Arizona Golf Guide

Arizona's weather - including some of the best winters in the world - help make it one of the top golf vacation getaways in America. Golf in Arizona, which includes world-known hot spots Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson, can provide desert escapes, big city life and five-star luxury golf resorts in the same trip.

Golfers and non-golfers alike know that Scottsdale boasts hip nightclubs, unique shopping and top-rated restaurants, spurred by a recent influx of celebrity chefs at hotels like Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Scottsdale's golf features some of the top-rated golf courses in the country, including Troon North Golf Club's Monument and Pinnacle, Grayhawk and Boulders. There are also some new additions creating plenty of buzz, including Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa and the redesigned Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale.

Phoenix, home to the international Sky Harbor airport that most Scottsdale golfers fly into and only a short drive away, can give you golf in the middle of a cosmopolitan city that has a major convention center and sports teams like the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona Biltmore's Adobe Course is one of the oldest courses in the state. Raven at South Mountain features more than 5,000 pine trees in an anything-but-desert feel. And both, as well as other top Phoenix golf courses like the Nick Faldo-designed Wildfire Golf Club, let you swing within the city limits while still providing a vacation retreat feel.

Only two hours from the Phoenix-Scottsdale resort corridor, Tucson is known for providing even more natural desert golf while being home to some of the best spas - including its world-famous medical and health spas - in the world. You can take on Tom Fazio's design work at Ventana Canyon, Arnold Palmer's at Starr Pass or Jack Nicklaus' at La Paloma. Then, there's time for hikes in natural scenery or just kicking back under the stars.

Arizona Golf Destinations

  • Tucson

    With 350 days of sunshine each year, Arizona's second largest city, Tucson, is especially ideal for visitors who prefer outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, sightseeing, and, of course, golf. Rich with natural and geographical treasures, the name Tucson is derived from the Indian word for "spring at the foot of black mountain," and you'll find that spring is just southwest of downtown.

    Quarry Pines Golf Club
    The 18-hole Quarry Pines Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona is a public golf course that opened in 2000. Designed by Brian Huntley and Gilmore & Graves, Quarry Pines Golf Club measures 6318 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 130 and a 70 USGA rating.
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    Canyon at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon
    One of two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses at this Tucson resort, the Canyon Course at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon is classic desert golf, set against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert enhanced by its surroundings of saguaros, deer, roadrunners, quail and birds.
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    The Golf Club at Dove Mountain - Wild Burro/Saguaro
    When Jack Nicklaus designed the 27 holes at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, he made sure to utilize the plentiful saguaros and the rolling hills. The Wild Burro/Saguaro combination winds along the base of the Tortolita Mountain Range with a backdrop of a vast cacti forest to the west.
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  • Phoenix

    The sun always seems to shine on the world-class golf destination that is Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the United States with unlimited things to do and the weather to do them in.

    Ahwatukee Country Club
    Ahwatukee Country Club is part of the Foothills Golf Group, which also includes the adjacent Lakes at Ahwatukee, an executive golf course that is the annual host of the Arizona short course championship. The lengthier Ahwatukee Course is still gentle enough for beginners to approach with confidence.
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    Arizona Grand Golf Course
    With a convenient central location in the Valley of the Sun, the Arizona Grand Golf Course at the Arizona Grand Resort is the perfect opportunity for golfers to test their game against a traditional links layout mixed with desert target golf.
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    Faldo Course at Wildfire Golf Club
    Wildfire Golf Club boasts two championship courses, one designed by Arnold Palmer and the other by Nick Faldo. The Faldo Course is characterized by the abundance of sand but it offers an interesting variation on your typical desert course.
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  • Scottsdale

    Arguably the golf capital of the United States, it's hard to beat the weather and the number of high-quality golf courses in Scottsdale, Ariz. There are more than 200 courses cut out of the rocky terrain of the Sonoran Desert in the area.

    Camelback Golf Club - Indian Bend Course
    Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale boasts 36 holes of championship golf. The two 18-hole courses, Padre and Indian Bend, offer distinctly different layouts but they are equally challenging. The Indian Bend Course has a traditional American links design that blends seamlessly into the mountain setting. Despite the stunning cliffs in the backdrop, the golf course is mostly flat, making it enjoyable to walk.
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    Palmer Course at Wildfire Golf Club
    Tucked away in northeast Phoenix surrounded by the rugged Sonoran Desert, the two courses at Wildfire Golf Club are both scenic and challenging. The Palmer Course has a few challenges in store but the expansive fairways are open and inviting.
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    SunRidge Canyon Golf Club
    The 18-hole SunRidge Canyon Golf Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona is a public golf course that opened in 1995. Designed by Keith Foster, SunRidge Canyon Golf Club measures 6823 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 140 and a 73.
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Arizona Golf Courses By City