The best golf courses in Scottsdale, ranked with the trade-offs

The best golf courses in Scottsdale that you can book are We-Ko-Pa Saguaro, the two Troon North courses, TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course and Grayhawk Talon, with Talking Stick O'odham the best value. All sell public tee times. Expect $230 to $550 for the big names in peak season, and far less at Talking Stick.

This list ranks ten public and resort courses within 38 minutes of Old Town on what you get for the fee, and says who should skip each one. Fees were seen in 2026 (dates given) and change by day and time. Private clubs are left out because visitors cannot book them.

Quick facts

• Number one: We-Ko-Pa Saguaro, Coore and Crenshaw, no houses, $239 to January 7, 2027.
• Hardest: Troon North Pinnacle, slope 149 from the Black tees; Monument is 148.
• Bucket-list hole: TPC Scottsdale's par-3 16th, enclosed by grandstands in Phoenix Open week.
• Best value: Talking Stick O'odham, with a $129 card for winter regulars.
• Best muni: Papago, 9 minutes from Old Town.
• Peak of the peak: WM Phoenix Open week (February 8-14, 2027) and spring training from February 19, 2027.

The best golf courses in Scottsdale at a glance

Troon North estimates are from a user-contributed tracker dated April 2026; the club's own rates are dynamic and unpublished. Grayhawk adds a 5% water fee; We-Ko-Pa's rates exclude 9% tax.

1. We-Ko-Pa Saguaro

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw built the Saguaro in 2006 on Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation land, with no houses and views of Four Peaks and Red Mountain. It is the one most visitors rank higher of We-Ko-Pa's two, at the same price. The rates are published through October 2027: $239 now, $329 for January 8 to February 8 and February 15 to April 25, and $359 in Phoenix Open week. Arizona residents can save up to $90 by booking within 7 days with every player's AZ ID.

Skip it if you want restaurants after the round: it is 31 minutes from Old Town. See the We-Ko-Pa Saguaro course guide and our We-Ko-Pa Golf Club guide.

2 and 3. Troon North Monument and Pinnacle

Both are Tom Weiskopf courses (the original with Jay Morrish) among boulders under Pinnacle Peak, with forced carries and high slopes. Monument is the famous one and the splurge round most buddies trips want once; other listings put its peak dynamic rates at $300 to $400 with cart. Pinnacle is usually about $30 cheaper on the same day with similar scenery, and many locals prefer it. Summer estimates drop to about $105 and $90.

Skip them if your group has several players who have never broken 100: from the Silver tees the courses are still 6,220-6,268 yards and slope 130-132. See the Troon North Pinnacle course guide and our Troon North Golf Club guide.

4. TPC Scottsdale Stadium

The 1986 Weiskopf-Morrish home of the WM Phoenix Open, owned by the City of Scottsdale and run by the PGA Tour. The holes people come for are the 16th, the 17th (a drivable par 4 with water left) and the 18th. It is flat and fair rather than brutal, which is why it ranks fourth on golf and first on fame. In the run-up to the Open you play past grandstand construction around 16-18.

Skip it if price matters: GolfNewsNet's 2026 numbers ran about $436 to $550 after the tournament. The TPC Scottsdale Champions next door was estimated at about $120 to $150 in May and October-November. Full detail in our TPC Scottsdale guide.

5 and 6. Grayhawk Talon and Raptor

Talon (David Graham and Gary Panks, 1994) is the tighter, more dramatic course, with canyon holes on the back nine and tiered greens; the club cites a GOLF Magazine Top 100 You Can Play listing (year not given). Raptor (Tom Fazio, 1995) is wide and fair for mixed handicaps, and hosted the PGA Tour's Frys.com Open in 2007-2009 and the NCAA Division I Championships in 2021-2023. For November 10, 2026, the tee sheet showed a 36-hole rate of $654 on Raptor against $343 for 18. See the Grayhawk Talon course guide and our Grayhawk Golf Club guide.

7. We-Ko-Pa Cholla

Scott Miller's 2001 course is the more dramatic, target-style half of We-Ko-Pa and the longest course in this list at 7,225 yards. The 36-hole package ($448 through January 7, 2027) is the best-value way to play both in a day. It was cart path only through November 24, 2026 after overseed.

8. Talking Stick O'odham

Coore and Crenshaw again, from 1998: wide, firm and walkable, 15 minutes from Old Town, with a slope of only 124 from the 7,133-yard back tees. The $129 Talking Stick Card (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027) pays off in a couple of rounds on a winter stay, but card rates apply only when booked 3 days or less out. The sister Piipaash course makes 36 holes. See the Talking Stick O'odham course guide and our Talking Stick Golf Club guide.

9. Boulders South

Jay Morrish's 1985 resort course in Carefree, among the boulder piles, is gentler than Troon North and plays shorter than its card, so it suits couples and mixed groups. A directory lists it at number 41 in Golf Digest's 2025/26 Arizona ranking. Greens are TifEagle, and the par-4 and par-5 tees were redone in summer 2025. Skip it if you are not staying at the Boulders Resort: it is 38 minutes out, and the North Course is for members.

10. Papago

The best municipal course in Phoenix, long and well kept, 9 minutes from Old Town at well under resort prices. It reopened from overseed on October 30, 2026 and is among the busiest public courses in central Phoenix in winter, so book early for mornings. Phoenix Golf Card holders get a discount.

Just missing the list

• Legend Trail: a Rees Jones desert course near Carefree priced below the marquee names; slope 139 from the back.
• Quintero: a Rees Jones course in Peoria, 73 minutes away; the club showed $162 before 8 am and $188 at 9 am, paying online, when read on November 3, 2026.
• Arizona Biltmore Estates: rebuilt and reopened in November 2023; number 25 on GolfPass's 2025 most-improved list, from $89.

Picking among the best golf courses in Scottsdale

• One round: We-Ko-Pa Saguaro, or Troon North Monument if the desert postcard matters more.
• Two rounds, one day: We-Ko-Pa's 36-hole package or Talking Stick's two courses.
• Budget: Talking Stick and Papago, then Legend Trail.
• November trip: check cart-path-only dates after overseed; We-Ko-Pa Cholla ran to November 24 and Piipaash to November 26, 2026.

For the full list of what you can book, see Scottsdale golf courses; for the lowest fees, cheap golf in Scottsdale. The clubs you cannot book are in private golf clubs in Scottsdale. Comparing desert towns? See the best golf courses in Palm Springs.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see the best golf courses in Scottsdale with tees, overseed dates and the stays closest to each. The $30 plan puts each round on a day the course is open and out of its cart-path-only period.