Private golf clubs in Scottsdale and the Valley: who can play

Private golf clubs in Scottsdale and the rest of greater Phoenix make up 41 of the 116 courses on our map, and 21 of those are in Scottsdale itself. Almost all are members and their guests only. The published ways in for a visitor are few: Scottsdale National's PXG Xperience, Arcis reciprocity at Ancala, Troon Country Club's Royal Troon link, and a Grand Hyatt stay for Gainey Ranch.

This guide lists the private golf clubs in Scottsdale by area, says exactly which guest routes the files show, and points to the public and resort courses you can book instead. Where a club's guest policy is not confirmed, we say so.

Quick facts

• Private on the map: 41 of 116 courses, plus 7 more off the board (Gold Canyon, San Tan Valley, Glendale, Peoria, Wickenburg, and Sunland Springs in Mesa).
• Most private clubs: north Scottsdale, Carefree and Rio Verde.
• Biggest club: Desert Mountain, with six Jack Nicklaus 18s on our map.
• Named routes in: PXG Xperience (Scottsdale National), Arcis Access (Ancala), Royal Troon reciprocity (Troon Country Club), Grand Hyatt guests (Gainey Ranch, per rebrand coverage).
• Default rule: private means you play with a member, or not at all.

North Scottsdale private golf clubs

Desert Highlands hosted the first Skins Game in 1983, and membership is limited to property owners in the community. Troon Country Club is the Weiskopf and Morrish design the Troon name grew from; it reopened for member play after a $4.6 million renovation in December 2020. Pinnacle Peak was north Scottsdale's first private club.

Scottsdale National was The Golf Club Scottsdale until Bob Parsons renamed it in 2013-14. Its Bad Little Nine is a par-3 nine known as one of the trickiest short courses around; listed yardages differ (972 or 1,051 yards).

For the public courses in the same corridor, see our north Scottsdale golf guide.

Desert Mountain: six Nicklaus courses, members only

A February 2026 feature describes the club operating seven courses; our map carries the six Nicklaus 18s. Cochise is a former host of the senior tour's Tradition, and Cochise and Outlaw were scheduled for the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

Access is members and their accompanied guests only. Full golf membership requires owning property in Desert Mountain and board approval, and the feature put the waitlist at about one to two years. A real-estate site advertised a "Discover Desert Mountain" 12-month special membership, but its terms are unconfirmed. There is no public, rental-guest or resort program.

Carefree, Rio Verde and Fountain Hills

Desert Forest is Red Lawrence's 1962 course: narrow, natural and walkable, an original of desert golf. The Boulders North reopened on October 13, 2025, after a five-month greens and tees renovation, and plays 6,959 yards from the Black tees at 73.3/138. A Troon-related profile says Rio Verde members can request reciprocal tee times through Troon's network, but the terms are unconfirmed. FireRock's course was renovated in 2025 and you do not need to live inside the gates to join, per a realtor listing.

More in our Carefree and Cave Creek golf guide and Fountain Hills golf guide.

Phoenix, Mesa and the East Valley

• Phoenix Country Club (18 min) and Moon Valley Country Club (32 min): members and accompanied guests; reciprocal play only through your own club pro, rules not verified.
• Mesa Country Club (18 min): a historic club renovated by Andy Staples; member's guest or club reciprocity.
• Seville Golf & Country Club (47 min, Gilbert): an Invited club; guests play with a member, booked through the shop.
• Cottonwood Country Club (36 min, Sun Lakes): Sun Lakes homeowners only.
• Leisure World Coyote Run (32 min): a 6,437-yard course in a gated 45+ community for residents, their guests with gate clearance, and yearly members.

Who can play is not verified at these Mesa active-adult courses: Viewpoint Championship, Viewpoint Executive, Sunland Village East, Fountain of the Sun, Desert Sands, Royal Palms and Sunland Springs. Their status comes from active Google Maps listings only. Alta Mesa was a private 1984 Dick Phelps club; GolfLink marks it closed while other directories still list it.

Status unclear, call first: Sun Lakes Country Club, Leisure World's Heron Lakes, Sunland Village, The Highlands at Brentwood pitch and putt, Scottsdale Shadows Executive and the PebbleCreek courses in Goodyear. See Mesa golf courses for the public rounds out east.

Off the board: Gold Canyon, Glendale, Peoria and Wickenburg

• Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club (50 min): two Nicklaus courses, Prospector and Lost Gold; golf members have exclusive access.
• Encanterra (56 min, San Tan Valley): members and their guests.
• The Clubs at Arrowhead King and Legend (about 43 min, Glendale): Arcis merged the two in February 2025. The Legend was a daily-fee Arnold Palmer course from 1986 and is no longer a public option.
• Blackstone (63 min, Peoria): members and guests.
• Wickenburg Ranch Big Wick (107 min): now private; Troon lists times for members and Troon card programs, and a March 2025 reviewer paid $150 in season as a Troon reciprocal guest. Golf Digest put it 22nd in Arizona for 2025/26.

How to play private golf clubs in Scottsdale

1. Get invited. At Whisper Rock, Estancia, Mirabel and Desert Mountain this is the only way.
2. PXG Xperience at Scottsdale National: three days with fitting, on-site accommodation and play on all three courses. Price not checked.
3. Arcis Access: Ancala golf members get reduced-fee reciprocal play at other Arcis and Links2Golf clubs, booked 14 to 60 days out, which makes Ancala the most open door here if you belong to another Arcis club. Seasonal memberships at Ancala are reported.
4. Royal Troon reciprocity at Troon Country Club, published by the club.
5. A resort stay: the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale's rebrand coverage says guests get the 27 holes at Gainey Ranch; rates and rules are not published, so confirm for your dates. At The Boulders, ask whether North is open to guests on your days.
6. Your own club pro, for Phoenix CC, Moon Valley and Mesa CC, though the reciprocal rules were not verified.

Public courses beside the private clubs

Rates are dynamic and change by date; the Troon North and Boulders figures are third-party. See the Monument course guide, the Saguaro course guide and the Boulders South course guide, plus our Troon North Golf Club guide and best golf courses in Scottsdale. For every course open to visitors, start with Scottsdale golf courses. Comparing desert towns? Our private golf clubs in Palm Springs guide and private golf clubs in Tucson guide cover the same question.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see every private golf club in Scottsdale marked beside the public and resort courses you can book. The $30 plan builds your days around courses you can actually play.