Cheap Quality Golf in Phoenix

[Charlie.Dont.Surf]

From this forum I obv. have a good idea now of the really good courses that I'll play this summer when the prices plummet and its hotter than the surface of the Sun out.

 

For a local resident who plays weekends with friends who are all fairly poor and generally hit in the 90s...what are the quality cheap courses in the Valley?

 

Mainly looking for nice courses with a $ range around 30-50. $35-45 would probably be the sweet spot.

[fore_life]

If you dont mind walking, you can play all of the phoenix munis for that price range, with maybe the exception of Papago. Aguila is a very fun course and has always been in good condition. Ken McDonald in Tempe is cheap to walk, as is Dobson Ranch in Mesa, but both tracks get tons of play, so it can make for a long day.


[url="http://phoenix.gov/recreation/rec/facilities/golf/rates/rates18hole/index.html"]http://phoenix.gov/recreation/rec/facilities/golf/rates/rates18hole/index.html[/url]

[url="http://www.tempe.gov/golf/"]http://www.tempe.gov/golf/[/url]

[url="http://www.dobsonranchgolfcourse.com/Home.aspx"]http://www.dobsonranchgolfcourse.com/Home.aspx[/url]

[puttnforthe8]

You can play Poston Butte, Trilogy at Vistancia, Vistal & Foothills for very good pricing....Mission Royale & Francisco Grande in Casa Grande can be had for a good price too.

The thing they all have in common...a bit of a drive!

Also, a few courses have good twilite rates(after 1:30 or 2)...and with light lasting until after 6, you can generally get in 18.

[steverinoarizona]

Generally speaking the cheapest courses are in the west valley with the southeast valley next. Scottsdale area courses tend to be the most expensive. you can try the online services to see if you can get a cheap rate but the more players you have, the less likely you are to get a really cheap rate on the weekend. If you wait until the weekend the rates drop because they try to fill up empty slots but there may not be any available, especially if you are 3 or 4 players.

[amerza18]

golfnow is a great way to find cheap golf, plus every 5 rounds you get a free round. You normally don't get to use the free round on the weekend, but if you have a personal day or "mental health day", it's a great bonus. You do have to pay a transaction fee of $1.99 to book, but it's nominal if you need to keep your rate down.

A friend of mine uses ezlinks, where you get to name the price you want to play for a certain course. You submit the bid and if the course accepts, you get a tee time. I've never done it, but it's worth a shot.

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='Charlie.Dont.Surf' date='05 February 2010 - 10:49 PM' timestamp='1265435355' post='2231231']
From this forum I obv. have a good idea now of the really good courses that I'll play this summer when the prices plummet and its hotter than the surface of the Sun out.

For a local resident who plays weekends with friends who are all fairly poor and generally hit in the 90s...what are the quality cheap courses in the Valley?

Mainly looking for nice courses with a $ range around 30-50. $35-45 would probably be the sweet spot.
[/quote]

In which part of town do you live, Charlie?

[BenJ]

It's a short course (Par 61, I think), but I've always liked Paradise Valley Park Golf Club at the 51 and Union Hills. It's very hacker friendly, but pretty well maintained.

I have friends that love Falcon Golf Club. I haven't been there yet. It's always cheap ($32-$27 in the winter), but is out at the 303 and Camelback. Those same friends also love Great Eagle in Surprise.

[Charlie.Dont.Surf]

Tempe

[puttnforthe8]

Dobson ranch is $29 to walk. Ken Mcdonald may be close to the same.

[bucks9395]

The Legacy is one of my favorite courses and it's really close to tempe. I've played it for $19.99 in the summer and have never paid over $50 even during the Christmas Holidays.

Vistal is also a very nice course for the money. It's pretty close to The Legacy (I think they're both near Baseline). The Legacy is always in great condition...not quite the same as some of the high dollar scottdale courses, but quite nice. I would never consider Vistal a course that I played for the conditioning, but it is a nice layout with great views of downtown and South Mountain and the price is definitely right.

These are all a decent drive, but Trilogy at Vistancia, The Golf Club at Estrella, and The Raven at Verrado all have good deals. Check out their websites and use golfnow.com.

[youraway2]

By all means play the Air Force course at Luke (west side of town, off Northwestern I think). I've played it and it's very well maintained and from the tips you got all you want.

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='Charlie.Dont.Surf' date='11 February 2010 - 12:21 PM' timestamp='1265916110' post='2244128']
Tempe
[/quote]

I've been playing Dobson since I first moved to Arizona (>30 years) and would always recommend it as a decent course with better than average conditioning. The rates are good so the demand for play is very high in the winter season. As such, the pace of play suffers. Count on 5 hour weekend rounds.

Papago is another solid muni nearby, and is a good value [u]at the resident rate[/u].

Kenny Mac I like a little less than the other two, but still a good play for the price. It mainly suffers from an aesthetic standpoint, routed in and around a power station and power line corridors.

Some others in the south east valley that are a good play, generous to the high handicappers and have decent winter rates:
- Lone Tree (waay south Gilbert) - cartball housing development routing, but VERY generous playing corridors and interesting holes except for the dread island green par 3
- Bear Creek (Chandler muni) - An open, treeless core routing that can be fun to play in the wind. I want to like this course better than I do but its still a good play.
- Riverview - 9 hole, par 36 Mesa muni. Fun layout, rarely crowded, perfect after work nine... Play it now because it is planned to be plowed under for a new development.
- San Marcos, Chandler - One of the oldest courses in the Phx area, old school tree-lined layout, smallish and well bunkered greens. Most of the orginal routing is intact, but accomodations made for encroaching real estate development have led to some awkwardly cramped changes (hole 1, 9, 11 and 12). Sketchy conditioning.
- Ahwatukee Lakes - 18 hole executive course - fun and challenging holes to work on your short game.

[fore_life]

+1 on Riverview

Its a really fun 9 hole that I used to play alot a few years ago, but IMO, its a tad pricey for what it is. Has anyone played greenfield lakes?

Another cheap but fun layout is Rio Salado. They have INSANELY low rated in the summer, like $12 for all you can play with cart, and in the winter its only like $25 with cart for 18. Par 33 on weekdays, par 34 on weekends with some nice greens and some cool holes that play over a wash.

Rio Salado is on McClintock north of the 202, directly behind Big Surf. And dont forget about Rolling Hills!

[amerza18]

Any good cheap courses here on the west side of Phoenix?

[BenJ]

[quote name='amerza18' date='17 February 2010 - 06:51 AM' timestamp='1266414664' post='2257359']
Any good cheap courses here on the west side of Phoenix?
[/quote]

I'm playing Falcon Golf Course with a few friends on Thursday. $27 to ride 18. The guy I'm going with raves about it.

[Ninja]

Will be in Scottsdale next month and looking for a few mid-range courses to play. From reading a few other forums I've come up with the following list that I would like to trim down to 2 or 3 if possible. Let me know if one really stands out OR if any are real dog tracks......

[b]Ironwood
Superstition Springs
Las Colinas
Papago
Club West
Copper Canyon
Pointe GC
Arizona Grand
Longbow
Foothills
[/b]

[puttnforthe8]

[quote name='Ninja' date='17 February 2010 - 09:23 AM' timestamp='1266427431' post='2257775']
Will be in Scottsdale next month and looking for a few mid-range courses to play. From reading a few other forums I've come up with the following list that I would like to trim down to 2 or 3 if possible. Let me know if one really stands out OR if any are real dog tracks......

[b]Ironwood
Superstition Springs
Las Colinas
Papago
Club West
Copper Canyon
Pointe GC
Arizona Grand
Longbow
Foothills
[/b]
[/quote]

Ironwood is not bad, but it is a short course(retirement community course)

Las Colinas is just not worth it!

Copper Canyon is very far out.

The others are all good, but not necissarily cheap. For the price of some of those courses there are better choices.

[Ninja]

I would call them mid-range options because the other courses I'd like to play (Troon North, WeKoPa, Grayhawk, etc.) are all well out of my budget. Phoenix can be an expensive golf destinantion in March.

[amerza18]

[quote name='BenJ' date='17 February 2010 - 09:48 AM' timestamp='1266418114' post='2257461']
[quote name='amerza18' date='17 February 2010 - 06:51 AM' timestamp='1266414664' post='2257359']
Any good cheap courses here on the west side of Phoenix?
[/quote]

I'm playing Falcon Golf Course with a few friends on Thursday. $27 to ride 18. The guy I'm going with raves about it.
[/quote]
Let me know what you think. They went through a management change, I used to know the owner/general manager. Hopefully they kept up the course, last time I played it was dried out and not well maintained.

[BenJ]

[quote name='amerza18' date='18 February 2010 - 07:21 AM' timestamp='1266502874' post='2259772']
[quote name='BenJ' date='17 February 2010 - 09:48 AM' timestamp='1266418114' post='2257461']
[quote name='amerza18' date='17 February 2010 - 06:51 AM' timestamp='1266414664' post='2257359']
Any good cheap courses here on the west side of Phoenix?
[/quote]

I'm playing Falcon Golf Course with a few friends on Thursday. $27 to ride 18. The guy I'm going with raves about it.
[/quote]
Let me know what you think. They went through a management change, I used to know the owner/general manager. Hopefully they kept up the course, last time I played it was dried out and not well maintained.
[/quote]

The course looked pretty nice to me except for the greens. They were a little shaggy.

[DeNinny]

This is posted in other threads too...TPC Scottsdale Champions Course has a (non-documented) $49 walking rate. You just have to tell them you're walking when you set up the tee time. I just played 2 rounds there earlier this week and had a blast. You won't find better a quality course at this rate.

[mubob1977]

I played Dove Valley Ranch a couple of years ago. I thought it was a good track, and could be a good walk as well.

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='Ninja' date='17 February 2010 - 10:23 AM' timestamp='1266427431' post='2257775']
Will be in Scottsdale next month and looking for a few mid-range courses to play. From reading a few other forums I've come up with the following list that I would like to trim down to 2 or 3 if possible. Let me know if one really stands out OR if any are real dog tracks......
[/quote]

I would rank them as follows:
[b]
Solid plays and worth the visit:
Longbow[/b]
[b] Papago[/b][b]
Superstition Springs

OK courses:
Club West
[/b][b] Foothills

Don't bother unless your car is broken down in the parking lot, you have your clubs with you, and the tow truck is not going to show up for four hours:
[/b][b] Ironwood[/b]
[b] Las Colinas[/b][b]
Pointe GC
Arizona Grand
[/b]

I left off Copper Canyon because I haven't played it, but it is on my[i] want to play[/i] list... I've liked the other Schmidt and Curley courses I've played.

The Foothills I always liked the layout but most reports I read indicate it suffers from poor conditioning.

Ironwood is a senior length course (5200 yard par 67), It's sister course is Oakwood - also open to the public and more of a regulation length (6600 yds par 72). Just down the street is Lone Tree which I think is a better option than either of the Sun Lakes courses for similar price.

Las Colinas from my view seems to be homemade course (perhaps designed by the farmer that owned the property) The course is not awful but neither is it awe inspiring...

I'm not a fan of the last two - for me they are cramped, and awkwardly routed and mostly a waste of time.

[OlyJay]

If you Play the Falcon Club , Bring your Ear Plugs. I just played it yesterday and I thought it was a decent play for the money. The greens played well for me since I am used to a little slower and shaggy greens. But I thought I was at an Airshow more then a golf course with all the Jets taking off every 5 mins.....

If your looking to stay under 50 bucks . Look at Golf Now we played the Golf Club OF Estrella for under 50 bones and It was a great layout and the conditions where excellent.

[JohnnyF]

Most of these OLD replys are....well...old.
I'm a "cheap only" golfer and live on the West Side now-a-days.
Great Eagle/Az Traditions are good, cheap courses....in the summer. In the winter season Tres Rios is over-all winner with Sundance and Villa De Paz in 2nd-ish. At times you can walk the back nine at Great Eagle EARLY in the AM for like 3 buks. Desert Mirage is a cheap 9 hole for like 8 buks after 2PM in the winter season. They have a lighted driving range too that's open (or used to be) til 10PM and it's right by the UOP Stadium in Glendale.
In the south/west Bougainvillea has good deals sometimes and the little 3 club 9 hole at Aguila was fun...and cheap.
When I used to live on the east side we played Dreamland frequently. It's a 9 hole cheapie in mid-Mesa that was always fun and they would, sometimes, let you play a 2nd 9 for a couple buks. Skip Mesa Family Golf Center. It's a great driving range but the little 9 hole is a joke for what it cost.
In the summer it's a whole new deal. They nearly pay you to golf some courses and...you get an automatic 2 "heat strokes" on the back nine too.

Falcon is a fun course anytime and I've never needed ear plugs...............

JohnF