Papago Golf Course: the Valley's best-known muni, what it costs and how to get on

Papago Golf Course is a city-owned 18 among the red buttes of Papago Park, 9 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale, and the public round most locals name first. It is long (7,333 yards from the back), honours the Phoenix Golf Card, and was seen from $109 on GolfNow in November 2026. It reopened from overseed on October 30, 2026.

This guide covers the course, what Papago Golf Course costs, how the resident card works here, and how to book a winter tee time.

Quick facts

• Type: City of Phoenix course run as a partnership facility, open to everyone.
• Length: par 72, 7,333 yards from the Black tees (74.7/129).
• Fees seen: from $109 on GolfNow; a reviewer cites $120. No official 2026-27 card captured.
• Card: Phoenix Golf Card honoured; city rewards and Junior Golf Pass not.
• Overseed 2026: closed October 13-29, reopened October 30.
• Address and phone: 5595 E Moreland St (Karsten Way), Phoenix; 602-275-8428.
• Drive: 9 minutes, 4 miles from Old Town Scottsdale.

Papago Golf Course tees and slopes

All tees are par 72. The slope tops out at 129, well below the 140-plus numbers at Troon North or Grayhawk, so Papago is long but fair. Most visiting groups will be comfortable from the White or Green.

The course

Papago opened in 1963 to a William F. Bell design. GolfPass credits later work to Jack Snyder (1977), Billy Fuller (2008), and Forrest Richardson with Phil Mickelson (2017); the scope of each project was not captured. It is a long, rolling public course among the buttes between Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale, with bermuda fairways overseeded with rye for winter.

GolfPass ranked it 23rd on its 2020 list of the Top 25 College Courses in the U.S. On Google it rates 4.3 from 835 reviews (seen November 2026). See the Papago course guide.

What Papago costs

Papago is not on the city's own rate sheets, and the prices seen sit well above the posted city rates. For comparison, Encanto's posted walking rate for November 2 to December 25, 2026 is $61 weekday and $66 weekend before 1 PM, plus $18 for a cart. Treat Papago's numbers as a starting point and check the tee sheet for your dates. More in Scottsdale golf rates.

The Phoenix Golf Card at Papago

The Phoenix Golf Card is the city's discount card, and Papago is one of two partnership courses where it works (GCU is the other).

• Maricopa County residents: $60 the first year, $40 to renew.
• Non-residents: $120 a year.
• Seniors (62+): a senior card with lower rates again.
• At Papago: the card is honoured; the city rewards program and the Junior Golf Pass are not.

The discount at Papago was not published. At the city's own courses the card saves real money: at Aguila the posted card rate is about $20 below the public walking rate, so a snowbird playing city courses weekly recovers the card fast. Whether a winter visitor counts as a county resident depends on the city's rules, which were not checked; ask the shop. Full details in Phoenix golf passes and Phoenix municipal golf courses.

Booking Papago tee times

The booking window and system were not published in the sources read. What we do know:

• Demand: Papago is among the busiest public courses in central Phoenix in season, so book winter mornings early.
• Phone: 602-275-8428.
• Online: GolfNow listed pricing for Papago.
• Peak weeks: WM Phoenix Open week (February 8-14, 2027) and spring training from February 19, 2027 push demand up across the Valley.

See Scottsdale tee times for how the other courses book.

Overseed and seasons

Expect young rye in the first weeks after reopening.

Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, so winter daylight is short and fixed: sunrise is about 7:32 and sunset 5:43 PM in January, and 6:59 AM and 5:25 PM in November. A noon tee time in midwinter leaves little margin for a slow round, so groups wanting 18 should start by late morning. Phoenix is one hour behind Alberta and Saskatchewan all year, and matches Vancouver. Phoenix Sky Harbor's normal November high is 76.5F, January 67.6F and March 78.1F, which is why January to April is peak season. See the Phoenix golf overseed guide.

Where to stay near Papago

Papago is the closest full-length public round to the Old Town hotels:

• Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale Old Town: 10 minutes.
• Scottsdale Marriott Suites Old Town: 10 minutes.
• Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town: 10 minutes.

See where to stay in Scottsdale for golf.

Other public golf near Papago

Summer and hot-deal prices are not winter prices. See the Talking Stick O'odham course guide, the Encanto course guide and cheap golf in Scottsdale.

Who Papago Golf Course suits

• Old Town groups: a full-length, 7,333-yard course 9 minutes from the bars and restaurants, at well under resort prices.
• Snowbirds on the Phoenix card: a long, well-kept round to mix with the cheaper city courses each week.
• Mixed groups: a top slope of 129 and five sets of tees down to 5,404 yards.
• Not for: anyone after desert target golf with forced carries; for that, look north to Troon North or Grayhawk.

A Papago day

Papago works as a morning round with an easy afternoon. Play early, then walk Hole in the Rock or the Desert Botanical Garden next door, both in Papago Park. For a second loop after dark, Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills, also in the park, is a fully lit executive 18 billed as Arizona's first, with rental clubs at $30 for 18. Papago and Grass Clippings are each about 10 minutes from Old Town Scottsdale, so nobody needs to drive far after dinner.

On a winter stay, Papago fits a weekly rotation as the higher-priced public round between city-course days at Encanto, Cave Creek or Aguila, where the Phoenix card walking rate was $46 to $51 this fall. See Phoenix winter golf for snowbirds.

Off the course in Papago Park

The park around the course is worth an afternoon. Hole in the Rock is a short scramble with a sunset view, beside the Phoenix Zoo. The Desert Botanical Garden is open daily 7 am to 10 pm from October 1 to December 31, 2026 (closed November 26 and December 25), with adult tickets from $32.95 on dbg.org.

Playing city golf in Tucson too? See Randolph golf course in Tucson.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see Papago Golf Course beside Old Town and every other public round within 20 minutes. For a winter stay, the $30 plan can build a weekly rotation that mixes Papago with the cheaper city courses.