The Links Golf Club at Queen Creek carries with it numerous challenges that pose many concerns throughout the round. Five lakes and two wandering streams add to the views of the San Tan and Superstition Mountains. The water, mounding and grass bunkers all contribute to the accuracy that this course demands.   Considered some of the best smooth-rolling greens in the Valley of the Sun, this course assures the golfer accurate reads.   

This club has two outstanding 18-hole golf courses. The Palm Course has water hazards that come into play on 10 holes. Hole No. 9, a 408-yard, par 4, has a double fairway approach to the green, while holes No. 7 and No. 9 are almost completely surrounded by water. The Pine Course has more trees and, as a result, tighter fairways. Hole No. 15, a 470-yard, par 4, has a peninsula green with water surrounding the two sides and front of the green. There are ponds that come into play on five holes. All tees are rated for both men and ladies.

This club has two outstanding 18-hole golf courses. The Palm Course has water hazards that come into play on 10 holes. Hole No. 9, a 408-yard, par 4, has a double fairway approach to the green, while holes No. 7 and No. 9 are almost completely surrounded by water. The Pine Course has more trees and, as a result, tighter fairways. Hole No. 15, a 470-yard, par 4, has a peninsula green with water surrounding the two sides and front of the green. There are ponds that come into play on five holes. All tees are rated for both men and ladies.  

Oakcreek Country Club designed by the famous father and son team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones Jr. can truly be described as a work of art. The par 72, 18-hole championship golf course is nestled among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona with views beyond compare and the golf course design a masterpiece.The golf course is a traditional layout similar to those that you may find in the midwestern United States. In the usual Trent Jones manner, the fairways are classic tree lined doglegs with fairway bunkers strategically placed in the landing areas, and the greens are all slightly elevated and surrounded with large swirling greenside bunkers. The course is "player friendly", allowing plently of room for error but always with an opportunity to recover and get errant shots back into play.

Ocotillo is one of the most popular courses in the state despite its numerous water hazards. The lakes come into play on 24 of the 27 holes. Two and three-tiered greens make your club selections critical as do 112 sand traps. This facility was chosen by the PGA Tour for the Tour Qualifying regional competition that attests to the quality of the courses.  

The 18-hole golf course at Orange Tree was designed in 1957 by Johnny Bulla. This tree-lined course offers 6,762 lush yards of tranquil beauty and strategic challenges. Mature vegetation, expansive fairways, and mountain vistas are graced by water on six of the holes, offering an excellent test of golf for players of all skill levels. The course par is 72, with a slope rating of 122 and a course rating of 71.3.  

Palm Valley Golf Club offers the Valley's most complete golf experience. Palm Valley features an Arthur Hills-designed, par-72 championship course, a Hale Irwin-designed, par-62 mid-length course, a lighted practice range and a nine-hole lighted short course. The Arthur Hills Championship Course is one of the most popular golf courses in the Valley. The excellent layout provides a stiff challenge for accomplished players, yet it is flexible enough for novices to enjoy.

Phantom Horse Golf Club, nestled close to South Mountain Park, has its share of snakes and is the perfect opportunity for golfers to test their game against a traditional links layout mixed with desert target golf. The course usually wins, however with the scenery and dramatic landscapes, scoring usually becomes less important. When you reach the back nine and see nothing but Sonoran desert with only a few strips and patches of green fairway here and there, the hope for any decent score disappears with your confidence  

Outstanding any time of the year, summer golf at The Phoenician Golf Resort is hot, and not only in temperature. Weaving around at the foot of Camelback Mountain, the 27 holes offered here create a challenging, well manicured, and beautifully landscaped layout only minutes away from Sky Harbor Airport. Those willing to brave the sun will find all the uncrowded golf they can handle.       

  The course is a Links course, blanketing twelve acres. Since the course covers so much area, each hole stands alone. The extreme color contrasts on the course sparkle in originality. The light brown from the course surroundings, make the fairways reflects the most brilliant green you ever set spikes on. The course has the feel of a desert course, but at the same time echoes something very different. Golfers will encounter no cactus like the target courses of Phoenix, but more rolling brush and rocky arroyos.

 Located in the foothills in north Scottsdale, Rancho Manana Golf Club is what you're seeking in a true desert course. Bent grass greens, gorgeous views and lots of jack rabbits and quail will make Rancho Manana a special experience for you. The facility is considered by many to be the most scenic course in the entire state (many holes feature panoramic views of both the Black and Superstition Mountains), but don't get carried away with the views because playing here demands accurate shots.

 Located in the foothills in north Scottsdale, Rancho Manana Golf Club is what you're seeking in a true desert course. Bent grass greens, gorgeous views and lots of jack rabbits and quail will make Rancho Manana a special experience for you. The facility is considered by many to be the most scenic course in the entire state; (Many holes feature panoramic views of both the Black and Superstition Mountains), but don't get carried away with the views because playing here demands accurate shots.

Nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, Sanctuary's eco-sensitive layout takes full advantage of the land's natural topography and vegetation. Meandering through desert washes, arroyos and through thick stands of desert brush, Sanctuary is a challenging layout designed by golf course architect Randy Heckenkemper. Sanctuary's par-71, 6,600-yard layout is the state's first Audubon International Institute Signature Status golf course, and only the 17th golf course in the world to receive this coveted status. The courses convenient north Scottsdale location is close to world-class resorts and hotels, which makes it a favorite course for Valley visitors and locals alike.  

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 Sedona Golf Resort features an assortment of striking holes with incredible scenic mountain and desert backdrops. The course features beautifully manicured greens and lush fairways located right in the middle of a lovely fast-growing residential community with spectacular views of the Red Rock mountains. Take the short trip out here from Phoenix and play this one!

Built in 2000, Silverado is located in the heart of Scottsdale. Each hole takes has its own personality and will require you to play each differently. Some holes reward aggressive play, while other holes require patience and a delicate touch. If you can handle all of these personalities, your round should be a lot of fun. Silverado provides golfers with a skillful test of accuracy with its narrow fairways, strategically placed bunkers, water hazards, and deceptively sloped greens. Then, throw in undulating terrain, elevated tee boxes and breathtaking views of Camelback and Mummy Mountains and its obvious why Silverado has rapidly earned praise from both high and low handicappers and from men and women. Hitting from elevated tees, players can see much of the layout of each hole, including numerous white sand bunkers, lakes, natural hazards and mountain views.  

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Somewhere between these two extremes lies the golf course that is Starr Pass. For one, the course is typically in impeccable shape. But in the summertime, a shaggy blend of bentgrass and poanna have a tough time competing with the smooth rolling bentgrass greens of the other resort courses. The layout may be perceived as being "tricked up", as there are a number of blind approach shots, oddly shaped greens, uneven stances, and abbreviated fairways that often take the driver out of the hands of the long hitter.  

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A time-honored tradition since 1953, Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club has recently been revitalized, in appearance and in spirit. Arnold Palmer is synonymous with great golf, and he boasts his personal touch on 27 holes. All three nines, the East Course, the North Course, and the South Course, are designed to challenge the skills and abilities of average or low-handicap golfers. Abundant foliage, mature tree-lined fairways and glimmering water enhance the golf experience. Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club's highly playable course and experienced staff help make any tournament or outing a success, regardless of the size of your group.     

 STARFIRE @ SCOTTSDALE CC

This links-style course features a rock-filled desert wash which wanders through most of the course and comes into play at almost every hole. Water hazards come into play on five holes, the fairways are very hilly offering challenging lies and the greens are fast and smooth. This club annually hosts the LPGA Mitsubishi Pro Am and is a favorite venue for numerous local tournaments as well.  

SunRidge Canyon Golf Club is ranked #42 by GOLF magazine in the list of the "Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S." This is also the host site for the 1997 USGA State Team Championship as well as the 1996 and 1997 LPGA Mitsubishi Motors Invitational Pro-Am. SunRidge Canyon was created by wind, water, rock and time, following Nature's own course. Like Nature, much about SunRidge is straight -forward. The fairway and green-side bunkers are in strategic positions where they force you to consider both the risk and the rewards of executing your next shot.  

PGA Tour Qualifying Site for two years, Superstition Springs Golf Club has been chosen by the PGA Tour as the regional qualifying site. Experience for yourself the course that challenges the future stars of professional golf. Eighteen holes of spectacular championship golf awaits you featuring expansive bunkers, unique mounding, multiple tee placements and dazzling water holes. Come see why Superstition Springs is recognized as one of the Southwest's great golf experiences.  

In their Arizona debut, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw chose 350 acres of open farmland east of Scottsdale for the location of Talking Stick Golf Club. The extraordinary 36-hole facility built by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community gets its name from the ancient instrument used to mark significant historic events. The two uniquely divergent golf courses assure a host of memorable golf experiences from links-style adventure through the grasslands and ingenious bunkering on the North course to a traditional style of play on the tree-lined fairways of the South course. Both courses blend with their tranquil desert surroundings to provide a serene yet challenging day of play.

Since the day it opened in 1990, Troon North Golf Club has become recognized as the Sonoran Desert’s most acclaimed golf destination. The Monument, designed by the team of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, and the Pinnacle, a Weiskopf signature course, are set amid the grandeur of the desert and gracefully wrap around the northern slopes of landmark Pinnacle Peak. Ranked as one of the “Top 100” golf courses in the world and consistently ranked “Number One” in Arizona, Troon North’s dramatic terrain creates a striking setting for the 36-hole complex by which all other facilities are judged.  

This desert course was built atop the natural landscape. The fairways afford generous landing areas, and the traditional greens are fast and well bunkered. Hole #8, a 389-yard, par 4, features a lake, which is the only water hazard on the course. The most difficult hole is #5, a 431-yard, par 4, requiring a tee shot over a desert waste area while simultaneously avoiding the desert island on the right. The approach shot has a backdrop featuring the scenic Catalina Mountains. "Golf Digest" nominated this as the 14th "Best in State" course for 1997-98. If you wish to use the driving range, you must play a round of golf.

WE KO PA The name, chosen by the tribe, means Four Peaks Mountain, inspired by the surrounding mountains, including the Four Peaks, McDowell Mountains, Red Mountain and the Superstitions. The desert terrain is contrasted by the Verde River, which flows north to south through the reservation. Thirty miles east of Fort McDowell, the Four Peaks rise from the desert floor to an elevation of more than 7,000 feet. Scottsdale-based Miller, a protégé of Jack Nicklaus for more than a decade, has created a “playable” target-styled golf course. Some golfers think the words playable and target translate into an oxymoron, but, the challenging 7,225 yards from the back tees transition smoothly into larger target landing areas from all tees. your next shot.  

Whirlwind Golf Club is a truly unique Southwest golf experience. The course, clubhouse and teaching center are sensitively designed to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Gila River Indian Community. Named for the prominent design feature of the hand-woven basketry of the Authum tribe, this 18-hole course is the work of Gary Panks, whose design captures the untamed spirit of the whirlwinds that dust across the desert river valley. Whirlwind promises a dynamic golf experience marked by spectacular landscaping and water features that artfully blend saguaro, palo verde, mesquite and cottonwood trees with native grasses and rolling terrain to create a challenging, fair and memorable game.

The Gold Course, measuring nearly 7,200 yards, was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and is currently ranked as the top resort course on the Golf Digest list of Arizona's Best Courses. It offers nearly twice the acreage as most desert courses built today and features elevated greens, narrow landing areas, elongated tees and strategically placed bunkers and water hazards. The Blue Course, another Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design is an excellent example of a resort course. It plays as a fair test of golf from all of the tee placements. Scoring well requires primarily accuracy in your shot placements and alot of thinking. The emphasis on this course is strategy, not strength. The Red Course, at 6861 yards, is the Wigwam's newest and most modern design. It was created by local golf legend Robert "Red" Lawrence. This course presents visiting players an open, airy layout that is dotted with numerous lakes, rock filled creeks, and gigantic greens, with four finishing holes known to offer an exceptional challenge.

PALMER- A desert-style course of championship length (7,170 yards), with generous fairways and large (average size 7,000 square feet), bent-grass greens, the Palmer Course features from four to six tee boxes on every hole, challenging all levels of golfing skill. The 415-yard par 4 6th is Palmer's signature hole, with the beautiful Camelback Mountain as the backdrop.

FALDO-FALDO-The par 71 layout sits on a 174-acre site, and offers a slight variation from typical Sonoran Desert-theme courses. It features generous fairways, large bent grass greens and tee boxes. The surrounding mountains and century-old saguaro cacti as well as 106 sand bunkers, reminiscent of the Australian sand belt courses, provide a spectacular setting for the golf course and golfing guests.