'Elephants'
stand guard at the
gates of this course

By Rebecca Larsen,
Associate Editor

WILLIAMS, Ariz. (July 19, 2003) -- Elephant Rocks Golf Course is going to give you glimpses back into the history of golf in Arizona.

The first nine holes on this out-of-the-way municipal course in Williams (current pop. 2,900) was built by railroad workers in 1922 when Warren Harding was president, several years before Augusta National was built.

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In 1990, after renovation by Panks, a Scottsdale architect whose credits include the Talon Course at Grayhawk Golf Club, Elephant Rocks reopened with real grass greens on a redesigned nine. Then Panks came back in 1999 to add another nine holes to the course.

What you find today is not a course you'd mix up with the championship layouts in Phoenix/Scottsdale, 150-plus miles away. But if you're in this resort area and looking for a course, you can play a relaxing game here with the Bill Williams Mountain and San Francisco Peaks in the background. The fragrance of pine needles is still heavy in the air here although bark beetles have been munching their way through the surrounding Ponderosa forest.

And at the gateway to the golf course you'll probably want to take a photo of those huge lava rocks that allegedly resemble "elephants" and were dropped there or in the vicinity by a volcano that erupted who knows when.

This is North Arizona high desert -- almost 7,000 feet in elevation -- in an area where temperatures are about 20 degrees lower in summer than you'll find in Phoenix to the south. It's a bit of a trip to get here from the south. First you have to travel from Phoenix to Flagstaff on Interstate 17; then take I-40 west for about 30 miles; then meander up a country road for two or three miles.

"I like every golf course Gary Panks has designed and this is no exception," says head golf professional John McCahan. "This course is a little easier than a lot of his courses, but that's because the original nine was a bit short."

The course, playing at 6,695 yards from the tips, starts out among the hills and pines surrounding the clubhouse on holes that were part of the original nine. No. 1 is a downhill par-4 with a slight dogleg left and a lake to avoid on the right. This is a great setting with lots of trees and sunlight glinting off that lake that dominates the scenery on the first three holes. By No. 6 you're out into the newer area on a marshy meadow where some houses have been built along the fairways as part of a subdivision called Highland Meadows. Panks made great use of the water possibilities here, including building a peninsula green on the par-3 No. 12 that measures 157 yards from the back tees and 101 from the forward. The distance isn't that great, but if you slice or hook, you're going to find the water. There's also an intimidating bunker right in front of the green.

No. 15 takes you back into the woods again to face some of those renovated older holes. When you're playing among the trees, you can feel as if you're the only person around for miles.

Most golfers pick the two last holes as their favorites. No. 17, once upon a time the eighth hole, is a par-5 that rolls up and down for a 100-yard uphill finish.

Then it's on to the rollicking No. 18, a 194-yard par-3 that seems as if it goes straight downhill. It's 212 yards from the back tees and 161 from the forward. "Golfers generally don't like to have a par-3 as the finishing hole, but if you can get a par here, you've done well," says McCahan. "It's difficult to decide what club to pick here because when the wind blows, it can be a completely different hole from what you expect."

Stop off after you finish to take a good look at the antique rugged stone clubhouse, also built in the '20s by railroad workers.

About 20,000 rounds are played at Elephant Rocks from March to November, McCahan says. The course can be covered with snow in winter, but recent winters have been exceptionally mild due to the drought in Arizona. "We even opened up nine holes in January this year; but we did that because we were hoping it would snow," McCahan says.

What to see and where to stay

That railroad that helped spur the building of this course still runs from Williams to the Grand Canyon almost every day and makes for an interesting excursion. Catch the Grand Canyon Railway train at 10 a.m. in Williams and you'll be at the Grand Canyon by 12:15 p.m. in time for a bus tour along the South Rim. You can return in the afternoon by train to Williams for an overnight stay at the railway's resort hotel, the Fray Marcos. Call (800) 843-8724 for more information. You can also find dozens of motels and restaurants in nearby Flagstaff.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.