The Best Golf Courses in Arizona and Scottsdale
Scottsdale is the capital of American desert golf, a winter playground of saguaro lined fairways, Coore and Crenshaw minimalism and the roaring stadium 16th at the WM Phoenix Open. Our ranked eight across greater Scottsdale, with verdicts, fees and how to play them.
How we ranked them
Few places concentrate so much resort golf in one valley. Greater Scottsdale and the north Phoenix desert hold dozens of high end public and resort courses, the best of them threading between saguaro cactus, granite boulders and dry washes with the McDowell Mountains as a backdrop. This is target golf at its most photogenic, firm and fast in the dry winter air, and almost all of it is open to visitors. We weighed the quality and conditioning of the golf, the strength of the setting and its lodging, how easily a visiting group can get on, and the pedigree of the design.
Every fact here, the designers, the opening years and the indicative green fees, was checked at the time of writing in June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Fees swing dramatically with the season, very high in the peak winter and a fraction of that in the summer heat, so treat the numbers as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If your group wants any of these built into a costed itinerary, with the flights, the transfers and the right resort secured, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The 8 best golf courses in Arizona and Scottsdale
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, Saguaro Course
The best course in the area and a national treasure of desert golf, the Saguaro Course is a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design on Yavapai land east of Scottsdale, with no houses, no cart paths and nothing in view but the Sonoran Desert and the mountains. Walkable, firm and strategic, it is desert minimalism at its purest and a regular in national public course rankings. The clear number one.
TPC Scottsdale, Stadium Course
The most famous course in the state, the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish Stadium Course is the home of the WM Phoenix Open and its raucous, stadium ringed par 3 16th, the loudest hole in golf. Beyond the spectacle it is a clever, accessible tournament test that visitors can play the rest of the year, and walking the same fairways as the tour is the draw. A bucket list round.
Troon North, Monument Course
For many the definitive Scottsdale desert experience, the Monument Course winds through boulder strewn high desert beneath Pinnacle Peak, named for the granite outcrop beside its par 5 third. A Weiskopf and Morrish design of dramatic forced carries and saguaro framed greens, beautifully conditioned and fully public, it is the headline act at one of the area's great golf addresses.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, Cholla Course
The original course at We-Ko-Pa, a Scott Miller design that opened the resort and shares the same pristine, house free desert as its more celebrated sibling. Longer and more expansive than the Saguaro, with sweeping views to Four Peaks and the Superstition Mountains, it lets a group play two excellent desert courses at one quiet, walkable address well clear of the city.
Troon North, Pinnacle Course
The companion course at Troon North, a Tom Weiskopf design a touch more forgiving than the Monument but every bit as scenic, tumbling through the same granite and saguaro country below Pinnacle Peak. Playing both Troon North courses across two days is one of the best desert golf experiences in Scottsdale, and the Pinnacle holds its own as the quieter of the pair.
Grayhawk Golf Club, Raptor Course
A polished Tom Fazio design at Grayhawk, one of the most popular daily fee clubs in the valley and a regular host of college and televised events. The Raptor is the sterner of the two courses, with generous Fazio shaping, deep bunkering and immaculate conditioning, set close to the resorts and dining of north Scottsdale. A reliable, high quality round in a convenient location.
Grayhawk Golf Club, Talon Course
The original Grayhawk course, a David Graham and Gary Panks design with more dramatic desert features and forced carries than its Fazio sibling, threading washes and natural arroyos. Lively and photogenic with a strong run of holes through the desert scrub, it gives Grayhawk a genuine two course draw and pairs naturally with the Raptor for a day at one address.
The Boulders Resort, South Course
The course that helped define desert resort golf, Jay Morrish's South Course at The Boulders weaves among the giant twelve million year old granite boulders that give the resort its name, north of Scottsdale at Carefree. Mature, characterful and framed by those extraordinary rock formations, it remains one of the most distinctive and atmospheric rounds in the state and a fine base away from the city bustle.
Designers and opening years verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Almost every course here is a daily fee or resort venue open to visitors, with peak rates in the winter season. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
Where they are, and indicative costs
Greater Scottsdale spreads north and east from Phoenix, and the best golf follows the desert into the foothills. North Scottsdale holds the densest cluster, with TPC Scottsdale, Troon North and Grayhawk within a short drive of the resorts and dining around Pinnacle Peak. We-Ko-Pa sits further east on tribal land near Fountain Hills, quieter and wilder, while The Boulders anchors Carefree to the north. Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix is under an hour from most courses. Almost everything is public, so a week of high desert golf is simple to assemble from a single Scottsdale base.
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peak winter green fee | Around US$250 to US$400 plus | January to April at the premium courses, with cart |
| Shoulder and summer | Around US$60 to US$150 | Hotter months from June, early tee times advised, far lower rates |
| A week, all in | Around US$3,500 to US$6,500 per person | Resort lodging, several rounds, car or transfers, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Plan your Scottsdale golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head, secures the resort and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Arizona and Scottsdale golf questions
What is the best golf course in Scottsdale?
The Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, the Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design opened in 2006 east of Scottsdale, is our number one, a walkable, house free piece of desert minimalism that ranks among the best public courses in the United States. TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course and Troon North's Monument complete the top three. Our ranking weighs the golf, the setting and the ease of access together.
When is the best time to play golf in Scottsdale?
November to April is the prime season, with warm, dry days, firm desert turf and cool nights, peaking around the WM Phoenix Open in early February. The summer from June to September is extremely hot, often well above 40 degrees Celsius, so play is limited to early morning, though green fees drop to a fraction of the winter rate. Spring and autumn shoulders offer the best value. Always confirm conditions before you travel.
How much does a golf trip to Scottsdale cost in 2026?
Indicative 2026 peak winter green fees run from around US$250 to US$400 or more per round at the premium courses, falling to roughly US$60 to US$150 in the summer heat. A week with resort lodging, several rounds and a hire car typically lands between US$3,500 and US$6,500 per head excluding flights. Always confirm directly before booking.
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