Swing for the hills – or the desert washes – on one of the Valley’s many fabled fairways and award-winning golf courses.
Arizona Biltmore
2400 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix
602-955-9656
azbiltmoregc.com
Presidents, Hollywood luminaries and various VIPs have all trod the fairways at this classic Central Phoenix golf club, the brainchild of chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., who also built the eponymous mansion up the street. Choose between the Adobe course, built in 1928, or the shorter Links course, which offers striking vistas of the Downtown Phoenix skyline from the 15th hole.
Blackstone Country Club
12101 W. Blackstone Dr., Peoria
623-707-8700
vistancia.com
A Golf Digest award-winner, this 18-hole, par-72 course located in the luxury community of Vistancia was designed by Jim Engh and features deep channels and black volcanic rock.
The Boulders
34631 N. Tom Darlington Dr., Carefree
480-488-9028
bouldersclub.com
This challenging duo of golf-ball-devouring desert courses may drive you wild, but so will the drop-dead gorgeous setting among
copper-toned boulders, Jay Morrish’s GOLF Magazine Gold Medal Award-winning layout and the occasional bobcat sighting.
Eagle Mountain Golf Club
14915 E. Eagle Mountain Pkwy., Fountain Hills
480-816-1234
eaglemtn.com
The elevation changes offer striking views of the saguaro-striped Sonoran Desert at this Fountain Hills golf course. Pristine greens and memorable holes make this top-ranked course a winner.
Photo by Mirelle InglefieldGold Canyon
6100 S. Kings Ranch Rd., Gold Canyon
480-982-9449
gcgr.com
The Dinosaur Mountain Course gets the accolades at this 36-hole golf club set in the imposing Superstition Mountains. Elevation changes and undulations make this a thinking person’s course where club choice is key, but you’ll be rewarded with plenty of eye candy in the form of cactus-studded scenery and mammoth-size monoliths.
Golf Club at Estrella
11800 S. Golf Club Dr., Goodyear
623-386-2600
estrellagolf.com
This highly ranked course in far-flung Goodyear makes a great precursor to an Indians or Reds spring training game at Goodyear Ballpark. But even if you’re not a Buckeye State fan, this Jack Nicklaus Jr.-designed desert course is worth the drive, for its lush desert setting (not an oxymoron), mountain vistas and epic closing stretch.
Grayhawk
8620 E. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale
480-502-1800
grayhawkgolf.com
If it’s good enough for Phil Mickelson, it’s good enough for the rest of us. “Lefty” has been the ambassador for this award-winning club since its inception. After you play the Raptor course, dine at Phil’s Grill and check out his memorabilia from ASU.
Las Sendas
7555
E. Eagle Crest Dr., Mesa
480-396-4000
lassendas.com
With contoured fairways leading to elevated greens that slope into bunkers, this course requires a bit of strategy. But it prides itself in its nature-respecting, artifice-free Robert Trent Jones Jr. design as much as its views of Mesa’s Usery Mountains.
Photo Courtesy Lookout Mountain Golf CourseLookout Mountain Golf Course
11111 N. Seventh St., Phoenix
602-866-6356
pointegolf.com
A Troon Golf Experience, Lookout Mountain Golf Course at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort offers excellent views of both its namesake and Piestewa Peak. Twelve holes on the course play through preserve land, giving golfers uninterrupted views.
McCormick Ranch
7505 E. McCormick Pkwy., Scottsdale
480-948-0260
mccormickranchgolf.com
McCormick Ranch’s two resort-style courses boast breathtaking views of Camelback and McDowell mountains. The Palm Course features 10 water holes that give golfers of all skill levels a challenge, while the Pine Course serves as a regional qualifier site for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. An ideal spot for guests of the nearby Scottsdale Resort.
Photo Courtesy Mountain Shadows Resort ScottsdaleMountain Shadows
5445 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley
480-624-5433
mountainshadows.com
In the mood for a quickie? Mountain Shadows’ 18-hole boutique “short course” is a 54-par charmer that’s tailor-made for beginners and duffers on a schedule. Set at the foot of Camelback Mountain, it also affords grand views of Paradise Valley, aka “PV.”
Papago
5595 E. Moreland St., Phoenix
602-275-8428
papagogolfcourse.net
As Caddyshack star Rodney Dangerfield would have said, city-owned courses get no respect. The exception is Papago. As the Valley’s best muni, it was deemed worthy of hosting an LPGA championship in 2009. Designed in 1963 by Billy Bell of Torrey Pines fame, this challenging traditional course got spruced up to the tune of $5.8 million in 2008. Now it’s as stunning as its views of the Martian-like Papago Buttes.
Photo Courtesy The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, ScottsdaleThe Phoenician
6000 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale
480-423-2450
thephoenician.com/golf
Akin to a golf-themed Biosphere, The Phoenician’s 18-hole course – recently redesigned by architect Phil Smith – name-checks several ecosystems, featuring vertiginous elevation changes, holes carved out of Camelback Mountain’s foothills, palm trees, saguaros, fountain- and flower-decked lakes, and Arizona’s only sand-island green.
SunRidge Canyon
13100 N. Sunridge Dr., Scottsdale
480-837-5100
sunridgegolf.com
This saguaro-dotted course offers expansive views of surrounding mountain ranges. Water hazards won’t pose much of a problem, but desert wash areas rippling across several fairways will keep you on your toes. You may want to chug an Arnold Palmer before tackling the final sextet of swing-testing holes, dubbed the “Wicked Six.”
TPC Scottsdale
17020 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale
480-585-4334
tpc.com/scottsdale
Every year the pros and crowds throng the TPC for the Waste Management Phoenix Open (see pages 76-77 for more information and tips). Re-create their glory on the Tom Weiskopf- and Jay Morrish-designed Stadium Course, or the equally eye-pleasing Champions Course. Pro tip: Look for the odd 13th hole bunker.
Troon North
10320 E. Dynamite Blvd., Scottsdale
480-585-7700
troonnorthgolf.com
Tom Weiskopf carved the Monument and Pinnacle courses out of the desert. His ingenious design, plus pristine greens and stunning views, is the reason these boulder-strewn beauties consistently get ranked as some of the state’s best courses.
Verrado Golf Club
4242 N. Golf Dr., Buckeye
623-388-3000
verradogolfclub.com
In spring, brittlebush dapples this Tom Lehman-designed West Valley desert course in yellow, gilding the already scenic White Tank Mountains setting. Wide fairways and mostly flat terrain make both the Founder’s Course and Victory Course layouts fairly forgiving, but there are a few elevation changes and those dreaded wash areas.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
18200 E. WeKoPa Way, Fort McDowell
480-836-9000
wekopa.com
Saguaros and mountains ripple away from the undulating fairways at this award-winning pair of 18-holers on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Thanks to a lack of view-marring buildings, the original Cholla Course and newer Saguaro Course make golfers forget they’re close to civilization.
Westin Kierland
15636 N. Clubgate Dr., Scottsdale
480-922-9283
kierlandgolf.com
With the options to tool around on a Segway or a Kierland TurfRider (two-wheeled scooter), these three Scott Miller-designed nine-hole courses are perfectly calibrated to the modern golfer. It’s also in the center of Scottsdale’s shopping and dining scene, with easy access to Kierland Commons.
The Wigwam
300 E. Wigwam Blvd., Litchfield
Park
800-909-4224
wigwamarizona.com/golf
These resort greens offer a trio of 18-hole championship golf courses (including two courses designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr.), dubbed The Gold, Blue and Red courses. The Gold course is a favorite, stretching 7,430 yards from the tees and presenting myriad challenges, including copious sand traps and ultra-narrow fairways. The easy part? Enjoying the palm-dappled views.
Wildfire
5350 E. Marriott Dr., Phoenix
480-473-0205
jwdesertridgeresort.com
Nick Faldo and Arnold Palmer each designed a lush, 18-hole desert course at this JW Marriott club. The Palmer course is longer and perhaps more challenging; the Faldo course sports generous fairways but profuse (108, to be exact) bunkers so strand-like you’ll feel like you’re on a beach course.
Photo Courtesy JW Marriot Desert Ridge