Ventana Canyon Club & Lodge
Arizona has long been a magnet for traveling golfers, drawn by its year-round sunshine, mountain backdrops, and rich collection of public-access golf courses – more than 200 in total, according to the National Golf Foundation.
The state’s arid desert landscapes provide a dramatic golf canvas, most notably rugged Sonoran layouts framed by natural rock formations and saguaro cacti, and backdropped by mountains. Nowhere is the depth of supply more evident than in the Phoenix–Scottsdale market, where dozens of highly rated public courses deliver ideal playing conditions and almost year-round sunshine (an average of about 300 days per year). Golfers from across the U.S. — and a growing wave of snowbirds from Canada — flock to the Valley of the Sun each winter for the combination of sunshine, scenery, and architectural excellence.
The blend of accessibility and quality has positioned Arizona as one of North America’s premier public golf destinations, even as the state has the third-highest average public playing fee (behind only Nevada and Hawaii, per NGF data) due to its higher concentration of destination, high-end and resort golf.
The following is an overview of a baker’s dozen of Arizona’s stay-and-play public golf:
The Boulders Golf Club
Set amid dramatic granite rock formations in the high Sonoran Desert, The Boulders features two Jay Morrish–designed layouts that blend seamlessly into the natural terrain. The resort’s South and North courses showcase narrow fairways, boulder-strewn vistas, and a sense of desert isolation that has made this semi-private gem a Scottsdale standout. The property’s accommodation offerings include a choice of casitas, villas and haciendas.
Boulders Golf Club
The Wigwam
West of Phoenix, The Wigwam is an Arizona classic with 54 holes from Robert Trent Jones Sr. that has drawn travelers for 60 years. The property’s Gold Course, nicknamed the “Arizona Monster,” remains one of the state’s most demanding tests. With historic charm, mature trees, and parkland style, Wigwam offers a timeless counterpoint to the region’s desert layouts, while the resort dates to the early 1900s and features 331 rooms and suites.
The Wigwam
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
Owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and just outside Scottsdale, We-Ko-Pa offers two of the best public courses in the Sonoran Desert. The Saguaro, by Coore and Crenshaw, emphasizes walkability and natural contours, while Scott Miller’s Cholla Course showcases dramatic elevation and sweeping desert views. While distinctly different from one another, they routinely rank among Arizona’s top public plays. The courses are across the street from the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort and its 246 renovated guest rooms.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
TPC Scottsdale
Home of the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale is best known for its Stadium Course, a Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish design highlighted by the amphitheater-style par-3 16th hole well known for its raucous atmosphere during tournament week. Its sister layout, the Champions Course, offers a more relaxed desert routing and year-round accessibility for public golfers. The course has a partnership with the neighboring Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a 65-acre Sonoran sanctuary that’s just steps from its fairways.
TPC Scottsdale
Troon North Golf Club
Troon North remains the standard-bearer for Scottsdale desert golf, with its Pinnacle and Monument courses winding through natural ravines, granite boulders and saguaros in the shadows of Pinnacle Peak. Designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, both layouts feature flawless conditioning and postcard views, with the Monument Course often cited among the state’s best public-access experiences. Troon North recently announced a new luxury lodging offering for 2026, a 26-unit enclave called the Scottsdale Golf Retreat that’s geared toward golf getaway groups.
Troon North Golf Club
Grayhawk Golf Club
Grayhawk’s Raptor and Talon courses define modern Scottsdale golf, as a 36-hole club that’s hosted NCAA Championships while remaining a premier daily-fee facility that hosts a range of events from weddings and banquets to corporate meetings. Tom Fazio’s Raptor delivers a tour-level challenge with wide landing areas and bold bunkering, while Talon, from Gary Panks and David Graham, plays through desert washes and features elevated greens.
Grayhawk Golf Club
Wildfire Golf Club
At the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, Wildfire offers two distinct tests: an Arnold Palmer Signature Course with generous landing areas and a Nick Faldo design inspired by Australia’s Sandbelt, complete with large greens and over 100 bunkers. The golf club is part of the luxury experience at the North Scottsdale property, as the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort also boasts one of the Phoenix area’s premier pickleball facilities, with 17 courts, along with its AquaRidge WaterPark at a resort that boasts a total of 950 guest rooms, including 81 suites.
Wildfire Golf Club
Talking Stick Golf Club
Just minutes from downtown Scottsdale, Talking Stick features two contrasting Coore & Crenshaw designs. The O’odham Course leans into desert links-style elements, with wide fairways, artful bunkering, and a minimalist aesthetic, while the Piipaash offers a more conventional parkland feel with tree-lined fairways and elevated greens that are designed for more of an aerial game. Both sit on land of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and are affiliated with the Talking Stick Resort and casino that has almost 500 rooms in its hotel tower.
Talking Stick Golf Club
Quintero Golf Club
A Rees Jones creation northwest of Phoenix, Quintero is a modern desert masterpiece celebrated for its isolation and lush, immaculate conditioning. Routed through mountain ridges and arroyos, it features a number of dramatic elevated tees and some of the most eye-catching par-3 holes in the Valley. Quintero, which frequently tops Arizona’s public rankings and earned national “Best You Can Play” honors, offers visitors the option to stay and play in one of the designer-decorated homes located on the grounds of the club.
Quintero Golf Club
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
Sprawling across 320 acres of the Ak-Chin Indian Reservation near Maricopa, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is a Fred Couples and Schmidt-Curley design managed by Troon Golf. With vast fairways, bold bunkering, and pure greens, it’s consistently ranked among Arizona’s top public courses, offering a welcoming atmosphere and 360-degree views of the Arizona desert. The course is affiliated with Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino, which has more than 500 rooms, a resort pool, blissful spa, and bustling casino floor.
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
The Westin Kierland Golf Club
Located in the heart of Scottsdale, The Westin Kierland offers 27 holes of Scott Miller–designed golf that weaves through rolling desert terrain and are framed by mountain views. Known for its commitment to exceptional service – the property was once recognized by a leading golf publication as one of America’s Most Cheerful Golf Courses – the golf is among the many amenities of the adjoining Westin Kierland Resort & Spa that has more than 700 guest rooms and has emerged as one of the region’s leading stay-and-play experiences.
The Westin Kierland Golf Club
Rancho de los Caballeros
Just over an hour northwest of Phoenix, this luxury ranch resort in Wickenburg has been providing visitors with a taste of the cowboy lifestyle for more than 75 years. Guests can enjoy horseback riding across 20,000 acres of Sonoran Desert terrain before teeing it up at Los Caballeros Golf Club, a lush, scenic layout framed by the Bradshaw Mountains. Luxury guest casitas dot the calming resort oasis, which has stop signs on property that simply say, “Whoa.”
Rancho de los Caballeros
Ventana Canyon Club & Lodge
In Tucson’s Catalina Foothills, Tom Fazio’s two Ventana Canyon layouts — Mountain and Canyon — blend desert drama and mountain views within a 600-acre luxury desert preserve. The elevated Mountain Course’s signature par-3 third plays toward a sheer cliff face, while the Canyon weaves through arroyos and saguaros. Both courses rank among Arizona’s most scenic and playable resort experiences, with exclusive access provided to guests of the lodge, a sanctuary with 50 private suites, several resort pools and a relaxing day spa.
Ventana Canyon Club & Lodge