At We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, the same round costs $309 from February 9 to April 26, 2026 and $109 from June 15 to August 27, 2026, and an Arizona resident pays $74 for it in summer (checked September 2026). That swing, repeated at nearly every course in the Valley, is the most useful thing to know about Phoenix golf courses, and the thing most golf guides never mention. The Valley has close to 200 courses, from city-run munis where a summer round costs less than lunch to desert showpieces that charge resort prices in March. The course you choose matters less than when you play it. This guide lays out the rate calendar with real numbers, flags the fall overseeding closures that catch October visitors out, and sorts the courses into honest tiers: which bucket-list rounds justify their peak prices, and which are better value in another month.
Short answer: Play the Valley’s showpiece courses, TPC Scottsdale, We-Ko-Pa and Troon North, from late October to early January, when conditions are fresh after overseeding and rates sit below the February-to-April peak, or in summer at a fraction of the price with a dawn tee time. For value, the City of Phoenix’s courses charge $60 to $74 for a winter weekend round and $29 to $38 in summer (checked September 2026). Avoid late September to late October, when the big courses close in turn for overseeding.
Prices, hours and rules in this guide were last checked on September 24, 2026.
| Phoenix golf at a glance | Details (checked Sep 2026) |
|---|---|
| Peak season | January to April: the highest rates, firmest demand, best weather |
| Value seasons | Late October to December after overseeding; May; summer (June to August) at the lowest rates |
| Overseeding closures | Late September to late October, course by course: We-Ko-Pa’s Cholla Oct 3–20 and Saguaro Oct 10–27; Troon North’s Pinnacle Sept 20–Oct 8 and Monument Oct 4–24, 2026 |
| Bucket-list rate example | We-Ko-Pa: $309 (February to April) vs. $109 (June 15 to August 27), plus 9% tax |
| Municipal rate example | Aguila (City of Phoenix): $74 winter weekend vs. $38 summer weekend, walking |
| WM Phoenix Open | February 8 to 14, 2027, at TPC Scottsdale |
| Summer rule | Tee off at dawn; normal highs of 104 to 106.5°F from June to August |
| Where to base | North Scottsdale for TPC, Grayhawk, Troon North and We-Ko-Pa; central Phoenix for the city courses and the Biltmore |
Phoenix golf courses and the rate calendar
Golf in the Valley is priced like a resort, because most visiting golfers come in the same few months. From January to April, when the weather is perfect and snowbirds, spring training fans and golf trips all overlap, courses charge their highest rates and still fill. From May, prices begin to slide, and from June to August the heat drives rates to their lowest of the year. In late September and October, the big courses close in stages for overseeding, then reopen in late October with fresh grass and rates below the new year’s peak. That’s the calendar every golf trip here should be built around.
We-Ko-Pa, one of the Valley’s two most celebrated public facilities, publishes its full calendar, and it’s a good model of the swing (checked September 2026):
| We-Ko-Pa period (checked Sep 2026) | Resort rate | Arizona ID rate |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 9 – Apr 26, 2026 | $309 | $219 |
| Apr 27 – May 17, 2026 | $229 | $169 |
| May 18 – June 14, 2026 | $159 | $129 |
| June 15 – Aug 27, 2026 | $109 | $74 |
| Aug 28 – Oct 11, 2026 | $159 | $129 |
| Oct 23, 2026 – Jan 7, 2027 | $239 | $179 |
Rates exclude 9.0% sales tax, and Arizona resident rates require a valid Arizona ID and booking seven days in advance, according to We-Ko-Pa’s rates page (checked September 2026). Two rounds at the peak rate cost a visitor $618 before tax; the same two rounds in July cost $218. That’s the whole argument for summer golf in one sum.
The City of Phoenix’s own courses swing the same way at a much lower level. For the 2026 season, a public walking round before 2 p.m. at Aguila Golf Course cost $69 on weekdays and $74 on weekends from late December through May, and $33 and $38 from June 1 to September 6; Cave Creek and Encanto went from $60 and $65 to $29 and $34, according to the city’s published rate sheets (checked September 2026). A cart adds $16 for 18 holes in every season.
| City of Phoenix course, public walking, before early afternoon (checked Sep 2026) | Winter and spring 2026, weekday / weekend | Summer 2026, weekday / weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Aguila Golf Course (18) | $69 / $74 | $33 / $38 |
| Cave Creek Golf Course (18) | $60 / $65 | $29 / $34 |
| Encanto Golf Course (18) | $60 / $65 | $29 / $34 |
| Encanto short 9 and Palo Verde (9) | $26 / $27 | $17 / $19 |
| Aguila 9-hole course | $18 | $15 |
| Cart, 18 holes | $16 | $16 |
At TPC Scottsdale, the public rates are dynamically priced and not published, but the club’s 2026 TPC Pass shows the same shape. For pass holders’ guests, according to the 2026 TPC Pass rate sheet, the maximum rate on the Champions Course was $109 from January 1 to April 5, 2026, and $49 from June 1 to August 26; on the Stadium Course, pass play wasn’t offered at all from January through early May, the course’s public peak, and guest rates ran from $159 in May to $89 in summer (checked September 2026). The Stadium Course’s public rates in peak season sit well above those numbers.
Fall overseeding: the closures to plan around
Most Valley courses are grassed with Bermuda grass, which thrives in the heat but goes dormant and brown in winter. Each fall, courses scalp the Bermuda and seed ryegrass over it, then close for two or three weeks while the new grass takes. The result is the green, firm winter turf that makes the Valley’s peak season so good, but the closures catch October visitors out every year.
In 2026, We-Ko-Pa’s Cholla Course closes from October 3 to 20 and its Saguaro Course from October 10 to 27; at Troon North, the Pinnacle Course closes September 20 to October 8 and the Monument Course October 4 to 24, with all of Troon North’s facilities closed October 4 to 8 (checked September 2026). TPC Scottsdale’s pass calendar has no rates listed for the Stadium Course from September 28 to October 18, or for the Champions Course from September 14 to 30, which probably marks its overseeding closure; check with the club before booking. The City of Phoenix hadn’t published its fall 2026 dates, so check its golf pages before you book; in 2025 its courses reopened at post-overseed rates on October 20 (Aguila), October 27 (Cave Creek) and November 3 (Encanto).
The payoff comes right after. From late October through December, courses are at their best, crowds are thinner than in the new year and rates sit below peak: We-Ko-Pa charges $239 from October 23, 2026 to January 7, 2027, against $309 from February (checked September 2026), and in 2025 the city’s post-overseed rates were a few dollars below its winter prices. If you can travel in November or early December, it’s the Valley’s best golf value in good weather.
The courses, tier by tier
With close to 200 courses, the Valley’s choice is overwhelming, so here’s an honest sort. Drive times are off-peak from Old Town Scottsdale and downtown Phoenix (checked September 2026).
| Course (off-peak, checked Sep 2026) | Tier | From Old Town Scottsdale | From downtown Phoenix | Peak worth it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPC Scottsdale Stadium | Bucket list | 20 min | 33 min | Once, for fans of the Open |
| TPC Scottsdale Champions | Strong value | 20 min | 33 min | Yes, at its lower rate |
| We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro, Cholla) | Bucket list | 29 min | 41 min | Yes, but better value in fall |
| Troon North (Monument, Pinnacle) | Bucket list | 36 min | 48 min | Yes, for desert scenery |
| Grayhawk (Talon, Raptor) | Premium | 23 min | 37 min | In fall and summer |
| Arizona Biltmore (Estates, Links) | Resort classic | 15 min | 17 min | If you’re staying there |
| Wildfire at JW Desert Ridge | Resort classic | 28 min | 31 min | If you’re staying there |
| Boulders | Resort classic | 39 min | 47 min | For the scenery |
| Talking Stick | Strong value | 16 min | 34 min | Yes |
| Raven Golf Club | Strong value | 23 min | 18 min | Yes |
| Arizona Grand | Resort course | 21 min | 19 min | Near the airport |
| Papago Golf Course | Municipal favorite | 9 min | 15 min | Yes |
| Aguila, Cave Creek, Encanto (city) | Municipal | 21–35 min | 7–20 min | Yes, the Valley’s best value |
| The Wigwam | Resort classic | 42 min | 28 min | For a West Valley stay |
The bucket-list courses
TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. The home of the WM Phoenix Open, 20 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale, with the famous 16th hole, the tournament’s coliseum, which the Open calls “the loudest hole in golf.” Playing it is a pilgrimage for anyone who watches the tournament; the hole is quiet the rest of the year, but you’ll still want the photo. Its public rates are dynamically priced and at their highest from January through April. Our verdict: play it once if the Open matters to you, and play it in summer or late fall if the price matters more. TPC’s partner-course program offers 20% off public posted rates with a 90-day booking window, which is worth checking if you belong to a TPC network club (checked September 2026).
TPC Scottsdale Champions Course. The Stadium Course’s neighbor is the value play at the same address: its 2026 pass-guest maximum was $109 in peak season and $49 in summer, with afternoon rates as low as $35 (checked September 2026). You get the TPC facility without the Stadium premium.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club. Two courses, Saguaro and Cholla, on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation east of Fountain Hills, 29 minutes from Old Town and 41 from downtown Phoenix, with open desert and mountain views and no homes along the fairways. It’s the Valley’s most complete public golf experience, and its published calendar makes it easy to plan: $309 in peak season, $239 after overseeding, $109 in summer, with Arizona residents paying less (checked September 2026). Our verdict: worth it at any price for a serious golfer, but the late-October-to-early-January window is the sweet spot. Stay-and-play packages are available at We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort.
Troon North Golf Club. Thirty-six holes, the Monument and Pinnacle courses designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, in the high desert of north Scottsdale beside the Four Seasons Resort at Troon North, 36 minutes from Old Town. It’s the classic image of desert golf: fairways threaded between boulders and saguaros. Its overseeding closures run later than most in 2026, with the Monument closed until October 24 (checked September 2026). Our verdict: the scenery justifies the peak price for a first desert-golf trip; returning golfers will find better value in the fall.
Premium and resort courses
Grayhawk Golf Club. Two courses, Talon and Raptor, in north Scottsdale, 23 minutes from Old Town. Grayhawk describes its post-overseed rates as good value until peak rates arrive in January, and its 2026 summer package offered eight rounds on either course for $399 if bought before June 9 (checked September 2026), about $50 a round.
Arizona Biltmore Golf Club. The Estates and Links courses in central Phoenix, 15 minutes from Old Town and 17 from downtown, the most convenient serious golf in the city. If you stay at the Arizona Biltmore, its $45 daily resort charge includes same-day replay at the golf club, which turns a second loop into a bonus (checked September 2026). Resort stays and their fees are covered in our guide to the best resorts in Phoenix.
Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge. Two courses at the Valley’s biggest pool resort in north Phoenix, 31 minutes from downtown. It’s a natural choice for a golf-and-pool family trip, with the resort’s lazy river for the non-golfers.
The Boulders, The Wigwam and the Arizona Grand. The Boulders in Carefree, 39 minutes from Old Town, plays among the giant granite formations the resort is named for. The Wigwam in Litchfield Park is the West Valley’s classic resort golf, 28 minutes from downtown and a good base for West Valley spring training. The Arizona Grand Golf Course, 19 minutes from both downtown and Sky Harbor, is the most convenient resort round near the airport.
Strong-value daily-fee courses
Talking Stick Golf Club, 16 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land, and Raven Golf Club in south Phoenix, 18 minutes from downtown, are the kind of courses locals play: well kept, reasonably priced and easy to reach. Raven’s course, 7,078 yards and par 72, is lined with thousands of mature pines, an unusual sight in the desert. Both are good choices for a round on arrival or departure day.
The municipal courses
The City of Phoenix runs five 18-hole and three 9-hole courses, and for value they’re unbeatable. Aguila Golf Course in Laveen is 19 minutes from downtown; Cave Creek Golf Course in north Phoenix is 20; Encanto Golf Course, in the historic park of the same name, is 7 minutes from downtown; and Papago Golf Course, city-owned and set beside the Papago Buttes, is 9 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale and 15 from downtown (checked September 2026). Rate sheets published for Aguila, Cave Creek, Encanto and the nine-hole courses show winter weekend rounds of $65 to $74 and summer weekend rounds of $34 to $38, walking; Papago sets its own rates.
Maricopa County residents can buy a Phoenix Golf Premium Card, $60 for the first year and $40 to renew, which cuts green fees further; a winter weekday round at Aguila drops from $69 to $49 with the card (checked September 2026). Visitors pay the public rate. Our verdict: the municipal courses are the Valley’s best golf value, and Papago in particular is a local favorite worth booking early in the winter.
The golf year, month by month
January. The busy season starts in earnest: winter residents are back, the golf trips arrive, and tee sheets fill. We-Ko-Pa’s post-overseed rate of $239 runs through January 7, 2027; check We-Ko-Pa’s site for its 2027 peak rates; in 2026 the $309 peak ran from February 9 to April 26 (checked September 2026). January is also the coolest month, with a normal high of 67.6°F at Sky Harbor, so a 7 a.m. tee time starts in a jacket, and on the coldest mornings a course can hold its first groups until the frost lifts.
February and March. The heart of the season: normal highs of 70.8°F in February and 78.1°F in March, green overseeded fairways and the year’s highest rates. The WM Phoenix Open takes over TPC Scottsdale from February 8 to 14, 2027, and spring training follows from February 19 to March 23, when about six in 10 Cactus League fans come from out of state. Book tee times as soon as your dates are set, and look to weekdays for the best availability.
April. Still peak at most courses, with the first warm afternoons (April’s normal high is 85.5°F). In 2026, We-Ko-Pa’s peak rate ran through April 26, and TPC’s Champions Course pass-guest rate stepped down on April 6 (checked September 2026). It’s the last month when an afternoon round is comfortable for most visitors.
May. The shoulder season. Rates fall in stages as the heat builds toward May’s normal high of 94.5°F: at We-Ko-Pa the visitor rate dropped from $229 to $159 on May 18, 2026, and TPC’s Champions Course pass-guest rate went from $99 to $79 to $69 over the month (checked September 2026). Mornings are still pleasant, so it’s a good month for value if you tee off early.
June to August. Summer: the lowest rates of the year and the hardest heat, with normal highs of 104.2°F in June, 106.5°F in July and 105.1°F in August. Tee off at sunrise, take a cart and plenty of water, and be off the course by late morning. Summer passes and packages make repeated rounds cheap.
September. A transition month, and still a hot one, with a normal high of 100.4°F. Rates start to climb, and some courses begin their fall overseeding: TPC’s Champions Course pass calendar skipped September 14 to 30 in 2026, and Troon North’s Pinnacle Course was listed as closing from September 20 (checked September 2026).
October. Overseeding month. Courses close in turn for two or three weeks while the new grass grows, so check every course’s dates before you book. Once they reopen in late October, conditions are excellent, and October’s normal high of 89.2°F makes the afternoons playable again.
November and December. The Valley’s best golf value in good weather: fresh turf, normal highs of 76.5°F in November and 66.2°F in December, and rates below the new year’s peak. Book around Thanksgiving and the holidays, when locals and visitors both play.
Desert golf 101
If you’ve never played desert golf, a few things will surprise you. The fairways are green islands in the desert, and the space between them is natural desert: rock, sand, cactus and scrub. Many courses treat that desert as a penalty area, and even when they don’t, a ball that goes into it is usually best left there. Cholla cactus, whose spiny segments detach at a touch, and other spiny plants make retrieving a ball a painful business, and the desert is home to rattlesnakes in the warm months. Don’t reach into a bush or under a rock for a ball; take a drop and move on.
The other adjustment is the target-golf layout. Desert courses often ask for forced carries over desert from the tee and approach shots to greens surrounded by hazards, so pick the tees that match your game; playing from the back tees for bragging rights is the quickest way to spend a round, and a sleeve of balls, in the desert. The air is dry and the ball flies well in the heat, while winter mornings can be surprisingly cold, so layer up for an early tee time from December to February.
You’ll share the courses with wildlife: a coyote trotting across a fairway at dawn, javelinas in the brush, quail, roadrunners and hawks overhead. Keep your distance, never feed any of them, and watch where you step in the desert areas. For most golfers, the wildlife is one of the best parts of playing here.
Practical details: dress, clubs and pace
Most of the Valley’s premium and resort courses have a dress code: collared shirts, golf shorts or slacks, and soft-spike golf shoes are the safe standard, and denim is often not allowed. The municipal courses are more relaxed, but a collared shirt is never wrong. Carts at the premium courses usually come with the green fee and often have GPS, coolers and sometimes shade; at the city courses, a cart is extra and you can walk.
Bringing your own clubs versus renting is a matter of how many rounds you’ll play. For one or two rounds, rental sets from the pro shop are the simpler option; for a golf trip, bringing your own clubs or shipping them ahead to your hotel avoids rental fees and gives you your own equipment. Either way, call the course or your hotel ahead to confirm rental availability and shipping arrangements, especially in peak season.
Pace of play is a common complaint in peak season, when tee sheets are packed. The first tee times of the morning play fastest; a mid-morning tee time on a Saturday in March can mean a five-hour round. If pace matters, book early, play weekdays, or choose a quieter course on the edge of the Valley.
Juniors, families and non-golfers
The City of Phoenix is the Valley’s best deal for young golfers. Its published junior walking rate for 18 holes at Aguila, Cave Creek or Encanto was $22 through the winter and spring of 2026 and $12 in summer, and its Junior Card costs $30 a year and brings a $5 daily golf fee for stand-by or walk-on tee times (checked September 2026). Junior rates are walking rates, and the city’s rate sheets say all players must be 18 with a valid driver’s license to rent a riding cart, so plan on your teenager walking.
For a beginner of any age, the nine-hole courses are the right place to start: Encanto’s short nine, Palo Verde and Aguila’s nine. In the winter and spring of 2026, Encanto’s nine and Palo Verde cost $26 on weekdays and $27 on weekends to walk, and Aguila’s nine $18; in summer those fell to $17, $19 and $15. Juniors paid $10 at Encanto’s nine and Palo Verde and $8 at Aguila’s nine in the main season, and $7 and $5 in summer, and a cart for nine holes is $8 at the nine-hole courses (checked September 2026). A family of four can play nine holes in summer for well under the price of one resort round, which makes it the cheapest way to find out whether the kids actually like golf before you spend real money on it.
If you’re traveling with people who don’t golf, plan the trip around a base that works for both. A resort with golf on the property or next door and a big pool, such as JW Marriott Desert Ridge with its Wildfire Golf Club or the Arizona Biltmore beside the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, lets the golfers play while everyone else swims or books a treatment. In Scottsdale, Old Town’s galleries and shops, Taliesin West and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve fill a non-golfer’s day while you play TPC or Grayhawk nearby.
Practice and lessons
Most of the Valley’s courses have driving ranges and practice greens, and a warm-up is worth the time before a round in the desert, where accuracy matters more than distance. Some resort fees include practice: Marriott’s listing for the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn says its $55 resort fee includes daily driving range and practice-area access at Camelback Golf Club (checked September 2026). At TPC Scottsdale, the 2026 TPC Pass includes complimentary practice balls an hour before a scheduled tee time. For lessons, the premium facilities and many resort courses have teaching professionals; book ahead in peak season, and consider a lesson in summer, when the ranges are quiet and prices lower.
Tee times: how to book and what to pay
Booking windows differ by course, and knowing them is how you get the times you want. At the City of Phoenix’s courses, the published rates apply to tee times booked up to 9 days in advance; Phoenix Golf card holders can book 10 to 14 days out online, with a convenience fee (checked September 2026). We-Ko-Pa’s Arizona resident rate needs seven days’ notice. TPC Scottsdale’s pass holders book three days ahead, while its partner-course program opens tee times 90 days out. Most premium courses sell tee times online well in advance for peak season, and the best morning times from January to April go early.
Several costs sit on top of the green fee. Sales tax adds 9% at We-Ko-Pa, and TPC Scottsdale’s pass rates exclude tax and a basin fee surcharge (checked September 2026). Carts are included in most resort and premium rates but cost extra at the city courses, $16 for 18 holes; you must be 18 with a valid driver’s license to rent one. Weekend rates at the city courses also apply on golf holidays like Labor Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving. Twilight rates start in the early afternoon in winter and at 3 p.m. in summer at the city courses, and at 2:30 p.m. at TPC for its afternoon pass rates; in winter, remember that a twilight round may not finish before dark.
Dynamic pricing is now the norm at the premium courses, which means the posted rate is a ceiling in quiet weeks and a starting point in busy ones. Book early for the WM Phoenix Open week, spring training weekends and Presidents’ Day, and look for lower prices midweek and in the afternoon.
Golf in the heat
Summer golf in Phoenix is the Valley’s best-kept money secret, and also a real heat exposure. From June through August the normal high at Sky Harbor is 104.2 to 106.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals), and a golf course, with its reflected sun and little shade, feels hotter. Courses respond by opening early; a first tee time at sunrise gets you most of 18 holes before the worst of the heat. The rates reward it: $109 at We-Ko-Pa, $49 as the Champions Course’s summer pass-guest maximum, $33 to $38 at the city courses (checked September 2026).
Play it safely. Take a cart, even if you normally walk; drink water on every hole and more than you think you need; wear a wide-brimmed hat and reapply sunscreen at the turn; and know the signs of heat illness, including headache, nausea, dizziness and confusion, which call for shade, cold water and help immediately. Monsoon season, from June 15 to September 30, adds afternoon lightning, and courses clear players when storms approach, so the early tee time is also your best protection against a washed-out round. Summer passes, like We-Ko-Pa’s $129 Summer We-Ko-Pass for May 18 to September 30, 2026, make repeated summer rounds even cheaper (checked September 2026).
The WM Phoenix Open
The WM Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour’s most famous party, runs February 8 to 14, 2027, at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, 20 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale (checked September 2026). Its stage is the 16th hole, a par 3 enclosed by grandstands and hospitality suites, where crowds cheer and jeer every shot. The Coors Light Birds Nest concerts run alongside the tournament; the 2027 lineup includes Jason Aldean on the Thursday and Snoop Dogg with T-Pain on Friday, February 12. The tournament also raises serious money: a record $20.1 million for local charities in 2026 and more than $246 million over its history.
The Open’s official site hadn’t posted 2027 ticket prices in September 2026, so watch it for general admission, hospitality and parking details. For visitors, the practical point is its effect on the Valley: the tournament week fills north Scottsdale hotels and tee sheets, and the courses near TPC are busier and pricier than usual. If you want to play rather than watch, the week after the Open is quieter and just as sunny; if you want to watch, book rooms early. The broader events calendar, including NBA All-Star Weekend a week later, has its own guide on this site.
Golf and spring training in one trip
The Cactus League’s 2027 season runs from Friday, February 19, to Tuesday, March 23, with 15 teams at 10 ballparks spread across the Valley (checked September 2026). It lands on the most expensive weeks of the golf year, so a golf-and-baseball trip is a peak-price trip whichever way you slice it. The way to make it work is to choose the course by the ballpark, not the other way around: a round and a game on the same day are easy when they’re 15 minutes apart and a slog when they’re an hour apart.
| Ballpark (teams) | Closest good golf, off-peak drive (checked Sep 2026) |
|---|---|
| Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale (Diamondbacks, Rockies) | Talking Stick 12 min; TPC Scottsdale 17; Grayhawk 20 |
| Scottsdale Stadium, Old Town Scottsdale (Giants) | Papago 9 min; Talking Stick 16; TPC Scottsdale 20 |
| Sloan Park, Mesa (Cubs) | Papago 14 min; Talking Stick 17; Arizona Grand 18; We-Ko-Pa 26 |
| Hohokam Stadium, Mesa (Athletics) | Papago 19 min; We-Ko-Pa 23 |
| Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe (Angels) | Arizona Grand 6 min; Raven 8; Papago 13 |
| American Family Fields, west Phoenix (Brewers) | Encanto 10 min; Aguila 21; Wigwam 22 |
| Camelback Ranch, Glendale (Dodgers, White Sox) | Wigwam 9 min; Encanto 23 |
| Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear (Guardians, Reds) | Wigwam 14 min |
| Surprise Stadium, Surprise (Rangers, Royals) | Wigwam 24 min |
| Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria (Mariners, Padres) | Wigwam 26 min; Encanto 29; TPC Scottsdale 30 |
The East Valley is where the pairing is easiest. Salt River Fields, the spring home of the Diamondbacks and Rockies, is 12 minutes from Talking Stick Golf Club and 17 from TPC Scottsdale, and Scottsdale Stadium is 9 minutes from Papago, which makes Old Town the obvious base for a Giants-and-golf week (checked September 2026). The Cubs at Sloan Park and the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium, both in Mesa, are within 26 minutes of We-Ko-Pa, and Papago is closer still. Tempe Diablo, the Angels’ park, is 6 minutes from the Arizona Grand and 8 from Raven, the shortest ballpark-to-first-tee drive in the Valley.
The West Valley is thinner on premium golf, but it has the Wigwam, 9 minutes from Camelback Ranch, 14 from Goodyear Ballpark and 24 from Surprise Stadium. If you’re following a West Valley team, a Litchfield Park or Goodyear base with a round or two at the Wigwam beats commuting across the Valley: TPC Scottsdale is 30 minutes from the Peoria Sports Complex, the closest West Valley park, and 46 to 56 minutes from Surprise and Goodyear before traffic (checked September 2026).
Two practical notes. Traffic builds around a ballpark in the hour before first pitch, so treat the free-flow times above as a floor and leave a real cushion between your last putt and the game. And March weekends are the most crowded days for both golf and baseball, so if your dates are flexible, a midweek trip usually means better tee times and easier tickets. For the parks themselves, from seating to parking, see the Cactus League’s official schedule.
Golf on arrival and departure days
Sky Harbor sits in the middle of the Valley, which is good news for golfers with a flight at either end of the trip. From Terminal 4, Papago and Encanto are 17 minutes away, the Arizona Grand and Raven 19, and the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club 20 (checked September 2026). TPC Scottsdale, Grayhawk and Troon North are 36 to 51 minutes out before traffic, which is fine for the middle of a trip and a gamble on the day you fly.
On an arrival day, collect the car first. Rental cars are at the Rental Car Center, a stop on the free PHX Sky Train, which runs around the clock (checked September 2026). A morning landing leaves time for an afternoon round at Encanto, 17 minutes from Terminal 4, where the city’s twilight rate started at 1:30 p.m. in winter and 2 p.m. from February through May in the 2026 season, at $45 on weekdays and $50 on weekends (checked September 2026). It’s the cheapest way to shake off a flight in golf season.
In summer, flip it. The city’s after-3 p.m. summer rate at Encanto was $24 on weekdays in 2026, but 3 p.m. in July is the hottest part of the day, so play nine holes toward sunset or wait for the next morning (checked September 2026).
On a departure day, play early and close to the airport. A 7 a.m. tee time at the Arizona Grand or Raven, both 19 minutes from Terminal 4, finishes by late morning, which leaves room for a mid-afternoon flight once you allow for returning the car, riding the Sky Train back to your terminal and getting through security (checked September 2026). Keep the clubs, shoes and a change of clothes in the car, since you’ll have checked out of the hotel. Don’t try it with a round in north Scottsdale and a midday flight; one slow group ahead of you and a little traffic is all it takes to miss it.
Planning a golf trip: where to stay and how to plan a week
For most golf trips, north Scottsdale is the right base: TPC Scottsdale is 20 minutes from Old Town, Grayhawk 23, We-Ko-Pa 29 and Troon North 36, and all four are closer from north Scottsdale hotels (checked September 2026). If you’re mixing golf with the city, a base in Old Town or along the Camelback corridor keeps the Biltmore, Papago and Talking Stick within 15 minutes, and Scottsdale’s restaurants, galleries and Old Town streets, covered in our guide to things to do in Scottsdale, within walking distance. For municipal golf and budget trips, central Phoenix puts Encanto 7 minutes away.
Here’s what the same four-round trip costs in different seasons, using published rates for a visitor without resident discounts (checked September 2026). In March: two rounds at We-Ko-Pa at $309 and two at Aguila at $74 on a weekend with a cart, about $798 before tax. In July: the same four rounds at $109 and $38 plus carts, about $326 before tax. In November after overseeding: We-Ko-Pa at $239 and the city’s post-overseed rates, which in 2025 were $68 for a weekend at Aguila, about $646 with carts, before tax. The course list is identical; only the calendar changed.
Stay-and-play packages bundle a hotel with golf, and they can save money in peak season, when rooms and rounds are both expensive. We-Ko-Pa offers them with We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort; several resorts with their own courses do the same. Compare the package against the sum of a hotel and the course’s published rate for your dates, because in summer the separate prices are often lower than any package.
What to skip
Skip the big courses in October until you’ve checked overseeding dates. In 2026 We-Ko-Pa and Troon North close courses in turn from September 20 to October 27, and TPC’s calendar shows its own gaps. A round booked blind in early October can land on a closed course.
Skip paying peak rates for a first round you’ll play once. If the TPC Stadium Course is a one-time bucket-list round, play it in summer or late fall; the 16th hole is the same, and the bill isn’t.
Skip midday summer tee times. The rates are tempting, but from June to August the only sensible tee time is at or near sunrise. A 1 p.m. round in July is a heat-illness risk, not a bargain.
Skip the WM Phoenix Open week for a golf trip unless you’re attending. February 8 to 14, 2027 fills north Scottsdale’s hotels and tee sheets. Come the following week.
Skip packages without doing the math. In summer, a hotel plus a published rate often beats a stay-and-play bundle.
Skip assuming resident rates. Arizona ID and Phoenix card rates, such as We-Ko-Pa’s $74 summer resident rate, require proof of residency; visitors pay the resort or public rate (checked September 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to play golf in Phoenix?
Late October to early January is the best balance: fresh overseeded turf, cool mornings and rates below the February-to-April peak. At We-Ko-Pa, the rate is $239 from October 23, 2026 to January 7, 2027, against $309 from February (checked September 2026). Summer is cheapest, but only with a sunrise tee time.
How much does it cost to play golf in Phoenix?
It depends on the course and the month. City of Phoenix courses charged $60 to $74 for a 2026 winter weekend round, walking, and $29 to $38 in summer, plus $16 for a cart. We-Ko-Pa charged $309 in peak season and $109 in summer, plus 9% tax (checked September 2026). TPC Scottsdale’s public rates are dynamic.
When do Phoenix golf courses overseed?
From late September through October, course by course. In 2026, Troon North’s Pinnacle Course closes September 20 to October 8 and its Monument Course October 4 to 24, and We-Ko-Pa’s Cholla Course closes October 3 to 20 and its Saguaro Course October 10 to 27 (checked September 2026). Check each course’s schedule before booking an October trip.
Can you play TPC Scottsdale?
Yes. Both the Stadium Course, home of the WM Phoenix Open, and the Champions Course are open to the public, with dynamically priced tee times. The Champions Course is the cheaper option: its 2026 pass-guest maximum was $109 in peak season and $49 in summer (checked September 2026). TPC’s partner-course program offers 20% off posted rates.
What are the best public golf courses in Scottsdale?
TPC Scottsdale’s two courses, Troon North’s Monument and Pinnacle, Grayhawk’s Talon and Raptor, and We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro and Cholla, just east of Fountain Hills, are the best-known public options. Talking Stick is a strong-value alternative 16 minutes from Old Town (checked September 2026). All are busiest and priciest from January to April.
Is summer golf in Phoenix worth it?
Yes, if you tee off at sunrise. Rates fall to their lowest of the year, $109 at We-Ko-Pa and $33 to $38 at the city’s courses in 2026 (checked September 2026), and the courses are quiet. Normal highs of 104 to 106.5°F from June to August make a cart, plenty of water and an early finish essential.
When is the WM Phoenix Open 2027?
February 8 to 14, 2027, at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, 20 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale (checked September 2026). The Coors Light Birds Nest concerts include Jason Aldean on the Thursday and Snoop Dogg with T-Pain on Friday, February 12. Book hotels early, because the tournament week fills north Scottsdale.
What are the cheapest golf courses in Phoenix?
The City of Phoenix’s courses. In summer 2026, a public weekday round before 3 p.m. cost $29 at Cave Creek and Encanto and $33 at Aguila, walking, and the nine-hole courses cost $17 (checked September 2026). Maricopa County residents save more with a Phoenix Golf Premium Card, $60 for the first year.
Related Phoenix Guides
- Best Resorts in Phoenix and Scottsdale: resort fees, day passes and which golf resorts earn their February rates.
- Things to Do in Scottsdale, Arizona: Old Town, Taliesin West and the preserve, for the hours off the course.
Sources and verification
This guide is built from research, not hosted rounds. Rates, closures and policies were checked on September 24, 2026 against the courses’ and the City of Phoenix’s published rates and the other sources listed below, and drive times were measured the same day with OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (free-flow times, so add more at rush hour).
- City of Phoenix: Phoenix golf courses, 2026 season rates (PDF), summer 2026 rates (PDF), 2025 post-overseed rates (PDF)
- We-Ko-Pa Golf Club: rates and packages, fall overseeding schedule, Summer We-Ko-Pass
- TPC Scottsdale: 2026 TPC Pass (PDF), partner course rates (PDF)
- Troon North Golf Club: course information; Grayhawk Golf Club: specials
- WM Phoenix Open: official site
- Cactus League: 2027 schedule
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: PHX Sky Train
- JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn: resort overview
- Arizona Biltmore: resort charge
- Visit Phoenix: golf overview
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: 1991–2020 monthly normals, Phoenix Sky Harbor
- OpenStreetMap and OSRM: routing for every drive time in this guide
Photo Credits
- We-Ko-Pa Saguaro Course: photo by Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- WM Phoenix Open, 2020: photo by Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- We-Ko-Pa Cholla Course: photo by Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Encanto Golf Course: photo by Chris English, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- TPC Scottsdale during the WM Phoenix Open (featured image): photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)