As much as you hate to jump to conclusions about a golf course, after a few holes at Stone Canyon you pretty much have the place figured out. Lush green fairways are cut through scruffy desert, with rocky outcrops, large individual boulders and giant Saguaro cactus framing shots, adding aesthetic interest and disguising an otherwise awkward routing. Design-wise, bunkers are often set uncomfortably on the outside of doglegs and a number of longer holes have landing areas and approach zones pinched so tightly they force all bar the monster hitters to lay back. Too often there is only one sensible playing option for the average amateur. There are some nice mountain and stone views here and the odd interesting green site, but generally speaking Stone Canyon doesn’t scale any great heights.