2025 Phoenix Area Course Conditions

[AZ_JHWK]

Power Ranch on Saturday. $105, range and cart included. I thought the fairways were really nice. The greens have a bit of a bounce to them as they are still fairly newly rebuilt. Plenty of interesting pin placement possibilities. Bunkers looked good but I did not visit any. This is a feel-good course that tends not to beat you up much.

 

Southern Dunes Sunday. A favorite of mine and many others. This was a fast and firm course and there were a few browned out areas that added to the linksy feel. The bag drop guy mentioned the firm greens and they really were. They putted nicely but some of my shots tended to roll out to the fringes. The chipping areas around the greens were excellent. It looks like they spend considerable time filling burrowing animal holes as there are many, so watch your step.  

[puttnforthe8]

Cattail at Whirlwind today.  Quite good shape tee to green.  The rain overnight did cause some wet and muddy spots but not terrible.  Greens were really good and pretty fast.  Bunkers all nice except the one on the short par 4 along the water.

[puttnforthe8]

Played Ocotillo today for a charity event.  It is simply amazing how far downhill this course has gone over the years (since Troon managed it).  First off it is $99+tax with no golf balls…another $10 for a small bag.

 

Some overall property, community and area observations:  a lot of the development/housing has gone down hill with destroyed/decaying walls, dead trees and branches, damaged cart path, and general poor maintenance.

 

as for the course:  right now, I would say it is the worst course in SE without question.  The tee boxes are a mess with some looking like washboards or mounds.  The bunkers are overgrown around the edging and have zero sand except near a few sides.  The fairways are brutal with more than half of every fairway barren.  The greens are about the same, with some having whole areas torn out and no grass at all.  
 

General people observation, while there were certainly some frequent golfers, the course seemed to be dominated by unserious golfers - jeans, unable to golf well(bad course to not be able to make carries), bad etiquette with golfer ms picking up other players golf balls or using range balls to play, tossing trash on the ground(saw beer cans tossed twice).

 

It is an avoid for sure.
 

 

[AZ_JHWK]

3 minutes ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Played Ocotillo today for a charity event.  It is simply amazing how far downhill this course has gone over the years (since Troon managed it).  First off it is $99+tax with no golf balls…another $10 for a small bag.

 

Some overall property, community and area observations:  a lot of the development/housing has gone down hill with destroyed/decaying walls, dead trees and branches, damaged cart path, and general poor maintenance.

 

as for the course:  right now, I would say it is the worst course in SE without question.  The tee boxes are a mess with some looking like washboards or mounds.  The bunkers are overgrown around the edging and have zero sand except near a few sides.  The fairways are brutal with more than half of every fairway barren.  The greens are about the same, with some having whole areas torn out and no grass at all.  
 

General people observation, while there were certainly some frequent golfers, the course seemed to be dominated by unserious golfers - jeans, unable to golf well(bad course to not be able to make carries), bad etiquette with golfer ms picking up other players golf balls or using range balls to play, tossing trash on the ground(saw beer cans tossed twice).

 

It is an avoid for sure.
 

 

Thanks for the heads up. I played it once when we moved to AZ and it was OK, but I felt like I was playing a Florida course with all of the water. No thanks.

[teejaywhy]

15 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Played Ocotillo today for a charity event.  It is simply amazing how far downhill this course has gone over the years...

 

It is an avoid for sure.

 

It could be in Augusta National condition and I would still rank it as one of the worst courses in the SE valley.   

 

[DKgolfAZ]

On 3/12/2025 at 12:17 PM, Baraethon said:

GCU monday, greens were in rough shape. Lots of bare/dead patches. As usual, the price they charge the public for that is criminal

 

Got to Palo Verde for the first time this morning, fun little course with tough greens. My approach shots need some practice so a great set up for me

Have you played GCU since? I played about the same time and it was the same… figured I’d transition to other courses as the prices drop.

 

love GCU in the winter for the walking card rate, great course to walk when the weather is nice.

 

——

 

Played Dove Valley a few times lately, it’s basically my home course since it’s a few minutes away from me.

 

overall great shape as always. Pace of play is generally average, 4-4:15… had one slow round. Fairways are getting firmer, greens are receptive but quick. Overall a good course to play in my experience through the summer.

 

Hit me up if you want to go, I have the Thompson card to reduce the rate and would love to get a round in with fellow WRX’rs.

Edited May 18 by DKgolfAZ

[AZ_JHWK]

Encanto today. The overseed is gone and the Bermuda is trying to fill in the gaps. Greens are pretty spotty as a result. Fairways are pretty tight in places, but the roughs are greening up and pretty decent. Bunkers are just dirty sand. We finished in 3:30. They had a speed golf event/tourney that went off first thing and we were about the 4th regular group to go off today. 

 

Edited May 19 by AZ_JHWK

[Baraethon]

12 hours ago, DKgolfAZ said:

Have you played GCU since? I played about the same time and it was the same… figured I’d transition to other courses as the prices drop.

 

love GCU in the winter for the walking card rate, great course to walk when the weather is nice.

 

——

 

Played Dove Valley a few times lately, it’s basically my home course since it’s a few minutes away from me.

 

overall great shape as always. Pace of play is generally average, 4-4:15… had one slow round. Fairways are getting firmer, greens are receptive but quick. Overall a good course to play in my experience through the summer.

 

Hit me up if you want to go, I have the Thompson card to reduce the rate and would love to get a round in with fellow WRX’rs.

I've been playing papago and aguila lately, been a bit turned off gcu since then with the greens. Aguila is in such good shape it's hard to want to play elsewhere 

[DKgolfAZ]

8 minutes ago, Baraethon said:

I've been playing papago and aguila lately, been a bit turned off gcu since then with the greens. Aguila is in such good shape it's hard to want to play elsewhere 

I can never find a good card time at Papago… Aguila is just so far from me, I’d love to play it more. Great course.

[AZ_JHWK]

9 hours ago, DKgolfAZ said:

I can never find a good card time at Papago… Aguila is just so far from me, I’d love to play it more. Great course.

Papago is a hard tee time to get. That's why I play the league there. Aguila is a 40–45-minute drive for me...still worth it.

[DKgolfAZ]

11 minutes ago, AZ_JHWK said:

Papago is a hard tee time to get. That's why I play the league there. Aguila is a 40–45-minute drive for me...still worth it.

 GCU is 40 for me. Aguila is about an hour no traffic.

 

as long as GCU fixes it by next winter lol, that’s my winter course when prices are ridiculous. 
 

I live right next to Dove Valley Ranch, not a bad course to be a couple minutes from.

[puttnforthe8]

Whirlwind Devils Claw is in phenomenal shape still.  Not sure when they will start summer maintenance, but if you can get out now it is a good play.  

[hackeraz]

On 5/18/2025 at 9:19 AM, DKgolfAZ said:

Have you played GCU since? I played about the same time and it was the same… figured I’d transition to other courses as the prices drop.

 

love GCU in the winter for the walking card rate, great course to walk when the weather is nice.

 

——

 

Played Dove Valley a few times lately, it’s basically my home course since it’s a few minutes away from me.

 

overall great shape as always. Pace of play is generally average, 4-4:15… had one slow round. Fairways are getting firmer, greens are receptive but quick. Overall a good course to play in my experience through the summer.

 

Hit me up if you want to go, I have the Thompson card to reduce the rate and would love to get a round in with fellow WRX’rs.

Good to hear that about DVR. I live fairly close but have never been on it. Was casually looking at tee rates on golfnow the other day and it popped up and seemed reasonable compared to most others right now. Wondered what the condition is like and here I got my answer! Thank you. 

[DKgolfAZ]

34 minutes ago, hackeraz said:

Good to hear that about DVR. I live fairly close but have never been on it. Was casually looking at tee rates on golfnow the other day and it popped up and seemed reasonable compared to most others right now. Wondered what the condition is like and here I got my answer! Thank you. 

TeeOff has some rates that best my loyalty card from time to time. It stays in good shape through the summer. At least it did last year.

[puttnforthe8]

Southern Dunes today.  Still in quite good shape tee to green.  Some scraggly spots here and there that don’t affect play. Greens rolled really good.  POP 420 - shoulda been faster. I would recommend playing before the bad time comes.  It’s a great price too.
—they are not doing summer 6 pack this year, instead doing some larger package deal not quite as good unless you want all those extras.  

Whirlwind Devils Claw Sunday.  It’s in really good shape across the board.  
 

 

[GolfGuy321]

I did SD last week, overall very good but bunker quality was pretty inconsistent.  Greens were at a 10 which surprised me as they had an NCAA tournament and it was their practice round the day I played. Thought they would have been faster.

[puttnforthe8]

Verrado Victory greens got a fungus which has devastated most of them.  Lots of sandy patches or just dead ground.  Not worth playing at all right now.

 

Regulars said Founders was in decent shape and worth the play.

[Shilgy]

On 5/24/2025 at 9:53 AM, puttnforthe8 said:

Verrado Victory greens got a fungus which has devastated most of them.  Lots of sandy patches or just dead ground.  Not worth playing at all right now.

 

Regulars said Founders was in decent shape and worth the play.

Fungus for sure or poa annua?  I’ve played a few with poa in the fairways and with the hotter weather the poa is dying but Bermudan is not in fully as yet.  Creates a big dead looking spot where the poa was.

Edited May 25 by Shilgy

[puttnforthe8]

4 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Fungus for sure or poa annua?  I’ve played a few with poa in the fairways and with the hotter weather the poa is dying but Bermudan is not in fully as yet.  Creates a bid dead looking spot where the poa was.

Pretty sure it’s a fungus.  it’s the greens, not the fairway. 

[Shilgy]

14 minutes ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Pretty sure it’s a fungus.  it’s the greens, not the fairway. 

Could well be, was just asking because of what I’ve seen. I would think it could happen on the greens as well.

[Bonneville85308]

Pebblebrook in SCW yesterday. Fairways were mostly in good condition. Appears they had a soaking in the early morning as they were still soft/damp in spots in the afternoon, ball picked up a little mud often. Greens were in excellent condition but slower than average. Looked like they had been aerated 2-3+ weeks ago. Average firmness on full fairway shots but velcro-like on short greenside pitches.  Bunkers were a little crusty but played fine. Bermuda rough was generally low/sparse and not fully growing yet. Found a good wide open window on the tee sheet and finished in about 2:15, didn't wait until I caught a couple folks on 16. $50 with cart was a fair deal.

 

 

[Shilgy]

Shows what we as a group know I guess.🤣

 

Golf Digest Public Course ranking has Quintero at #93….no other Arizona public’s are on the list

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/americas-100-greatest-public-golf-courses-ranking?utm_medium=email&utm_source=052925&utm_campaign=hitlist&utm_content=DM64113&uuid=8a0e6a26-43d9-4552-890f-cae660892c4e

[puttnforthe8]

12 hours ago, Shilgy said:

Shows what we as a group know I guess.🤣

 

Golf Digest Public Course ranking has Quintero at #93….no other Arizona public’s are on the list

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/americas-100-greatest-public-golf-courses-ranking?utm_medium=email&utm_source=052925&utm_campaign=hitlist&utm_content=DM64113&uuid=8a0e6a26-43d9-4552-890f-cae660892c4e

Wish I knew how much they paid them?!

 

 

[ferrispgm]

I feel like most of the public rankings take scenery more into account than how the course actually plays. I don't mind playing Quintero once a year or every couple years.  Knowing that, how they didn't put We-Ko-Pa in there is criminal.  

[puttnforthe8]

Eagle mountain yesterday.  Lots of wet and/or dried out patches through the course.  But the greens were rolling really well.  A surprise recovery from how bad it was previously.  
 

doesn’t look good overall, but didn’t play bad.

 

BTW, I played it as part of a new golf “league” trying to get showing here in the Valley.  Right now they are going between Dove Valley and Eagle Mountain (cost benefits and welcome from the course).  It is a 2 man random draw scramble for lower handicaps. Pretty good competitors with almost all of the field yesterday being single digits.  If interested in playing DM me and I will send info.

Edited June 1 by puttnforthe8

[SilverBullets]

On 5/30/2025 at 2:55 PM, ferrispgm said:

I feel like most of the public rankings take scenery more into account than how the course actually plays. I don't mind playing Quintero once a year or every couple years.  Knowing that, how they didn't put We-Ko-Pa in there is criminal.  

yeah Quintero is a second rate layout on a top tier plot of land. 

 

Everytime I leave there I feel like it's the worst possible course they could have made on that land 

[teejaywhy]

6 hours ago, SilverBullets said:

yeah Quintero is a second rate layout on a top tier plot of land. 

 

Everytime I leave there I feel like it's the worst possible course they could have made on that land 

Haha, didn't Doak give it a Zero?

 

[AZ_JHWK]

Greenskeeper.org says that Quintero is closed until Nov 1 for greens and bunker renovations. Quintero's website has no mention of it but also there are zero tee times available. 

[puttnforthe8]

On 6/2/2025 at 6:41 PM, AZ_JHWK said:

Greenskeeper.org says that Quintero is closed until Nov 1 for greens and bunker renovations. Quintero's website has no mention of it but also there are zero tee times available. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKjHkeGOmbJ/?igsh=MXFtMm5zNm05a2p4cg%3D%3D

[Bonneville85308]

Union Hills this morning. Much better than I expected, it's in pretty good condition for a lower end course in June.  Not many burnt spots at all in the fairways, they were cut short, not completely saturated, and the ball was rolling decent. Green approaches played firm and the ball would roll up onto the greens if missed short.  Greens were in good condition, average speed, but firmer than average. A few unlevel tees but it appears some are under renovation. Rough kinda sparse and low. I was in a fairway bunker that appears to have gotten new sand recently. Seems like ownership is continuing to make small improvements here and there. Great deal for ~$30.