Carefree Cave Creek golf: the Boulders, Dove Valley, Rancho Mañana and the private clubs

Carefree Cave Creek golf for visitors comes down to four courses: Boulders South through the resort, Dove Valley Ranch, Rancho Mañana and Tatum Ranch, with Legend Trail just south. Boulders North, Desert Forest, Terravita and Mirabel are private. The area sits 36 to 47 minutes north of Old Town Scottsdale, with quieter tee sheets and cowboy-town dinners.

This guide covers each course, the private clubs, where to stay and when to go. Few of these courses publish rates, so where no fee was found we say so. Drive times are free-flow from Old Town (Scottsdale Rd at Indian School Rd).

Quick facts

• Resort round: Boulders South, 6,917 yards, 72.9/142, Jay Morrish 1985.
• Most forgiving: Dove Valley Ranch, Robert Trent Jones Jr., 1998.
• Shortest full course: Rancho Mañana, par 70, 6,004 yards.
• Private: Boulders North, Desert Forest, Terravita, Mirabel; Desert Mountain is next door.
• Watch the name: Cave Creek Golf Course is a Phoenix city muni 35 minutes from Old Town, not in Cave Creek.
• Base: the Boulders Resort, 2 minutes from the South Course.

Carefree Cave Creek golf at a glance

Men's ratings. None of these published a 2026 green-fee card in the pages read; the only figure is a directory's $280-$350 peak band for Boulders South (updated 2024, unofficial).

The Boulders: South for visitors, North for members

Boulders South is a classic Carefree resort round among the boulder piles, gentler than Troon North and shorter than its card suggests, which suits couples and mixed groups. A directory lists it at number 41 in Golf Digest's 2025/26 Arizona ranking. The greens were converted to TifEagle in 2022, and Arthur Schaupeter redid the par-4 and par-5 tees in summer 2025.

Boulders North reopened October 13, 2025 after a five-month project that restored the greens to their original size on TifEagle and relevelled every tee. It has been the members' course of The Boulders Club since 2023. The resort's golf page offers non-member and member booking links without naming the course for each, so a resort stay should be planned around the South. For stay-and-play rates, the golf desk is 480-488-9028. See the Boulders South course guide and our Boulders Golf Club guide.

Dove Valley Ranch

Dove Valley Ranch is a 1998 Robert Trent Jones Jr. course run by Thompson Golf Group, forgiving for mixed groups and mid-priced for the area (its rate card was an image the research could not read). Booking is the clearest in Carefree Cave Creek golf: the public can book up to 90 days out, loyalty cardholders 30 days, and Troon Access+ rates up to 78 hours ahead, with morning 9-hole options 7 days out. A credit card holds the time; cancel by phone (480-488-0009) at least 24 hours ahead.

The $360 Loyalty Card for 2027 also works at Power Ranch in Gilbert and Longbow in Mesa, handy for snowbirds who move around the Valley. On November 2 and 3, 2026 the club ran the front nine only after heavy rain, with the range closed, so check its course update. See the Dove Valley Ranch course guide.

Rancho Mañana and Tatum Ranch

Rancho Mañana is a short, hilly par 70 with ranch character, part of the AZ Hideaway Collection with Tubac, Sedona Golf Resort and the Hermosa Inn. Members book on EZLinks and the public through TeeItUp. Ping or Mizuno rental sets cost $60 a round. It is a change of pace or a second round for couples staying in Cave Creek rather than a destination. See the Rancho Mañana course guide.

Tatum Ranch is a Robert Cupp course run by Arcis Golf as a membership club that also sells public tee times online. It is a neighbourhood round, worth a look for snowbirds based in north Phoenix.

Legend Trail is a Rees Jones desert course about 10 minutes from Troon North and cheaper. Its $349 Loyalty Card (on sale from October 1, 2026) gives up to 50% off green fees and every 10th round free; details and other cards are in Phoenix golf passes.

Cave Creek Golf Course, despite the name, is a City of Phoenix 18 in north Phoenix: $60 weekday and $65 weekend walking before 1 pm on the sheet running to December 25, 2026. It is covered in Phoenix golf courses.

The private clubs around Carefree

• Desert Forest: Robert "Red" Lawrence, 1962, the original of desert golf; members by sponsored invitation and their guests.
• Terravita: a member-owned community club near Carefree Highway and Scottsdale Rd (Billy Casper and Greg Nash); members and accompanied guests.
• Mirabel: a 2001 Tom Fazio course; invitation-only members and accompanied guests.
• Boulders North: members' course since 2023, as above.
• Desert Mountain: seven courses just east in Scottsdale; members and accompanied guests, with membership tied to owning property there.

None of these name a hotel or rental route for visitors. More in private golf clubs in Scottsdale.

Where to stay and eat

The Boulders Resort & Spa, a Curio Collection by Hilton, is 2 minutes from the South Course and 4 from the North. It is secluded, with golf out the door; no room rates were captured, and like every Scottsdale-area resort it peaks from January to April. For more choice and nightlife, base in north Scottsdale: the Four Seasons at Troon North is the closest luxury option. Compare them in Scottsdale golf resorts.

After golf, Harold's Cave Creek Corral on Cave Creek Rd is the old Western bar-and-restaurant stop, and Black Mountain Coffee on Ho Rd in Carefree is the local breakfast stop before an early tee time. The Cave Creek Museum on Skyline Dr is a small rainy-day option (hours not checked). More dinner ideas are in where to eat in Scottsdale.

A Carefree Cave Creek golf week

For a week based at the Boulders or in Cave Creek, a sensible order is:

• Arrival day: Rancho Mañana, short and relaxed after the flight; PHX is 34 minutes from north Scottsdale and farther to Carefree.
• Day two: Boulders South, the resort round, booked through the non-member site.
• Day three: Dove Valley Ranch, booked up to 90 days ahead.
• Day four: Legend Trail, or a splurge at Troon North Monument about 10 minutes beyond it.
• Day five: Tatum Ranch or a second Boulders South round.

That keeps every drive short and puts one marquee course in the middle of the week.

When to play

The Carefree and Cave Creek courses sit in the outlying desert, which runs colder at dawn than Sky Harbor's January normal low of 46.0F, so winter first tee times can wait on frost and midday times are the comfortable ones. No 2026 overseed dates were published by these courses; most Valley courses closed for two to three weeks between late September and early November, so call before an October visit. November and March to April are the best months, and the area stays quieter than north Scottsdale during Phoenix Open week (February 8-14, 2027).

For the bigger courses just south, see north Scottsdale golf, or the full list in Scottsdale golf courses.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see Carefree Cave Creek golf next to Troon North and the private clubs, with tees and drive times for each. The $30 plan can build a quiet Boulders-based trip, or a winter rotation on the three-course Loyalty Card.