Phoenix summer golf: heat, dawn tee times and the year's lowest green fees

Phoenix summer golf runs from June to September at the lowest green fees of the year, with one condition: you tee off at first light. Highs average 104F to 107F from June to August, July dawns are about 85F, and the monsoon adds humidity and storms from July, so the round is over by late morning. Resorts and premium daily-fee courses cut their rates by half or more.

This guide covers the heat, how to play in it, the summer rates we saw, which courses closed or aerated in summer 2026, and where Phoenix summer golf offers the most value. Rates were seen in 2026 and change.

Quick facts

• Heat: about 111 days a year over 100F at Sky Harbor; June 104.2F, July 106.5F, August 105.1F, September 100.4F.
• Monsoon: roughly July to mid-September; humidity, dust storms and thunderstorms.
• Sunrise: about 5:17am in mid-June; Arizona does not use daylight saving.
• Big drop: We-Ko-Pa $109 in summer 2027 against $329 in peak.
• City courses: summer rates June 1 to September 6, 2026, from $15 for nine holes.
• Watch for: summer projects and aeration closures, and overseed from mid-September.

Summer heat by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals at Phoenix Sky Harbor; sunrise and sunset computed for 2027 at Old Town Scottsdale. June is dry heat; July and August add monsoon humidity and the warmest nights. More in Scottsdale weather by month.

How to play Phoenix summer golf

• Book first light. Sunrise is a little after 5am in June and July. Aim to finish by late morning.
• Ride. Walking 18 holes in 100F+ is a bad idea for most visitors.
• Carry far more water than usual, more than you think you need.
• Watch the monsoon sky from July: dust storms and thunderstorms can build quickly.
• Twilight is the second option, not the first: it is cheap, but the afternoon heat has built all day.

Phoenix summer golf rates seen in 2026

City rates are weekday and weekend, from the City of Phoenix's June 1 to September 6, 2026 sheet, with a $16 cart. We-Ko-Pa rates exclude 9% tax. Tracker and guide figures are unofficial. See the Saguaro course guide and the Aguila course guide.

At TPC Scottsdale Stadium, GolfNewsNet reported rates dropping to roughly $303 to $319 from May, with June to September the lowest of the year (the exact figure was not captured), and a tracker put summer twilight at about $65 to $85. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes sold a Summer Steal of 10 rounds for $579, about $58 a round, from May 18 to October 11, 2026; see the Ak-Chin course guide.

Summer closures and aeration

Summer is when courses do their heavy maintenance, so a well-known name may be shut. 2026 examples:

• Troon North Monument: closed June 15 to September 12; Pinnacle closed May 26 to June 14, so only one Troon North course was open at a time.
• Grayhawk: Raptor closed July 6-26 and Talon July 27 to August 16 for aerification.
• Whirlwind: Devil's Claw closed May 26 to June 21 and August 10 to September 6; Cattail June 22 to August 9.
• We-Ko-Pa Cholla: summer aerification July 6-19 (Golf Zoo listing).
• City of Phoenix: one to three day aerations, for example Aguila July 6-7 and August 17-18, Cave Creek June 8-9 and August 3-4, Encanto June 16-17 and August 11-12, and Papago June 8-10 and August 10-12.

Check each course's record before you book; from mid-September the fall overseed closures begin. See Phoenix golf overseed.

A Phoenix summer golf morning, timed

Sunrise is about 5:17am in mid-June and 5:29am in mid-July. Lookout Mountain, at the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs in north Phoenix, prints a target pace of 4:18 on its scorecard, so a 5:30am start there would finish just before 10am, ahead of the worst of the heat. Use that as a rule of thumb anywhere: the first hour of the sheet is the one to book, and a 9am start in July puts your back nine into the hottest part of the day.

Residents and visitors

Phoenix summer golf rewards an Arizona address. We-Ko-Pa's Arizona ID rate is $74 from June 14 to August 26, 2027, against $109 for visitors, as long as every player shows Arizona ID and books 7 days or less out. At Quintero, Arizona licence holders save about $18 to $21 a round on the club's posted rates. The Phoenix Golf Card ($60 the first year for Maricopa County residents, $120 for non-residents) took Aguila's summer weekday walking rate from $33 to $28. Visitors still get the summer drop on the posted rates, which is where most of the saving is.

Summer stays and the rest of the day

Hotels are cheapest from June to September, when resorts sell summer packages. We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort's 2025 summer promotion started at $129 a night Sunday to Thursday and $159 Friday and Saturday; 2026-27 prices were not captured. RV resorts drop too: Robert's Sunrise RV Resort listed May to September 2026 at $884 a month standard. Off the course, Salt River Tubing ran from April 25 to the end of September in 2026, with tube rental and shuttle at $28; afternoons are for pools and air conditioning.

Who Phoenix summer golf suits

• Value hunters who want TPC, Troon North or We-Ko-Pa at a fraction of the winter price.
• Arizona residents, who get extra discounts such as We-Ko-Pa's $74 Arizona ID rate.
• Early risers. If your group cannot be on the first tee by about 6am, consider May or late September instead.

For the cheapest rounds all year, see cheap golf in Scottsdale; for city course details, Phoenix municipal golf; and for discount programs, Phoenix golf passes. Season-by-season fees are in Scottsdale golf rates, and the full calendar is in the best time to golf in Scottsdale. The other desert towns follow the same pattern: see Palm Springs summer golf, Tucson summer golf and Yuma summer golf.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see summer rates and closure dates on every course card. The $30 plan books dawn tee times around each course's summer closures, so a June or July trip only goes to courses that are open.