REZ GOLF

by Steve Date

In July of 2013, my wife Karen and I were driving on Rte. 264 through the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. I caught a glimpse of what looked like someone swinging a golf club in the most unlikely place you can imagine. There was nothing but sand and sagebrush all around.

I pulled off onto the shoulder for a closer look. There was not just one golfer, but a couple of others making their way on a path through the bushes. I drove a little farther and stopped to talk with a foursome sitting on a bench near the highway who were waiting to tee off to a par 3 with sand green cut out of the desert. It was memorable sight.

Scroll down to see a few photos I shot that day.

WATCH THIS VIDEO

I stumbled on this video made by Callaway for its “Home Course” series. It’s about the Steamboat G.C. and the people who built it (Since I also stumbled on the golf course, it seems that stumbling is a good way to find new things.)

The guys told us that the community had built the golf course a few years earlier and that they we happened to catch them during their big tournament. I asked how we could get a better look at everything and they directed us to a gravel road leading to some tents set up with tables, food, a few things for sale and even some spectators milling around. I bought one of their tournament tee shirts and chatted for a while with the people running the tournament.

Everybody seemed to be having a great time playing golf in this unbelievable landscape. I would love to go back there with my clubs one day. The golf course is open to the public and free to play.

(The community of Steamboat, AZ has population of 284 and 97.4% are Navajo. The median annual household income is $12,785.)