The 15 Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona (Guide)
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Jake was a competitive golfer for over a decade dating back to the days of being the Captain of his high school golf team. He has played more than 200 courses across 32 different states in the US. Now semi-retired, Jake continues to golf 3-4 days a week with a current 2 handicap, gives golf lessons to his friends and family, and provides a wealth of knowledge to Golf Circuit from his competitive playing days. Jake combines practical expertise with technical knowledge to create golfing strategies and training techniques for both beginners and scratch golfers.
In the state of Arizona, public golf courses are typically open to the general public and usually require only the green fee along with some advanced booking. You can then make your way to the golf course and play some rounds of golf, either golfing solo or with a group of friends.
There is more to picking a good public golf course than just seeing how much they are priced.
Of course, while cost is an essential factor, make sure you also consider the location, season, number of holes, condition of the greens and additional facilities on offer before you make your decision.
Based on these aspects, let’s take a look at some of the best public golf courses in Arizona.
Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona
The best public golf courses in Arizona are mentioned in this list, making it easier for you to opt for the one that suits your requirements.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
- Location: Fort McDowell, Arizona
- Founding Year: 2001 (Cholla), 2006 (Saguaro)
The We-Ko-Pa Golf Club has two courses called Cholla and Saguaro, with the former being designed by Scott Miller and the latter by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. These golf clubs have a total of 36 holes and can offer some good target practice as well as a proper traditional game.
You can book a round or by selecting the number of players, or you can opt for packages that can let you play for longer. There are also many packages where you can stay in the resort and play several rounds.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
There are several varieties in how the holes are routed and paced, allowing all skill levels to play here. You can also enjoy the views of the Arizona mountains while you’re at it.
Whirlwind Golf Club
- Location: Wild Horse Pass, Chandler, Arizona
- Founding Year: 2000
The golf courses at Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass were designed by Gary Panks and cover a total of 500 acres, with half of this area covering the turfs or greens and the other half forming the desert features.
There are 36 holes, each of which is situated in a way that can offer fairness for amateurs or casual players as well as more experienced golfers.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
The varying slopes and distances and bunkers, along with the surrounding greenery and mountains, make it a great experience.
You can make your reservations up to 60 days in advance with dynamic pricing.
Troon North Golf Club
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1990
Designed and renovated by Tom Weiskopf, a British Open Champion, Troon North Golf Club has 36 holes spread between two golf courses called Monument and Pinnacle.
These courses span several acres and include ravines and creeks as well as the foothills of the nearby Arizona mountains.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
The greens on both these courses are quite intricate and clean, making it better for players of all skills and experiences to enjoy the game. You can book your tee times up to 60 days in advance, with each golf round being counted as 4.5 hours.
You can also rent clubs here while also booking the course well in advance for group events.
Eagle Mountain Golf Club
- Location: Fountain Hills, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1996
Designed by Scott Miller, Eagle Mountain Golf Club includes bunkers, rolling hills, sprawling greens and surrounding hills, making for a wonderful golfing experience. This golf club has a single course with 18 holes that covers around 6,800 yards.
To access this golf club for a round or two, you can book tee times up to 90 days in advance, with group reservations possible as long as you plan it all out beforehand.
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It is possible for you to rent clubs here, not to mention that there is also a golf shop where you can buy golf equipment if needed.
TPC Scottsdale
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1986
TPC Scottsdale is an Arizona golf course that includes two 18-hole golf courses. Designed by Randy Heckenkemper, Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, this golf course is divided into two courses, called the Champions Course and Stadium Course, with the former often being the site for many PGA Tour tournaments.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
Each course includes several desert features, including bunkers and valleys, alongside the vast and pristine greens.
There are many vacation packages and special offers in place that you can avail of to enjoy the courses. You can book your tee time in advance either for yourself and a small group of people or for a larger group of people.
Sunridge Canyon Golf Club
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1995
This Keith Foster-designed golf course has 18 holes and can allow you to book your tee time as much as an entire year in advance, although Arizona residents and cardholders can book it a bit closer to playing time too.
Sunridge Canyon Golf Club, apart from singular sessions, also offers seasonal passes in case you wish to play more frequently between the months of October and July.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
The golf course itself includes several ridges, slopes, greens and fairways, bunkers, foothills and canyon walls that can provide you with a unique Arizona golfing experience.
You can additionally access the golf shop here or watch a professional tournament (like these golf majors) if it takes place here.
Grayhawk Golf Club
- Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1994
Designed by David Graham, Gary Panks and Tom Fazio, Grayhawk Golf Club has 36 holes divided between two golf courses named Talon and Raptor. Each of these golf courses features canyons, ridges, slopes, bunkers and the surrounding McDowell Mountains.
There are packages in place that can allow you to book both courses for your round, although you can also simply book one course at a time. The pace of play generally covers 4.5 hours per round. There are packages called Crazy 8’s too for booking eight rounds at a time.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
Both courses additionally have varying styles and designs, providing options for amateur players as well as professional or more experienced golfers.
Golf Club of Estrella
- Location: Goodyear, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1999
This Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course includes options for you to book tee times in advance for playing a round or two. You can also buy a pass if you want more flexible accessibility options.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
There are many desert elements in this course, such as ridges, valleys and deep bunkers that are surrounded by clean and immaculate greens. The mountains also surround this course, providing a scenic location to play.
This golf course has 18 holes, with variable distances between each hole that can provide support for amateur as well as experienced players. You can also rent clubs and buy equipment from the golf shop.
The Boulders Club
- Location: Carefree, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1982
There are two 18-hole golf courses in The Boulders Club, both of which were designed by Jay Morrish. This golf club is open to the public and is also available for access by private members of the club, so if you want to make a reservation as a guest, you can do so a bit in advance.
There are usually specific timings and prices involved when it comes to playing at the courses here since there are likely to be some seasonal closures.
You can enjoy playing your rounds in the greens, fairways, creeks, bunkers, ridges and variably sloping mounds on the course. The fresh air and surrounding nature also make it a memorable experience.
Quintero Golf Club
- Location: Peoria, Arizona
- Founding Year: 2000
Rees Jones made use of the natural Arizona desert and lushness to design this golf course. As a result, it features ridges, bunkers, beautiful greens, tree covers, generous landings and surrounding views of the hills.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
This golf course has emerged as one of the best Arizona golf courses in various criteria, competitions and inspections, making it a reliable option to consider.
This golf course allows you to book your tee time up to 90 days in advance, although there can be differing levels of benefits for the general public, Arizona residents as well as card holders.
There are various packages and overnight stay options here as well. You can also rent your clubs here.
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
- Location: Maricopa, Arizona
- Founding Year: 2002
This golf course was designed by Fred Couples and Schmidt-Curley and can be a great site for playing a round or two with your group. Note that if you have a larger group of golfers, you might have to make reservations much more in advance than smaller groups.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
This golf club features 18 holes that are spread out in the midst of green fairways and desert elements, including bunkers, valleys and ridges. The slopes and variety of the locations of the holes can provide amusement for new, casual, and more seasoned players.
Wickenburg Ranch Golf Club
- Location: Wickenburg, Arizona
- Founding Year: 2008
Managed by Troon and designed by Bing Hu, Wickenburg Ranch Golf Club fits well into the landscape of Arizona by combining the desert ridges and bunkers with the lush greens and varying slopes.
This golf course has an 18-hole design that can offer you some challenging yet stable experiences.
You can also access the golf shop here if you want to rent your club or buy additional equipment.
The rates at this golf club are dynamic, usually changing according to the time and season, although earlier bookings are likely to give you better prices.
Golf Club at Dove Mountain
- Location: Marana, Arizona
- Founding Year: 2009
This golf club was designed by Jack Nicklaus and was once the site of many PGA Tour championships. It is now open not only to the members of the club and guests of the resort but also to the general public in the form of advanced reservations of tee times.
This golf course includes 27 holes, with each hole placed and situated in differing manners so as to ensure suitability for all skill levels alike.
If you belong to the general public, you should book your tee time well in advance to ensure that you can enjoy the greens, bunkers, creeks and weather.
Gold Canyon Golf Resort
- Location: Gold Canyon, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1982
Designed by Kenneth M. Kavanaugh, Gold Canyon Golf Resort includes two golf courses, each of which has 18 holes.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
These courses were built keeping in mind the seamless uniformity between the manmade course and the natural features surrounding it, which is why there are many canyon walls, foothills, bunkers and ridges here apart from the vast and beautiful greens.
You can make reservations up to 90 days in advance while also opting to stay at the resort. You can also book the courses for bigger groups and get access to the golf store.
Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club
- Location: Tucson, Arizona
- Founding Year: 1984
Designed by Tom Fazio, this golf club features two 18-hole courses that make efficient use of the surrounding desert and canyon formations to form the course. Thus, canyon walls, mountain views, foothills, bunkers, creeks and other such features are likely to surround you during your round.
What Makes It One Of The Best Public Golf Courses in Arizona?
The two courses, Mountain and Canyon, include a range of difficulty levels for each of their holes, making for a fun challenge for amateurs and professionals alike.
To book your tee time, you can make your reservation in advance by calling the golf shop here.
Summing Up
Those were 15 of the best public golf courses in Arizona where you can book a tee time to play a fun round or two of golf.
Each of these has several different locations, features, timings and facilities, so make sure you do a bit of your own research to figure out which one works best for you and your group.
