Played on 3/16 at 9am with MrKich. Got done in just under 4.5 hours. Greens were in very nice condition. Smooth and rolled very true. Unfortunately, they were slower than the putting green and some... Continue »

Played on 3/16 at 9am with MrKich. Got done in just under 4.5 hours. Greens were in very nice condition. Smooth and rolled very true. Unfortunately, they were slower than the putting green and some of the more exposed greens were running faster than the others. Fairways, rough, and tees were in immaculate condition. Plush lies in every fairway, nice lies in the rough even, and as you spread further out and closer to the bunkers, there was an occasional gnarly lie. Sand, and is there a lot of that, was very fair. Greenside bunkers usually had the heavier stuff while the fairway bunkers and other bunkers that blended into waste areas had thinner lies and potential rocks. It all blended very nicely. The facility and customer service were top notch. Plenty of balls and places to hit on the range, huge chipping area, and smallish putting green. The starter was amazing, giving us tips and helpful hints to remember throughout the day. Plenty of tees and divot repair tools to grab on the first tee. GPS on the carts was really helpful as the greens were very very large and pin position was important. Really fun layout that makes you think with the bunkers, large greens, and waste areas.

This was my main round yesterday. I've always wanted to play this course, but never made it out there. I had a 12:20 time and was paired with a threesome. We teed off on time and finished in just unde... Continue »

This was my main round yesterday. I've always wanted to play this course, but never made it out there. I had a 12:20 time and was paired with a threesome. We teed off on time and finished in just under 4.5 hours on a very busy afternoon.

The conditions here were excellent overall. The tee boxes were nice. The fairways were great. The ground underneath was firm, so that offered nice roll-out. However, the grass on top was always fluffy enough to provide good lies. The overseeded rough was also nice throughout, though there are quite a few burrowing animal holes that are unfortunate to see. The bunkers generally had good sand. I think they could use some reappropriation of the sand, though. In general, they seemed to be on the firm/thin side at the bottom and super soft around the edges (I had one ball plug under the lip), which is the opposite of how it should be if you ask me. The greens were super firm and pretty quick. I was playing with three PGA club pros and not even they could get balls to stop on some of these greens with wedges in hand!

This is a great course layout that is very demanding. It makes you think a lot and work hard for a decent score. I'm not sure I've ever played a course where the bunkering is so prominent. There is really only one water hazard here, so the abundant bunkers and desert waste areas shape every hole and come into play on every shot. There isn't a time when you aren't looking at the bunkers ahead and letting them affect your next swing. They are always a threat and you don't want to be in any of them! Even though it's challenging, it's a super fun and interesting layout in a completely secluded setting. Great practice facilities and friendly staff, as well.

After the main round, I played #miniDunes. This is a 6-hole par-3 course that uses the greens and bunkers on the driving range. They shut down the range in the afternoons and then open up the short course for youth clinics and anyone who wants to play. It costs $12 (plus tax) for unlimited play. I looped around twice in about 40 minutes because I was the only one out there and it was fun with "pitch and putt" holes ranging from 65-100 yards. The greens on this course do not match those of the regular course. They are slower and unfortunately, the ones closest to the normal range tees (as in the ones that people are hitting wedges into) are loaded with ball marks. The further out you get, the better they are. Still a fun side experience to enjoy while visiting Ak-Chin!

Played on 3/16 at 9 am - 4:20 POP

This course was in fantastic shape from tee to green. The practice facilities were also in fantastic shape with balls readily available on both the driving range a... Continue »

Played on 3/16 at 9 am - 4:20 POP

This course was in fantastic shape from tee to green. The practice facilities were also in fantastic shape with balls readily available on both the driving range and chipping green. The putting green was a little small though considering how popular and crowded the course is.

Tee boxes were all level, lush, with minimal divot damage.

Fairways were perfect.

Greens rolled true but were much slower than anticipated and a little inconsistent from green to green. They held shots well that were well struck.

Customer service was friendly and excellent.

Can't wait to play again.

Overview: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is located in the town of Maricopa, which is a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. The course was designed by the Schmidt-Curley design team based out of Scottsdale, and they wor... Continue »

Overview: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is located in the town of Maricopa, which is a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. The course was designed by the Schmidt-Curley design team based out of Scottsdale, and they worked with Fred Couples on the design of the course. The course was originally a private men's club, but that changed a few years ago. The course had a renovation in late 2014/early 2015 by Couples and the Schmidt-Curley design team. Many bunkers were removed in the re-design but there are still plenty of sand traps on the course.

Clubhouse and Practice Facility: Really nice clubhouse that is broken into three separate sections ... one part is for the grille, another is for the pro shop and the third section is for meeting space. There is also outdoor seating and a fire pit that overlooks the the 9th and 18th hole. The practice facility is in fantastic shape and doubles as a short part 3 layout ... called the minidunes

Course: Southern Dunes is one of the local qualifying sites for the U.S Open (being held on 5/18), and I wanted to see what the set up would be for the event. Considering that I will never play in a U.S. Open, I thought it would be nice to do almost the next best thing ... play a course in U.S. Open qualifying conditions.
May is a tough time of year in Phoenix ... you have the rye grass still in place from the winter and you have bermuda grass that is starting to grow in. In places you could see where there was a battle between what strand of grass was going to win, especially with the change in temperatures this past month. For example, it was only about 58 degrees when I teed off this morning, and that is quite cool for Phoenix this time of year. The course was in great shape on the front nine ... fairways were lush and the areas around the greens were in great shape. On the back nine though, the fairways were not as lush and there were some noticeable bare spots. All of the bunkers were hand racked and/or machine racked through the 12th hole, but the maintenance team still needed to finish the last 6 holes.
The greens were running at about a 12 and the superintendent (who I met on the course) wanted to get them up to 12.5 by tomorrow. I have never seen greens rolled before and it was pretty cool to see how they used a machine to roll the greens instead of having to hand roll them. Greens were very smooth (of course) and were in great shape.
I really enjoy the design of the course, but course knowledge is so very important at Southern Dunes. A lot of people feel that there are too many bunkers, but if you play the course a couple of times you will learn how to avoid many of them.

Final Thoughts: Southern Dunes is about about a 40 minute drive from downtown Phoenix, but I feel that it is a must play if you are in the "Valley of the Sun"

Played out here the middle of August and really enjoyed it. Two gripes. One is I should always check GK to see the course conditions, don't assume they won't be doing work just because they don't ... Continue »

Played out here the middle of August and really enjoyed it. Two gripes. One is I should always check GK to see the course conditions, don't assume they won't be doing work just because they don't normally at that time in your area. I got to the first green and they had recently been aerated. AHHHH. But I just checked GK and no notice. Well at least I only half way belong in the forum thread about reading GK reviews. Booked over the phone and no mention was made that the greens were full of holes. That would have been nice. Second gripe is all the sand traps that had been manicured were full of flies. Now my ankles are full of bites. On to the good stuff. Really fun course to play. Thanks to the aeration I was able to score well since the putts were pretty dead on. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the drive down here from Phoenix. As opposed to most of the other courses on the trip they seemed to be making improvements to the course as opposed to sitting in air conditioning. Have to appreciate that.

Played July 7th. Great Troon managed facility which was wide open today, after their recent (and ongoing) aerification. Even so, while the greens were punched/sanded, they rolled very well on the fr... Continue »

Played July 7th. Great Troon managed facility which was wide open today, after their recent (and ongoing) aerification. Even so, while the greens were punched/sanded, they rolled very well on the front (two days after maintenance) and so/so on the back (one day after maintenance, which was ongoing with sanding. I missed a couple putts on the back that hit upon sandier areas. Yet, the front was so good that they both should be fine from here on out. The bunkers, while more than ample in number, were in excellent shape for sure!

This is one of the very best courses in the Phoenix metro portfolio. Originally conceived as an exclusive private club, it fell into the public realm when economic conditions cratered. It has recent... Continue »

This is one of the very best courses in the Phoenix metro portfolio. Originally conceived as an exclusive private club, it fell into the public realm when economic conditions cratered. It has recently been been bought by the Gila River tribe and they are doing an excellent job at carrying out the original vision. The course was designed for walking and is an outstanding layout. There is no development around the course and you can generally only see the hole you are playing. There are a ton of bunkers on the course and they are the among the best in town. I played about 2 weeks ago and the course was impeccable. The greens fast (11+) and true, fairways and tee boxes excellent. Good service, good restaurant, good staff round out a top notch experience. The only thing I would like to see is the original walking trails brushed out and smoothed where erosion has roughed them up.

Played Tues 06/28 First course on my annual Scottsdale golf trip. Course is in very good shape. The greens haven't come back yet but are close. They are firm and the putts roll smooth. Tee boxes ar... Continue »

Played Tues 06/28 First course on my annual Scottsdale golf trip. Course is in very good shape. The greens haven't come back yet but are close. They are firm and the putts roll smooth. Tee boxes are great, hardly any divot damage, fairways are excellent and there is very little rough. Sand traps were a mixed bag, some very good and some were hard. I find this course to be semi difficult with all the sand traps but will be back again. Staff very friendly.

Played AK-Chin Southern Dunes Thursday with GK’er Isoceles. Always a great time teeing it up with Frank and playing one of my favorite desert courses. We played the Gold Tees with perfect weather in 8... Continue »

Played AK-Chin Southern Dunes Thursday with GK’er Isoceles. Always a great time teeing it up with Frank and playing one of my favorite desert courses. We played the Gold Tees with perfect weather in 80’s with a light breeze and at times some wind gusts. It was apparent to me from the start that this cool Spring by AZ standards allowed for quite a bit of rye grass to still be present on the course. This made conditions better than I expected with the greens rolling smooth and holding high shots. On 6/13 the course will begin aerating the greens so get out in play it soon.

Overall the conditions of the golf course were great. Fairways and rough lush although the rough was cut down to about 1 to 2 inches. The greens as stated earlier smooth, medium speed (would have preferred them faster but I like fast greens) and receptive. Bunkers, and they are everywhere, coming into play on all your shots, were the best conditioned aspect of the course being well groomed with exceptional sand quality. The gold tee boxes were lush and level.

Besides a great championship golf course, AK-Chin Southern Dunes features a fantastic practice facility and very large driving range that in the afternoon converts into a 6 hole short par 3 course called #miniDunes. We did not have time to take on #miniDunes but I have in the past and it’s enjoyable. Another great feature to the golf course is its beautiful clubhouse and The Arroyo Grille. I notice deals that give you discounts at the Arroyo Grille, these are worth taking advantage of because the food is delicious.

AK-Chin Southern Dunes recently finished 2nd place in our GK Member Voting for favorite courses in area. Only Troon North Monument course topped it. It’s about 45 minute drive down to Maricopa from most areas of Phoenix/Scottsdale but I can assure you it’s worth your time and it should be included any golf trip to the area.