Closed golf courses in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, and what to play instead

Closed golf courses in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa include two recent losses that still catch visitors out: Paradise Valley Golf Course in north Phoenix, closed since May 1, 2026, and Shalimar in Tempe, closed April 30, 2025. Club West, ASU Karsten, Arizona Golf Resort and several older Mesa courses are gone too. Each has an open course a few minutes away.

This guide lists what closed, according to our research files, which courses are uncertain, and what to play instead. Old directories and map apps still show some of these, so check here before you drive.

Quick facts

• Closed in 2025-26: Paradise Valley Golf Course (temporarily, from May 1, 2026) and Shalimar (April 30, 2025).
• Gone for longer: Club West (2019), ASU Karsten (2019), Arizona Golf Resort, Dreamland Villa, Riverview, Pepperwood, Stripe Show.
• Went private: The Legend at Arrowhead, February 2025.
• Status unclear, call first: Orange Tree, Villa Monterey, Ahwatukee Lakes, The Links at Queen Creek, The Score at Cottonfields.
• Not closed, just seasonal: most courses close for two to three weeks of fall overseed, usually in October.

Closed golf courses in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa

Arizona Golf Resort was a 1960 Jack Snyder course; reviews since 2023 described it as unwatered before Google Maps began listing the address as an apartment building. Stripe Show is still mapped in OpenStreetMap as Freedom Golf Course.

Paradise Valley Golf Course, north Phoenix

Paradise Valley Golf Course is a Maricopa County park course, not a City of Phoenix one, at 3505 E Union Hills Dr. The county said it would "temporarily close" from May 1, 2026, when the operating agreement expired, and no new operator had been named by November 3, 2026.

Play instead: Cave Creek Golf Course, the city 18 in north Phoenix, 6,732 yards at 71.8/124. Its October 26 to December 25, 2026 card is $60 weekday and $65 weekend walking before 1 PM, or $46 and $48 with a Phoenix Golf Card; carts are $18 for 18. Tatum Ranch in Cave Creek is an Arcis club that sells public tee times online. See the Cave Creek course guide and our Phoenix municipal golf courses guide.

Tempe: Shalimar, ASU Karsten and Pepperwood

Tempe has lost three courses. Shalimar closed on April 30, 2025, per GolfPass, and FOX 10 and Phoenix New Times reported the dried-out site after a 244-unit housing plan was withdrawn. ASU Karsten closed on May 5, 2019, and Pepperwood, a nine-hole course on W Baseline Rd, last opened in August 2004.

Play instead:

ASU's golf teams moved to Papago, the Valley's best-known muni. Ken McDonald is the City of Tempe course, run by CourseCo since July 2024 with a resident rate capped at a $2 yearly rise. Grass Clippings is fully lit for night golf. See the Papago course guide, our Papago golf course guide and Tempe golf courses.

Mesa: four courses gone

Mesa's losses are older: Riverview gave way to the Cubs' spring training complex around 2011-12, Dreamland Villa was razed for homes in 2015, Arizona Golf Resort on Power Rd is now treated as closed, and the nine-hole Stripe Show shut when its lease ended. Alta Mesa, a private 1984 Dick Phelps club, is marked closed by GolfLink but still listed elsewhere, with an active Google Maps listing seen November 3, 2026.

Play instead:

• Superstition Springs, the Arcis daily-fee 18 nearest the old Arizona Golf Resort: 7,005 yards at 73.0/130. Fees not published. See the Superstition Springs course guide.
• Dobson Ranch, Mesa's city muni near Sloan Park: 6,593 yards at 71.2/125, $28.99 with cart on GolfNow on August 12, 2026.
• Painted Mountain, a short, friendly par 70 popular with snowbirds: $44.99 on GolfNow on October 14, 2026.

More in our Mesa golf courses guide.

Ahwatukee: Club West and Ahwatukee Lakes

Club West, at 16400 S 14th Ave, closed in 2019 per GolfPass (other sources say 2018). KTAR reported on July 17, 2026, that the Community Harmony Coalition bought the 162-acre course and clubhouse for $2.1 million and is relisting it; no reopening has been reported. Ahwatukee Lakes is believed to have closed around 2013, but no source confirmed it, so treat it as status unclear.

Play instead: Foothills Golf Club and Ahwatukee Golf Club both show active Google Maps listings as public courses, though neither was confirmed with a 2026 club source; the Ahwatukee course plays 6,713 yards at 70.8/120. Whirlwind's Cattail course at Wild Horse Pass is 31 minutes from Old Town and back from overseed, with cart path only through November 6, 2026.

West Phoenix and Glendale

• The Legend at Arrowhead was a daily-fee Arnold Palmer course from 1986. In February 2025 Arcis folded it into the private Clubs at Arrowhead, so the Legend is members and guests only now.
• Maryvale: the City of Phoenix's 2026 course list no longer includes Maryvale but does include the Grand Canyon University Golf Course, which the files describe as the former Maryvale muni (not confirmed from a primary source). Phoenix Golf Cards are valid there, and its 2026 overseed ran October 13-29.
• The Score at Cottonfields in Laveen appears only as an OpenStreetMap name; status unclear, call first.

For a West Valley round with no doubt over its status, The Wigwam's Gold Course in Litchfield Park reopened from overseed on October 28, 2026, and plays 7,430 yards at 74.5/135. See our West Valley golf guide.

Status unclear: call before you go

These courses have a warning sign in the files but no confirmed closure:

Three central Scottsdale courses are on our map but carry a caution: the websites for Continental and Scottsdale Silverado did not resolve on November 3, 2026, and Coronado had no dated source. All three showed active Google Maps listings with no closure notice. Stonecreek is operating, with a review for a round on November 2, 2026, but an undated listing markets the property for sale, so check before booking far ahead.

Closed for overseed is not closed for good

Nearly every Phoenix course closes for two to three weeks each fall while bermuda fairways are overseeded with rye, then runs cart path only for a few weeks. In 2026 the City of Phoenix courses closed in staggered blocks from October 5 to November 1, and Papago was closed October 13-29. Some courses also close in summer: Troon North's Monument was shut June 15 to September 12, 2026. Our Phoenix golf overseed guide has the dates course by course, and Scottsdale golf courses lists every course open to visitors.

Comparing desert towns? See closed golf courses in Tucson and closed golf courses in Palm Springs.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see only courses that are operating, with private clubs marked. Closed golf courses in Phoenix are left off, and the $30 plan schedules each round on a day the course is open, around overseed.