Cheap golf in Scottsdale: the lowest green fees, twilight, summer and value courses

Cheap golf in Scottsdale means going one of four ways: the city-owned courses in Phoenix, value daily-fee courses in Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert, twilight tee times, or the big-name courses in summer. Close to Old Town, Talking Stick O'odham showed a $26.99 hot deal in August 2026, and the city's Encanto 18 is $61 walking on a November weekday.

This guide lists the lowest green fees seen in the files, course by course, and how to find them in each season. Prices were seen in 2026, are mostly dynamic and change by date.

Quick facts

• Cheapest full 18 near Old Town seen: Talking Stick O'odham, $26.99 with cart (GolfNow, August 20, 2026).
• Cheapest winter muni: Encanto, $61 weekday walking for the public (November 2 to December 25, 2026); $47 with the Golf Card.
• Cheapest season: June to September, with dawn tee times.
• Twilight: city courses from 1pm October to December.
• Best pass for a central base: Talking Stick Card, $129 plus tax.
• Hidden costs: carts at city courses, water fees, tax and resort fees.

The lowest green fees seen near Scottsdale

Most of these are summer or early-fall hot deals, so expect more from January to April. Drive times are free-flow from Old Town Scottsdale.

City courses: the cheapest winter golf

The City of Phoenix publishes its rates, which makes its courses the most predictable cheap golf in peak season. Walking rates for the public from the post-overseed sheets:

These run to December 25, 2026; the December 26 to February 1 sheet was not yet published. Carts are $18 for 18 holes and tax is extra. The Phoenix Golf Card is $60 the first year for Maricopa County residents or $120 for non-residents. Encanto is 22 minutes from Old Town and an old park course; Cave Creek is a solid north Phoenix 18 with 71.8/124 from the Blue tees. See the Encanto course guide, Phoenix municipal golf courses and Phoenix golf passes.

Value courses close to Old Town

• Talking Stick O'odham: Coore-Crenshaw's wide, firm, walkable links-style course, 15 minutes away. Dynamic pricing; the $129 Talking Stick Card adds card rates for you and a guest.
• Papago: the best municipal course in the Valley at 7,333 yards (74.7/129), 9 minutes from Old Town, from $109. Not the cheapest, but a lot of course for the money. See the Papago course guide.
• Arizona Biltmore Links and Estates: central Phoenix, from $65.99 and $89 on GolfPass.
• Ken McDonald: Tempe's flat, tree-lined muni, one of the cheapest full-length 18s near ASU. Tempe resident rates exist.

More in Tempe golf courses.

The East Valley's cheapest rounds

Drive 20 to 35 minutes and fees drop. San Marcos is a 1928 parkland course in downtown Chandler, walkable to dinner, at $25 to $49 on fall hot deals; see the San Marcos course guide. Dobson Ranch is Mesa's flat city muni at $28.99. Kokopelli and Western Skies in Gilbert both dipped to around $20 off-peak. Painted Mountain is the short, friendly par-70 snowbirds use as a home course.

Twilight golf in Scottsdale

Twilight is the way into better courses for less:

• City courses: after 1pm from October to December, about $15 less than the morning rate.
• Grayhawk: on the November 10, 2026 sheet, Raptor was $343 early, $280 at 1:42pm and $266 at 1:51pm, plus a 5% water fee.
• Troon North: summer twilight about $65-$75 on both courses (unofficial tracker).
• TPC Scottsdale Stadium: summer twilight about $65-$85 (approximate).

In December, sunset is about 5:20pm, so a 1pm start is the latest realistic 18.

Summer: the big names at their lowest

June to September brings the cheapest rates of the year, with highs of 104-107F from June to August and tee times from first light.

Troon North and TPC figures are third-party estimates from 2026. Some courses close for summer projects: Troon North Monument was closed June 15 to September 12, 2026. See Phoenix summer golf.

Shoulder season: November and early December

November is one of the best golf months and priced below January to April. We-Ko-Pa is $239 from October 23 to January 7 against $329 from January 8, and Troon North runs roughly 20-30% below peak in October-November per a tracker. Watch for cart-path-only weeks after overseed.

Cheap golf in Scottsdale for groups and short rounds

• City courses: the posted rates on the October-December 2026 sheets are valid for groups of up to 12 players.
• Card guest benefits: the Arcis card includes a monthly guest pass for three, Legend Trail's Loyalty Card lets up to three guests play at $10 over the card rate, and the Dove Valley Loyalty Card fixes rates for the whole foursome.
• Replays: We-Ko-Pa's 36-hole package is $448 before January 8 against $239 for a single round; Grayhawk sells 36 holes on Raptor for $654.
• Short courses: Scottsdale Country Club's 12-hole Snake, the Mountain Shadows par-3 (green fee not listed) and Grass Clippings' lit executive 18 in Tempe make quicker rounds for a group evening; fees were not all published, so ask.

The extra fees that make cheap golf less cheap

• Carts: city green fees are walking; carts are $18 for 18 holes.
• Water resource fees: Grayhawk adds 5%, Gold Canyon Golf Resort 5.5%.
• Tax: We-Ko-Pa's rates exclude 9% tax.
• Surcharges: Legend Trail adds $5 to paid green fees.
• Rooms: a resort or destination fee of about $17 to $90 a night (October 2026) can wipe out a golf saving; see cheap hotels for Scottsdale golf.

For a full budget, see Scottsdale golf trip cost, Scottsdale golf rates and Scottsdale tee times. For other desert towns, see cheap golf in Palm Springs and cheap golf in Tucson.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale and Phoenix golf map to see every value course with fees seen and drive times from your hotel. The $30 plan builds a trip or a whole winter stay around the cheapest rounds that fit your dates.