Talking Rock - Arizona - USA

It's hard to imagine that when you have a talent architect, which Jay Morrish certainly was, and when combined with the scenic grandeur that is Prescott, you would think a top tier golf course would be the result. Guess again. The issue with Talking Rock is that it's devoid of anything remotely in the same zip code with the words strategic architecture. The course is simply wide fairways with bunkers that are for the most part just cosmetically placed. The holes are vanilla in their pedestrian manner and there's little -- save for a few fleeting moments -- where the pulse rises beyond that of a flicker.

Prescott is one of Arizona's most amazing locales and it would be fitting for a golf course to be in that same rarified air.

Talking Rock was about selling homes -- positioned along fairways -- with off-course views. It's a shame because a wonderful opportunity was simply missed.

by M. James Ward