A Phoenix and Yuma golf trip: Valley rounds, then budget golf down I-8
Plan a Phoenix and Yuma golf trip: fly into PHX, play the Valley, then drive I-8 for Yuma rounds at $35-$75. Route, stops, Canadian flights and a 6-day plan.
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A Phoenix and Yuma golf trip pairs Valley rounds with Yuma's budget golf on one 189-mile I-8 drive, with no time-zone change. Fly into Phoenix, play the Valley, then drive about 3 hours west via Coyote Wash in Wellton to the Foothills and city courses, where full 18s ran $35 to $75 with a cart in October 2026.
It works especially well for Canadians, since Phoenix is Arizona's main gateway with nonstops from five Canadian cities, and for snowbirds who want a week of Valley golf before settling into a cheaper Yuma winter. This guide covers the Yuma half in detail and the route between. We don't map Phoenix-area courses, so pick your Valley rounds separately.
Quick facts
- Drive: Phoenix Sky Harbor to Yuma, 189 miles, 3 hr 14 min by Google Maps (Friday traffic); 212 min free-flow.
- Route: I-10 west, AZ-85 south through Buckeye to Gila Bend, then I-8 west.
- Same clock: Phoenix, Wellton and Yuma all keep Arizona time all year.
- First golf off I-8: Coyote Wash in Wellton, about 40 minutes east of downtown Yuma (25 from the Foothills).
- Yuma rates seen October 2026: $35-$75 for a full 18 with cart.
- Fuel in Gila Bend: few services on I-8 from there to Yuma.
The route: Phoenix to Yuma on I-8
From the airport, pick up a rental car at the PHX Rental Car Center, take I-10 west, then AZ-85 south through Buckeye to Gila Bend, where you join I-8 west. Google Maps gave 3 hours 14 minutes and 189 miles when checked on a Friday afternoon or evening with traffic, so an off-peak drive may be quicker. OSRM's free-flow estimate was 212 minutes.
The I-8 stretch from Gila Bend is mostly open desert with few services, so fill up in Gila Bend. Then the golf comes in order from east to west: Wellton first, then the Fortuna Foothills off the Foothills Blvd and Fortuna Rd exits, then the city of Yuma. Our guide to the Phoenix to Yuma drive covers buses, shuttles and road conditions.
Because Phoenix and Yuma both stay on Arizona time all year, a 2 PM tee time booked from Phoenix means 2 PM in Yuma, in any month. That is not true if you come from California, which is an hour behind from Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 14, 2027. See the Yuma time zone.
A 6-day Phoenix and Yuma golf trip
| Day | Where | Golf | Rate seen (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | Arrive, Valley round of your choice | not covered here |
| 2 | Phoenix | Valley round of your choice | not covered here |
| 3 | Drive to Yuma | Coyote Wash, Wellton, afternoon | Up to $70 with cart |
| 4 | Foothills | Las Barrancas, then Foothills Par 3 night golf | $65 + $20 |
| 5 | Foothills | Mesa del Sol | $35-$55 with cart |
| 6 | Yuma, then drive back | Desert Hills early, then 3 hours to PHX | $75 ride / $55 walk before 11 AM (Jan-Mar) |
The Yuma half of this plan costs about $265 to $285 per golfer in green fees at the rates seen, depending on Mesa del Sol's time of day. Rates change, and Mesa del Sol's winter 2026-27 table and Desert Hills' November-December 2026 table had not been posted when we checked.
Day 3: Coyote Wash on the way in
Wellton golf is the first stop off I-8. Coyote Wash is a short town-owned desert 18 (6,089 yards, men's par 70) with undulating greens and bunkers, and a stated FY 2026-27 maximum of $70 with cart. Its league shotguns take Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings, so an afternoon arrival suits it. The online engine releases times 14 days out (the town's brochure says up to 7 days by phone or GolfNow). The town's Butterfield par 3 is about 2 miles away if you arrive early. See the Coyote Wash course guide.
Days 4 and 5: the Foothills
From Wellton, the Foothills are about 25 minutes west. Las Barrancas is the hilliest layout in the area, at $65 with cart and 7-day booking; avoid Tuesday and Wednesday league mornings. Foothills Par 3, a few minutes away, runs lighted night golf Tuesday to Saturday from 6 PM. Mesa del Sol, an Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay design, steps its late-October 2026 weekday price down from $55 in the morning to $35 from 2 PM, and does not close for overseed. Our Fortuna Foothills golf guide covers the area, and the Las Barrancas course guide has tee ratings.
Day 6: Desert Hills and back to Phoenix
Desert Hills is the City of Yuma's course, host of the Yuma Open on the Ben Hogan and Nike tours from 1990 to 1993. Play early, since the drive back is about 3 hours. Its online tee sheet opens at midnight eight days ahead. Walking saves $20 in the morning. See the Desert Hills course guide.
Where to stay on the Yuma leg
Base in the Foothills for Days 3 to 5. Comfort Inn & Suites Yuma I-8 is 25 minutes from Coyote Wash, 12 from Las Barrancas and 5 from Mesa del Sol, with free breakfast; choicehotels.com showed $156 ($135 member) for Wednesday, Feb 17, 2027 and $124 for Monday, Nov 2, 2026, before tax. Best Western Plus Yuma Foothills showed $131 with breakfast on Kayak for Feb 17, 2027. Rates change. For the full list of options, see where to stay in Yuma for golf.
Getting to Phoenix: flights from Canada and the US
Phoenix Sky Harbor has nonstops from most of the US. From Canada, Google Flights showed (October 2026):
| From | Nonstop airline | Frequency | Fastest | Lowest round trip seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary | WestJet | Daily | 3 hr 10 min | CA$241 (Jan 7-14, 2027) |
| Edmonton | WestJet | 6 days a week | 3 hr 25 min | CA$248 (Jan 15-21, 2027) |
| Saskatoon | WestJet | Thu, Sun | 3 hr 25 min | CA$403 (Jan 14-21, 2027) |
| Vancouver | WestJet, Air Canada | Daily | 3 hr 2 min | CA$211 (WestJet) |
| Toronto | Air Canada, Porter | Daily | 4 hr 36 min | CA$424 (Air Canada, Jan 22-28, 2027) |
Fares are in Canadian dollars and were snapshots; they change daily. There is no nonstop from Canada to Yuma. Canadians staying 30 days or longer should read Canadian snowbirds in Yuma for the US registration rule.
The snowbird version
A Phoenix and Yuma golf trip can also be the start of a winter season: fly into Phoenix, spend a few days in the Valley, then drive to Yuma for one to three months. The Yuma end has the passes and monthly stays that make that affordable. Mesa del Sol sells a 6-month individual pass for $3,500 for 2026-27, Coyote Wash a season pass (October to April 30) for $2,500, and Foothills RV parks such as Caravan Oasis list monthly lots from $605 plus utilities. There is no Yuma-wide pass; each course sells its own.
Other ways to make a Phoenix and Yuma golf trip
- Fly PHX to Yuma. American Eagle flies daily in about an hour, but round trips were about $470 to $520 in January. Flights to Yuma compares airports.
- Bus. Greyhound and FlixBus run from downtown Phoenix to Yuma in about 3 hours for about $27 to $45 one way on sample July 2026 dates. You would still need a car in Yuma, where the courses are spread over about 35 miles.
- Shuttle. Sky Harbor lists Arizona GO! as serving Yuma, but no Yuma schedule or fare was found.
- Reverse it. Fly into San Diego or Palm Springs, play Yuma first, then drive east to Phoenix and fly home. Both are under 3 hours from Yuma, and both are an hour behind Arizona in winter.
When to go
November to April is the window. Yuma's NOAA normals give January highs of 69.8F and March highs of 80.2F, with very little rain, and the courses are on overseeded rye. Spring training is a Phoenix-area event (the Padres left Yuma after 1993), so a March trip can add Cactus League games at the Phoenix end, about 3 hours away. Skip late September to late October, when most Yuma courses close in turn for overseed. In Yuma, Midnight at the Oasis (Mar 5-7, 2027) and the MCAS Yuma Airshow (Mar 13, 2027) are the busy March weekends. For prices across the year, see Yuma golf rates by season.
Plan it on the map
Every Yuma and Wellton course and hotel in this Phoenix and Yuma golf trip is on the Yuma 3D map, with routed drive times and the rates seen in October 2026. The $30 plan builds the Yuma leg day by day around each course's booking window and league mornings, or a whole winter stay with a weekly rotation if you are staying on.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
How far is Yuma from Phoenix for a golf trip?
About 189 miles. Google Maps gave 3 hours 14 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor on a Friday with traffic, via I-10 west, AZ-85 south through Buckeye to Gila Bend, then I-8 west. The OSRM free-flow estimate was 212 minutes.
Do Phoenix and Yuma have the same time zone?
Yes. Both keep Arizona time (MST) all year with no daylight saving, so tee times never shift on the drive. California is the one that changes: from Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 14, 2027 it is an hour behind both.
Why add Yuma to a Phoenix golf trip?
Price and quieter winter golf. Yuma's full-length public 18s ran $35 to $75 with a cart in October 2026, and courses such as Mesa del Sol and Coyote Wash sell season passes for snowbirds. The drive also passes Wellton's Coyote Wash on the way in.
Is there a direct flight from Canada to Phoenix for golf?
Yes. Google Flights showed WestJet nonstops to Phoenix daily from Calgary, six days a week from Edmonton and Thursday and Sunday from Saskatoon, plus daily WestJet and Air Canada from Vancouver and Air Canada and Porter from Toronto. There is no nonstop from Canada to Yuma.
Can I fly from Phoenix to Yuma instead of driving?
Yes. American Eagle flies Phoenix to Yuma daily in about an hour, but round trips were about $470 to $520 in January when checked in October 2026. Most golfers rent a car at the PHX Rental Car Center and drive.
Where should I stop between Phoenix and Yuma?
Fuel up in Gila Bend, because the I-8 stretch to Yuma has few services. Wellton, about 40 minutes east of downtown Yuma (about 25 from the Foothills), has two town golf courses: Coyote Wash (18 holes) and Butterfield (an 18-hole par 3).
When is the best time for a Phoenix and Yuma golf trip?
November to April. Yuma averages 69.8F in January and 80.2F in March, and the courses are on fresh rye from late October. Avoid late September to late October, when most Yuma courses close in turn for overseed.
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