Pre-Planning for a golf trip to AZ - is summer unplayable there?

[monkeyboy]

Would probably focus on We-Ko-Pa area

Maybe south around Starr Resorts

 

We'd want to play 2 rounds per day.

 

As my kids have limited funds - we'd want to go on shoulder/off season.  Currently thinking end May/early June fits the bill for affordability. 

 

Seems like temps then get crazy hot mid June thru maybe Aug? 

 

Question being...

Is it really unplayable mid day during mid June - end of summer?  Assuming we would do a morning tee time, then a replay after lunch?

 

None of us mind the hot weather, but also don't want to be stupid and have a bad time.

 

Thoughts from the locals?

[azgolfer44]

It’s fine if you take a few precautions and are in good health. Just wear sunscreen, drink LOTS of water, and try to stay in shade.  I would stay away from booze during the day. I add hydration tablets to water as well, to keep up sodium levels. I stay away from sugary sports drinks. 
 

The biggest issue is finding courses that won’t be punching greens or under maintenance. Generally takes at least 2 weeks or more to get back to healthy after on punching.  That information is or should be available soon.  

[FlashNoonan]

Personally I do most of my golfing in the summer months because the prices are usually much more in line with what I want to pay. I believe end of May, early June is when the courses start their summer maintenance with punching and sanding the greens. I never mind playing in those conditions but I know some people don't like to.  August is definitely the hottest month in the Phoenix area. However, as I've gotten older. I'll only play if the temp is lower than 105. I used to be able to be out in 110, 115 all day golfing before but not anymore. I've also noticed AM starting times in the summer months are really humid due to the courses watering overnight. Just make sure you have good sun screen, water and a Gatorade or something similar. Drink lots of water the days before, during and after. I know everyone is different but if you drink beer while it's hot out on the course, you're done for, at least for me. 

[azmx]

For like 15 years in a row I held an event with friends of mine flying in from various parts of the country and Canada the second or third week of June.  We often played 36-54/day for 5 straight days.  No big deal.  Drink water, wear sunscreen, etc.  We'd still do it but life commitments have gotten in the way over the course of time.  

[Twinsgroupie]

Like others say, hydration is the key to success.  I would also say get some of those cooling towels and a cooler of ice.  Keep the towels in the cooler of ice and bust this things out, they are a game changer.  

[kaschreiber]

Did my honeymoon down there, so for an outsider's perspective (came from the Seattle area), it was doable. Echo everything everyone said here. Figured I'd be pounding beers on the course, but turns out there is such a thing as it being too hot to drink beer- at least for me. Played 3 rounds on Gainey Ranch, one on We-ko-pa Saguaro and varying times throughout the day. Drank a ton of water, wore a lot of sunscreen, and was fine.

[Skaffa77]

I've done it...and it's not bad especially when riding in a cart.  Obviously, it's very hot and dry.  As a Midwesterner who is used to humidity and excessive sweating, you have to realize that your body is dehydrating faster and more than you likely realize.  Stay hydrated, drink water...occasional beer or cocktail won't kill you, but keep drinking water. 

[Pleasedwith3putts]

I've traditionally targeted around the 3rd week of May as that's when prices come down and before maintenance starts. It's warm by then, but very manageable, just played 18 per day and taken the earliest tee off time available. Love We-ko-pa

[Coachpete07]

No issues at all playing summer golf here. Hydration is key! I would recommend Whirlwind and The Raven Phoenix. Both are top facilities and can be played for pretty cheap during the summer months. Whirlwind has 2 courses (Devil's Claw and Cattail).

[nocarts83]

Haven't been around for the end of May, but I've always thought beginning of May is actually sneaky nice.  It needs to be a little hotter with the low humidity to make you want to get in a pool and not be cold after a round.

 

In my experience, I'd prefer that late spring window over September.  It was much more humid then and actually kind of hard to breath.

 

If you're on a budget and there during a hotter time of year, consider driving out to Apache Stronghold if you have the time.  It's pretty cheap (with maintenance budget to match), but is a fun course and a little cooler than the Valley.

[Long_Left]

I live about 6 hours from Phoenix in NM and have a number of friends who live there. We typically meet up for Memorial Day each year with a couple we're close with and it's hot but not so hot that you're only thinking about how hot it is... August/September is hot enough that you don't care about golf.

 

Everyone has given plenty of good tips for on the course... for lodging, get a place with a pool for evening swims. That time of year save the adult beverage consumption for sundown on the back patio or in the pool! 36 a day will be challenging unless your group is fairly young, fairly fit, and generally healthy.

 

2017 is the last time I played there in early September, I was 42 at the time and in respectable shape on an annual buddies trip... lots of beers while playing and I was done mentally and physically by day 3.

[Long_Left]

Also, play Papago!

[Bonneville85308]

Until COVID I used to play a lot on summer weekday afternoons around 3pm during peak heat when most courses were empty, but they weren't empty at that time this past summer so I switched to playing very early, like the first or second tee time of the day.  It was bearable playing in 110 degrees in the afternoon  if I could fly around on a cart, keep moving, bring a cooler of water bottles, and finish in less than 3 hours. It is when you run into slow groups and spend a lot of time sitting baking on a vinyl cart seat doing nothing that it becomes unbearable for me.

 

Otherwise my tips would be forget about walking, forget about drinking booze, bring lots of water bottles (assume the course will have no water jugs or fountains out due to COVID), pick a course where the tee sheet doesn't look full ahead of you. You could play very early for lower temperatures, but most courses will be very humid/soaked from overnight watering, and will play wet and long. 

[tucson5190]

Very playable until July.  Ak-Chin Southern Dunes & Papago should be very affordable at that time.and  Wekopa courses should not be missed and more reasonable at that time.  Always check for course maintenance schedule.

[jlbos83]

I play a lot in the summer, down in Tucson.  As a note, it is a little less hot in Tucson, and golf is cheaper, if that is an issue.  There is a pretty good variety of courses, from fairly high end, to a pretty good set of city owned courses.  Hydration is of course key.  Last spring when Covid fired up, and drinking water on most courses went away, I found a 4 liter thermos jug at Costco (Titan, if I remember right) that I take, with an insulated tumbler.  Ice tea is my drink of choice, on a hot day I will drink most of it.  I also get a Gatorade or two, usually on the back nine.  One, to get a few electrolytes, two, to change it up, and three to reward the beverage cart folks a bit of a reward for driving around when it is hot.

Other notes, May and June are much better than July and August.  The temperature may be similar, but the humidity is much lower.  Not that it is high in July and August, but you can really feel the difference.  I would also say that I find 100, or even a bit more in Tucson to be much nicer that 90 a more humid area.  Much nicer!

[oneunderbogey]

I am also planning a trip there late May.  Has anyone found an aeration schedule posted anywhere?

[puttnforthe8]

6 hours ago, oneunderbogey said:

I am also planning a trip there late May.  Has anyone found an aeration schedule posted anywhere?

Aeration schedules are not fully published.  There will be some aggregations done on a few sites.  You need to just look at some of those, greenskeeper, or call the course (or course site).

 

Examples:  the city courses are June

[AZ_JHWK]

This will be my 2nd summer in the Valley. Last year I played WeKoPa (both), Grayhawk (both), Southern Dunes, Whirlwind, Dinosaur Mtn., Longbow, Las Sendas, TPC Champions among others, when the price was right. I want to hit up Troon this year too. Looking for suggestions to add to that list this year. I'm on the East side but don't mind driving any direction. 

 

Also, it seemed like even courses on that level seemed a little sketchy during the transition to summer. I know they aerate the greens but even the fairways were kind of patchy in June. Thoughts?

[Kuhndogg8]

12 minutes ago, AZ_JHWK said:

This will be my 2nd summer in the Valley. Last year I played WeKoPa (both), Grayhawk (both), Southern Dunes, Whirlwind, Dinosaur Mtn., Longbow, Las Sendas, TPC Champions among others, when the price was right. I want to hit up Troon this year too. Looking for suggestions to add to that list this year. I'm on the East side but don't mind driving any direction. 

 

Also, it seemed like even courses on that level seemed a little sketchy during the transition to summer. I know they aerate the greens but even the fairways were kind of patchy in June. Thoughts?

 

June is definitely a crapshoot.  Fairway aeration is common in June at peak temps to really help solidify the bermuda.  Courses to add:  Verrado (both), Estrella, Quintero, Wickenburg Ranch, Los Caballeros, Verde River, TPC Stadium, Eagle Mountain, Camelback Ambiente, and Southern Dunes (again and again).

[AZ_JHWK]

 

21 hours ago, Kuhndogg8 said:

 

June is definitely a crapshoot.  Fairway aeration is common in June at peak temps to really help solidify the bermuda.  Courses to add:  Verrado (both), Estrella, Quintero, Wickenburg Ranch, Los Caballeros, Verde River, TPC Stadium, Eagle Mountain, Camelback Ambiente, and Southern Dunes (again and again).

Thanks for the info. Southern Dunes again for sure. WeKoPa as well.

[jlbos83]

23 hours ago, AZ_JHWK said:

This will be my 2nd summer in the Valley. Last year I played WeKoPa (both), Grayhawk (both), Southern Dunes, Whirlwind, Dinosaur Mtn., Longbow, Las Sendas, TPC Champions among others, when the price was right. I want to hit up Troon this year too. Looking for suggestions to add to that list this year. I'm on the East side but don't mind driving any direction. 

 

Also, it seemed like even courses on that level seemed a little sketchy during the transition to summer. I know they aerate the greens but even the fairways were kind of patchy in June. Thoughts?

The transition to summer is a bit iffy, and can vary a lot.  It can take time for the bermuda to come back, depending on "stuff".  The Tucson City courses have apparently started not overseeding one of the five courses every winter.  The theory is that if the course is overseeded every year, the bermuda can be weakened.  I imagine that the weather plays into that, as well as the particular varieties of grass, and the maintenance steps that are done at both ends of the season.  Obviously a place like a Augusta has a different budget for such things!  For some years one of the courses wasn't overseeded, but the flagship courses were.  Last summer the non overseeded course came back much better than the "nicer" ones.  And playing it on the dormant bermuda is not awful, though by the end of the winter it get a bit thin.  This winter one of the main courses was not overseeded, I think it is already coming back better than last year.

It's golf, it isn't always perfect, but ...

[GSDriver]

If not used to desert summer, few tips as we often vacationed there when courses generally empty and rates were very reasonable...

 

Drink water, gatorade, anything but alcohol when playing in the heat.  It's so dry you won't notice dehydrating as sweat basically evaporates.

 

Wear a brimmed hat, and lots of sunscreen, you can feel the sun cooking you.

 

Our first trip to Scottsdale in summer, the Avis lady said remember there's a wash cloth in a baggie under the seat.  I asked, what for?  She said for the steering wheel, as it gets untouchable hot...wasn't kidding.

[AZ_JHWK]

15 minutes ago, jlbos83 said:

The transition to summer is a bit iffy, and can vary a lot.  It can take time for the bermuda to come back, depending on "stuff".  The Tucson City courses have apparently started not overseeding one of the five courses every winter.  The theory is that if the course is overseeded every year, the bermuda can be weakened.  I imagine that the weather plays into that, as well as the particular varieties of grass, and the maintenance steps that are done at both ends of the season.  Obviously a place like a Augusta has a different budget for such things!  For some years one of the courses wasn't overseeded, but the flagship courses were.  Last summer the non overseeded course came back much better than the "nicer" ones.  And playing it on the dormant bermuda is not awful, though by the end of the winter it get a bit thin.  This winter one of the main courses was not overseeded, I think it is already coming back better than last year.

It's golf, it isn't always perfect, but ...

I can see if you shave the fairways year after year it would take a toll eventually. I've played on plenty of dormant Zoysia grass over the years in the Midwest. It's actually a really nice surface. My course would be "no carts in the fairway" over the winter so the carts wouldn't wear it down so much. Thanks for getting me up to speed. 

[Skydiver22]

 Fun fact... it hit 90 yesterday and we are looking at 99 degrees for Easter.   Its going to be a scorcher of a summer this year it looks like...  drink lots of water days prior, during, and at night.