Bellair Golf Park

Nestled in the north end of Glendale, butting up to the border of Phoenix, lies a unique, lively, and modern take on golf courses. Bellair Golf Park, a 18 hole, par 59 short course that is helping the game of golf evolve into the new generation. The course gets a great deal of traffic, not just for the golf but other amenities as well. Green fees run between $32-$50 during peak season.

The course features 3 par 4’s on the front and 2 on the back. A good combination of short, medium, and long par 3’s fill in the other 13 holes on the course. Each hole is special in it’s own way, which is great. I don’t like courses that after the round I can’t recall things or confuse one hole for another. Each one at Bellair sticks out in your mind and separates itself from the others. Some that stick out right away is #2, a short par 3 playing often less than 100 yards. What makes this hole stand out is how severe the green slopes from back to front. Often time if you don’t control your spin you can find your ball hitting the top of the green, and spin down 10 yards off the green. Hitting your tee shot long also leaves you in a tough spot chilling downhill on slick greens can be an impossible task. #4 also stands out. A small pond sits in front of the green and stares at you the entire time, playing mind tricks in your peripheral vision. The green is wide and shallow, that slopes back towards the pound. A large bunker also sits behind the green. If the pin is in the front and your ball finds the bunker, you might as well hit out to the rough just to keep your ball dry. #8 the par 4, strikes back with visual intimidation. From the tee you can see the top of the green, and a massive fairway bunker that makes you choose to play short or take it on. The bunker hides another greenside bunker, leaving about 30 yards in-between the two. My favorite hole on the course though is #11. A large tree sits right Infront and to the right of the tee box, and a large bunker protects the front of the green. Depending of where the tee markers are the tee can come into play for your tee shot, so you must be confident if your start line.

The course condition has gotten much better over time. The course saw a major update this past summer when all the bunkers were redone and filled with fluffy, white sand. This makes the course have more pleasing aesthetics makes it look like a proper course. The greens also received a good bit of TLC, most greens have severe breaks, and they roll true. Depending on the time of year they can play slow or fast. Some of the tee boxes are chewed up badly, although some holes feature 2 tee boxes to help mitigate that. #12 features a hitting mat if you choose to hit from. I think this is a really nice feature to help preserve and helps the tee boxes recover. I would not be upset if every tee box had that and for a certain amount of time during the year you must hit off the mats. The course does feature some rolling hills that are not to difficult to walk if you choose to do so. The cart paths in fairly bad shape, however I have heard that the next project the course plans to address are the cart paths. The golf carts are always well kept, clean, and charged.

The biggest attraction of the course is the driving range. 20 stations that have top tracer, covered bungalows, and big screen TVs. Anyone would love to have this set up in their own back yard. The hitting bays feature a retractable tee and underground ball feeder, a very nice touch that was made during the renovation made last year as well. The bays are also elevated and pushed a little further from the common area. There are tons of families with little kids that love to run around, and this is a very thoughtful safety feature. Behind the bays are several fire pits, corn hole, and a food truck. I have yet to have food there, the few times I have tried they were out of food and only had chips or candy bars. The range is open from 7am-10pm, and often have some sort of function taking place. Theme trivia night, ladies night, glow ball golf, watch parties, and other events. The range is awesome for those who want to work on their game and get good quality practice in. Yet is also suits those who want to come and have quality family time doing something social and active. I do find though the range is super busy on weekend evenings and nights. Each bay is full and there are several people waiting behind for their turn. It can be annoying, but if you treat it like the gym and go during slow hours, you will have no problem getting time in.

Employees of the course have said they are working on remodeling the main building to feature a full restaurant. This would be a fantastic addition and only help the course. Right now the food truck does the job, but having a fully operating kitchen would just be that much better. A nice indoor area to sit, enjoy a drink and reflect on the round will also help add to the experience. My biggest complaint with the course is it needs more room. The parking lot, driving range, and lounge area all could benefit from extra space.

All in all I love Bellair Golf Park, I love that everyone can come and feel welcomed. It doesn’t matter if they are experienced golfers or just getting started. The price, driving range, and condition make it a fantastic course that I have no problem being my home course