Jim Cosgrove of Mesa cites Forest Highlands in Flagstaff and Grayhawk in Scottsdale as great courses. Calls Dobson Ranch Municipal Golf Course "Best Bang For Buck."

Tommy Acosta
Valley Bureau Chief
Cactus Golf Pro Focus

November 6, 1998
Dobson Ranch Municipal Golf Course head professional Jim Cosgrove has a philosophy, and that is to get as much enjoyment out of a golf game as one can regardless of ability or handicap.

"When I teach I place the importance on the enjoyment of the game," says Cosgrove, a former captain of the Arizona State University Golf Team. "It's real important for me to know who I am working with. We set goals. We decide exactly what it is we want to improve and we have fun doing it."

It's obvious when one meets Jim Cosgrove that the towering man truly enjoys teaching and sharing what he knows with others. His good mood and amiable personality immediately win people over and everyone at the course stops and says hello when he passes by.

"Establishing communication between myself and the student is most important," Cosgrove said waving to yet another student. "Teaching someone how to swing smoothly is one of the most difficult things to do. I strive to focus first on the fundamentals so that my student understands it and then is able to translate this understanding into his swing. I want them to understand why the ball does what it does when hit a certain way. You can help someone to hit better at the range but if they can't understand why they can't take it with them into their game."

Cosgrove, a well known long ball hitter in Arizona who competes in national long drive competitions and whose longest recorded drive is 425 yards, does not believe that any part of the golf game is more important than the other. Rather, he sees all the parts of the game as a synergistic experience and blend.

"Every swing is so individualized that a standardized method of teaching would not be beneficial for certain people," Cosgrove said. "Everyone is an individual with certain strengths and weaknesses. Some are better putters. Some are better chippers and some are better drivers. So every lesson has to be individualized. I work with what they have and I try not to re-invent the wheel. In golf we all strive to get better. All the parts of the game are important. I can hit long drives but I work hard to improve my short game.

When asked what the secret was behind hitting a 425 yard drive Cosgrove was humble and humorous.

"If I knew the secret I'd be a millionaire," Cosgrove said. "There is no secret. I've been doing it since I was a little kid. Maybe it's genetic. Who knows. My concern is learning the secret of a tight short game."

Cosgrove said he began playing golf at the age of six and by the time he was in the 7th grade he was shooting in the seventies and already hitting long balls. He won numerous local contests and turned professional at the age of 22, competing in the Oldsmobile Scramble finals in Las Vegas where he missed winning the long drive competition by a yard and a half. His first job as a head professional was in Sun Lakes Country Club before moving to Dobson Ranch Municipal four years ago.

Cosgrove is proud of his golf course and spoke highly about it.

"If someone plays golf in Arizona chances are they've played Dobson Ranch," Cosgrove said. "We are the busiest golf course in the state. It's a championship 18 hole facility with undulating and over seeded fairways and one of the most exciting municipal layouts available. We have a lighted driving range. It is centrally located, minutes away from the freeway and the very many hotels in the area. We have a diversification of all levels of play and I personally insure that golfers enjoy their visit here. Combine our competitive prices with the quality facility we provide and Dobson Ranch Municipal becomes the best bang for the buck a golfer is going to get in Arizona." Cosgrove also noted Forest Highlands in Flagstaff and Grayhawk in Scottsdale as two of his favorites.

"Forest highlands in Flagstaff is one of the most exciting, scenic and well laid out facilities I have ever played," Cosgrove said. "It offers challenges for all levels of golfers. It's also very exclusive. Grayhawk in Scottsdale is also an excellent course. It is real fair for a desert golf course. It is much more open than traditional desert target courses. It has a great lay out and a terrific selection of holes."

Cosgrove, who is now 30 years old, is also quite proud of his family. Married for ten years he has two boys, Colby who is seven old and Hayden, who is four. He says he loves his job and has no intentions of ever doing anything else.

"I love my job," Cosgrove said. "I love everything about it. I want everyone who comes to my facility to have pleasure because when you get down to it, that's what life is all about."