Six golf courses that you must play in Scottsdale

There are plenty of options for golf in and around Scottsdale. These are six you should play, and all are open to the public.

Raptor, Grayhawk Golf Club

This daily fee public club opened in 1994 with the Raptor and Talon courses each offering a differing challenge. While the Talon offers typical desert golf with natural vegetation and box canyons, the Raptor is more traditional, with wide fairways, deep greenside bunkers, run-offs and large rolling greens.

We played the latter, a Tom Fazio design which hosted a PGA Tour event in the late 2000s, testimony to its quality, challenge and conditioning. It’s pretty long off the tips at 7,151 yards and some lengthy tee shots are required to reach the fairway even from some more modest teeing areas so it pays to be realistic if you want to enjoy your round. Golf here is great fun and you take no time to immerse yourself in the glorious desert landscape and rugged mountain views. Off course is equally enjoyable thanks to a host of bars, dining options and a "rock ’n roll" range that pipes out classic rock music to get players in the mood.

There are some glorious holes here - I liked in particular the slightly uphill 10th, where the Quill Creek crosses the fairway from left to right ahead of a deep green guarded on the right by a large bunker complex. The closing hole, a par 5 is equally impressive with the same stretch of water culminating in a large greenside lake. This is not a course to miss on a visit to Scottsdale.

The Monument, Troon North Golf Club

This club set the standard for daily fee golf when it opened in 1990 and is often considered to be among the best 36 hole venues in the USA. The two courses weave through the desert landscape, tumbling up and down ancient ravines and among giant granite boulders and the characteristic cacti. It all sets the scene for unforgettable golf on pristine fairways and smooth rolling greens.

The two courses, Monument and Pinnacle, recently underwent renovation that included all new greens and bunker sand. 

We played the Monument course, blessed with the service of a forecaddie who guided us around advising on club selection and putting lines as well as taking care of bunker raking.

It doesn’t take long to appreciate the quality of the course’s layout, natural environment and challenge. As you stand on the 3rd tee you are faced with arguably the signature hole. It’s a dogleg par 5, with an enormous, tall rock standing on the line of the drive in the middle of the fairway.

The back nine is the better of the two, visually and in terms of challenge. It offers great variety too - a couple of long par 3s, a difficult uphill par 5 15th followed by a risk or reward short par 4. The par 3 16th is the selfie hole from the elevated tee with an expansive mountain background far in the distance.

The course is ringed by smart properties but their architectural style and colour palette ensures they blend in well with the natural surroundings and don't intrude on the golf.

Papago, Pagago Golf Club

Phoenix’s very own municipal course is found in a nice neighbourhood just two miles from the airport. It opened in 1963 with great views of the rugged Papago Buttes looming behind the second green, and it soon attracted the US Amateur Public Links Championship.

It might be a "muni" but don’t let the concept put you off. It was subject of a four million dollar renovation in 2022 which revamped the bunkers, levelled the tees and added a number of risk and reward elements to an already fine layout.

It’s well groomed and somewhat challenging so there is no wonder it is home to the Arizona State University men’s and women’s teams who enjoy a first class on-site coaching and practice facility as well as being able to test their skills on the course.

It’s fairly long, though the tree-lined fairways are wide and there’s little water to worry about. The greens were in great shape when I played it in November 2025.

Stadium, TPC Scottsdale

It would take some resolve not to play the Stadium Course at this iconic venue. The thrill of approaching the 16th tee imagining a raucous crowd ready to pour scorn over your poor tee shot or loudly applaud a perfect strike to the heart of the green is hard to resist.

We are talking about the stage of the WM Phoenix Open which has been played there since 1987. In recent years it has become one of the most talked about tournaments on the PGA Tour, largely due to the extravagant behaviour of the spectators.

There are two courses at the venue. The Champions Course, built on the site of the former Desert Course, was completely revamped in 2007 and many locals consider it the better of the two.

However, it’s the acclaimed Stadium Course where all visitors want to play. Completely renovated in 2014, it isn't particularly appealing on the eye and the opening stretch may appear a little so-so. That said, it is difficult. During my visit in November the over seeded rough was thick and tangly. Shots a few yards off line into the second cut could be easily lost and the greens were quick and testing.

The course has several memorable holes. On the front nine, holes 3, with a carry over an intimidating waste area, the par 3 4th playing towards the Fairmont Princess hotel, and the short par 4 6th to an elevated green were among my favourites.

The returning holes are more interesting as a whole with some great challenges and variety, with the finishing stretch offering a risk and reward short par 4, lots of water, and the iconic, much photographed par 3 16th.

Cholla, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club

In the hills just outside Scottsdale lies this club situated in a stunning desert setting which instills an immediate sense of calm. Virtually property free, the distant mountain views from the tee boxes are mesmerising.

There are two excellent courses here, the Saguaro, named after the distinctive tall cacti that dot the desert, and the Cholla, another cactus variety known for its nasty barbs that need avoiding at all costs.

The names are significant however for this is pure, unforgettable desert golf.

We played the Cholla, which although ranked slightly lower than its sister, is simply awesome.

Views apart, the holes are varied, immaculately maintained, set over undulating desert landscape and an absolute joy to play.

Fairways are wide, occasionally split by desert obstacles giving players a choice of aiming left or right. This is risk and reward golf at its finest.

Boulders South, The Boulders Resort & Spa

The landscape at this stunning resort is most remarkable and dominated by huge granite boulders that are said to be 12 million years old.

They are strewn around the ground in a most precarious looking fashion and give the entire resort a most unearthly feel.

It really does look like Flintstones territory, not least because of the subtle housing and hotel accommodation constructed in muted earthy colours to mimic the rocks and desert landscape. There are two courses here, North and South, and it’s the latter that wins today for its sheer beauty.

With quality conditioning evident at every turn it's hard not to enjoy playing the South course, no matter whether your A game has taken a day off.

From the first tee, golfers are immediately absorbed into the rocky landscape playing down the lushest of fairways that provide a stark contrast to the rocky escarpment that sits behind the green. It really is a fantastic experience, and it only gets better.

The signature hole is the fifth, a massive par 5 that starts with the tees set in in the desert. The huge, wide fairway wanders down towards the green placed just in front of the hotel’s villas dotted among the rocks at the foot of a huge, dominating boulder.

It’s the start of an impressive run of holes. The sixth tee is elevated among the boulders prompting a drive over the driveway to a fairway guarded by a lake to the right. The following hole is equally dramatic, a beautiful par three played once more from a tee up in the boulders.

There is absolutely nothing to fault here. The course is immaculate and the clubhouse and practice facilities are second to none. 

If that all sounds exciting to you, our travel partners Golfbreaks provide a number of options for golf and accommodation options in the Scottsdale area. Click here for the latest offers.