC a number of times over the years. I played it again last week and enjoyed the experience. I typically find this to be the one of the most difficult courses I've played. The fairways are very narrow, and if you miss, you're probably dropping another ball. It's funny, each hole never seems that hard, but then I look at my card and I'm surprised at how poorly I've done.
The course routing is certainly of note. I always find myself bored and disappointed on the front 9. It's certainly not very interesting, and there are some really poor holes, such as the stretch from 7-9. All three have murky green ponds next to the greens, features that look horribly out of place in this dry desert environment and are completely unnecessary on such a penal course. Once you reach 10, the course awakens. The entire back 9, especially from 11-16, is one of the best collection of holes in the entire state- awesome! Especially fine are the par 5 11th, the short par 4 12th, the short par 4 13th, and the 16th hole ("Gunsight").
With regard to conditions, the greens are always excellent here. They have very spongy grass (usually damp), so you can "stick" your wedge and iron shots. Not exactly "PGA Tour" hardness but very pleasant for the average golfer. The fairways can be very bad, however- usually there are numerous brown spots, a lot of aeration holes and sand, and soggy conditions. I suspect water quality problems may be one source of difficulty. Please note that I've played here mostly in summer, when conditioning can be a bit of a challenge. The tee boxes are also a little sloped for my tastes (they need to laser-level them).
Practice facility- very good. The range is excellent w/ a number of targets. There is a good short game area and an excellent putting green.
Amenities- the clubhouse is really exceptional- top notch. There is no bottled water or food on the course, just coolers.
Staff- a little unfriendly but generally OK. They seem to really kow-tow to members but treat guests w/ a bit of indifference.
The scenery is great here, especially on the back 9. I love North Scottsdale, so beautiful.
Other things of note- I've heard rumors that the membership situation is "interesting". You don't have to be a Troon resident to join. Memberships are equity-based and pretty pricey. What's fascinating is there is apparently a BIG waiting list of people trying to sell their equity memberships. When a member wants to leave and get their initial investment back, they go on a waiting list to sell their interest. That's all well and good... except for the problem that the rumored length of the waiting list to get out is around 8 years! I've heard there are people who have moved to another state and are still paying the sizable monthly nut so they can eventually get their money back.
Overall I'd rank this club very close to the top, perhaps in the second tier slightly below the very best in Arizona (Whisper Rock, Stone Canyon, Desert Highlands). I'd put it about on the same level as Golf Club Scottsdale and Estancia. Troon is far superior to some of the laggards in the area, such as Desert Forest and Pinnacle Peak.
There is a great "first round" video on their web site- it's a video of one of the designers (Tom Weiskoff) tearing up the course with a 64 or there-abouts. Good fun and informative.