Links Course - Hole #15

Getting To Know: Arizona Biltmore Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Justin Creighton, Head Golf Professional at Arizona Biltmore Golf Club

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Justin Creighton who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Opening in 1929, the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club is one of Phoenix's most historic and legendary golf course properties. Nestled in the foothills of Piestewa Peak and just minutes from downtown Phoenix, the Arizona Biltmore's two storied courses, the Adobe and the Links, offer a variety of challenges for golfers of all skill levels. While the Adobe course features a traditional parkland style layout, the Links course balances a mix of desert golf, rolling fairways and five lakes. Both offer tremendous views of mountains and downtown Phoenix, which have attracted U.S. presidents, celebrities, distinguished travelers and millions more.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Prestige, proximity and playability! The aura of the Biltmore property provides the perfect ambiance for a golfer looking for something unique in the Valley. Located in the heart of Phoenix, the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club is next to the notable Arizona Biltmore Resort and Hotel and just minutes away from destination restaurants, shopping and sporting arenas. Combine that with the option to play two championship courses, the possibilities are endless for locals and visitors alike.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
At the Arizona Biltmore, keeping the ball in play is more important than distance. The greens are small, so keeping the ball in play is key to a good score.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Every U.S. president in office beginning with Herbert Hoover in 1932 has visited the Arizona Biltmore. There is a history hallway in the hotel picturing each of them at the course. Certainly, we're proud to offer excellent conditions year-round and wall-to-wall grass, which is a unique feature among desert golf properties.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The most talked about hole on our property is the 15th hole on the Links Course. The 183-yard, par 3 hole features a dramatically elevated tee box that looks onto a beautiful green below and offers 360 degree views of the entire Valley. The Links 15 is an exciting challenge given the drop in elevation that will reward a good shot and punish a poor one.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My personal favorite is the 17th hole on the Links Course. If you play from the back tees, you have to hit the ball on top because everything slants down. The fairway slopes left, making this difficult and giving you less green to work with if you hit down in the bottom.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The Adobe Restaurant at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club recently introduced a brand new, golfer-inspired menu and an upgraded patio with outstanding golf course views. The new menu features a variety of tasty options, but the must-have dish is the Phoenix-famous Biltmore Dog, which is a loaded Vienna beef hot dog with onions, relish, mustard, ketchup and giardiniera (an Italian relish). Few golfers come to the Biltmore without ordering one at the hot dog stand or in the restaurant after their round.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Two-time PGA champion George Keyes holds the record. He scored a 59 on the Adobe course in 1966.

Course Stats
Adobe Course:
70.3/120
Par 71
6,430 yards

Links Course:
69.7/124
Par 71
6,300 yards

More Information
Arizona Biltmore Golf Club
2400 E. Missouri Ave.
Phoenix, AZ, 85016
602-955-9655
www.azbiltmoregc.com

Revised: 04/01/2015 - Article Viewed 35,869 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.