Practice Facilities:
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As this course is close to my home I practice here quite frequently. It has a long driving range, a putting green and a chipping/pitching green with a large sand bunker. These are always in above average shape. The driving range hitting area is grass, though very occasionally hitting mats are used when the grass is healing. My only complaint would be the driving range is a little narrow, and errant balls can find themselves in the rough or fairway of the #1 hole. I like to practice here in the mid-morning on the weekends and have never found it very busy. I have on occasion seen most of the hitting areas taken due to the narrowness of the range.


Customer Service:
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Customer service is exceptional at this course. The cart girl comes around multiple times on each nine. The staff is well dressed, greets everyone, and is pleasant and polite. During my round, due to the heat, I decided to only play nine holes. The staff gave me a rain check to apply half the cost of my round towards any future round good until three months out in October, when it will be much cooler. Some may balk at the rain check instead of a cash refund, but as the course is close to my house I was fine with it. There seems to always be plenty of staff on hand, and the course appears to be weathering the economic downturn well. I will add the course also has a playbook available for purchase for $3.75 in the club house.

One nice touch that I included in the photos of the course is each cart has a full chest of ice and a ball and club cleaner. The ice especially is indispensable in the summer heat. Each hole also had a 5 gallon jug of water; these were full, clean, and ice cold.

The only negative I will point out is that the restrooms halfway through the front nine are port-a-johns. They certainly do the trick, but I know some don’t care for them.


Course Conditions:
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First, be aware this review is of the course during summer conditions. The greens were in excellent shape and have healed from aeration a month ago. Fairways and rough had plenty of green grass and good lies to hit from. Because this course is lined by houses on a number of holes I was worried fairways would be tight, but that did not end up being a problem. Dirt/waste areas did not end up being too penal. Water comes into play on quite a few holes. Thankfully, the lake monster only claimed one of my balls – the only ball I lost the entire round. I usually lose a half dozen and I think the lack of desert areas and the presence of ample grass and rough gets the credit for so few balls lost. Tees were well cared for and level. I did notice a bit of casual water on several holes, and sprinklers were running on a few areas of the course as well. I think it may just have been that on the day of the week and time I went they don’t get very many players so they water at that time. It did not end up being an issue or hindering play. My playing partner took relief from casual water only once, and he was in a valley to the right of the fairway. The sand was excellent and dry in the bunkers and the three times I found a bunker I was able to hit the ball cleanly and scoop it onto the green easily all three times.


Summary:
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For a public course at this price ($21) in mid-July the course conditions were above average, bordering on excellent. I would not say immaculate, but certainly the course is cared for. Pace of play for my four some was 2 hours for nine holes, and this was after letting a single and a three-some play through. Kokopelli is managed by Eagle Golf and they have what they call “No Bull Pricing” where the price you pay is the price you pay. They do not inflate the rack rate only to slash it 50% on a discount website. Also, you get the same rate at checkout that you would get from a golf discount site, without a booking fee. They do require you give them a credit card number to book a tee time, which is unusual. Eagle Golf also has a Birdie Card and an Eagle Card that you can buy for discounted rates good at all the valley courses they manage which include several decent mid-priced courses (Legend at Arrowhead, Superstition Springs [not Mountain], Stonecreek, Foothills). They also manage several private courses including Ancala and Arrowhead Country Club.

Kokopelli also offers a Player Development Program for $45 a month that includes unlimited range balls, discounted green fees, and hour long group clinics with the course pro on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. I’m thinking of trying this out and will post some sort of review or forum post if I do, letting people know how it goes.

Played this course on 6-19-11. Several of the greens were in poor condition with large patches where there was no grass, just slightly moist dirt. Other greens were in pretty good shape -- so basically, inconsistent. Noticed the same inconsistency with fairways and tee boxes, some were green and in fair conditions, others dry and thin or uneven (tee boxes). I only paid $14 so I wasn't expecting resort conditions, and for the price the course was in reasonable shape -- except for the several bare greens.

Pace of play was good, the course had several groups out playing, but it wasn't packed. There were some hackers in front of me that were taking their time, but kindly let me play through. I play a bit of army golf myself (left, right...) but was able to finish my round in 3 hours.

The course is a traditional style course with tree lined fairways. Errant shots may still be playable unless a tree blocks your shot. I like that there are no houses around the course.

The cart lady (older woman) was very professional and I saw her twice on the front nine, though as it was late in the day she was ending her shift and I did not see her on the back nine -- she gave me a heads up about this. She kept my cup filled with ice, which was appreciated as it was a very hot day. On her second go round she filled up my cup of ice while I was making one of my many trips in and out of a bunker. The guy in the pro shop was polite as well, and another member of the staff asked me about my round when I finished -- so all in all good customer service.

The driving range is between the 9th and 10th fairways. I just happened to be playing optic yellow golf balls that day and the range balls were yellow as well and quite a few were in the fairway or rough near these holes. Thankfully, my yellow was a slightly different tint or I wouldn't have been able to find them. I was never hit into, but the range wasn't that busy. One odd thing about this course's practice facilities which could be a good thing or a bad thing is that you have to pay to use the putting and chipping area. The fee is something like $5 an hour, so it's not ridiculous, and I could see the benefit as you'd probably have the area mostly to yourself as I'm sure most players will prefer no-fee alternatives.

One plus I noticed with this course is it would be very easy to walk or use a push cart on. Tees are located pretty close to the previous green. Despite some sketchy summer playing conditions, mostly on the greens, I'm considering this course as a regular for walking nine holes during the winter. The reasonable rates, good customer service, pace of play, and mostly decent conditions, as well as ease of walking make it a repeat for me. As a high handicapper the course has ample nuance and challenge in it for me. Scratch and low handicap golfers may either find the relatively flat course too tame, or a welcome respite from tricked out desert foothill courses. This course saw me notch my highest score ever most likely due to the summer afternoon heat (I learned my lesson), and the 30 mph wind. I thought the lack of desert/waste areas where I usually lose my ball would have translated into lower scores, but no dice.

One final note, the sand in the bunkers seemed decent to me, not too thin, no rocks, and no pooled water. Of my many shots that found the bunker none were in a buried lie. I did notice one bunker that had some prairie dogs living in the face.

I played this course 6-11-11 about a week after they aerated the greens, and I also played it a month earlier on 5-14-11. There was night and day difference on green speeds after aerating, they were fast and true in May, but bumpy and slow in June. They should be healed by the time of this review. I paid $35 for 9 holes in May and $50 for 18 holes in June at 6 am on Saturday. Given the course conditions I would say this is slightly above what it should be. Don't get me wrong this course is by no means a dog track, but I think even for summer time conditions at $50 the fairways, rough and tees could be a little more lush.

For me at my level of play I find the course challenging. I enjoyed playing it two times slightly close together to see if I could learn some nuances of the course and improve my score -- I did by 4 strokes. This course features aspects you might expect in a relatively modern, desert course: elevation changes, punishing desert areas outside the rough, undulating fairways, and contoured greens. It has this without feeling gimicky. You have a fair chance at hitting fairways and avoiding the penalizing desert areas. There is a local rule allowing a penalty stroke and a drop for hitting into the desert. If you hit into the rocky desert your ball is gone (bring an extra sleeve if you hook/slice), but there are desert washes that are sandy/dusty that will allow a wedge shot (I keep an old wedge handy for this ignominious duty). All times I have visited this course there has been a good amount of sand in bunkers, with no rocks. Sometimes bunkers may be wet early in the morning, but I've never seen standing water.

The first time I visited this course was in the winter several years ago and the greens were very fast. They were slower in May of this year (before aerating) and too slow after aerating. My grandfather who can shoot in the 80's enjoys playing this course and finds it challenging, so I assume it will provide a decent challenge for better players, especially from the tips.

There are a few holes on this course that stick out in my mind. The #4 has been changed, it used to be a dog leg right par 4 with water on the left. It was just a short, mediocre par 4 in the arrangement. They have since changed the layout so that your second shot now plays over water to an island green. Again, rather than making this hole gimicky it changes the character of the hole and offered me my best chance at birdie all day (until I hit into the water). Other than that hole the front 9 seemed pretty tame and at least to me played easier than the back nine. The back 9 presented the greater challenge. Number 10 starts the back 9 with a relatively straightforward par 4, but then #11 features a mountain side par 3 uphill that requires accuracy and extra club. The #12 is a downhill par 4 with water behind the hole and guarding the right front of the green. I shoot in the 100's and my grandfather in the 80's I don't think we have found this green on our second shot yet. After bombing your tee shot down hill the tendency is to think you can blast it onto the green and be putting for birdie. This strategy has not worked for me. Next time I'm going to lay up and safely chip on. Those who have a longer drive than me possibly don't have this issue and are already hitting shorter irons onto this green. Anyhow, these are the most memorable holes that stood out in my mind.

One thing I enjoy about this course in the early morning is the wildlife. I often see rabbits, prairie dogs, various birds and even geese on this course. Be careful with leaving food out on your golf cart though -- the birds love getting a snack while you putt out. Obviously, the views from the mountain side holes are gorgeous.

When I first visited this course it was in the winter and it was years ago when the economy was still booming. The course was immaculate and worth more than what I paid in green fees, it was a steal. It seemed like there was more staff around, and there was a kid who came out and offered to wash your clubs (for a small tip, of course) at the end of your round. The customer service was top of the line. It seems like all course in the Phoenix Metro area have toned it down a little bit and are finding ways to save money and whether the downturn. 500 Club is no exception. There is no longer a kid offering to wash my clubs, you won't see the beverage cart driver until later in your round (if you head out at 6 am like me) although I still saw her twice in my round and you will see her more often if you head out later. The service is still spot on in the grill and staff is friendly on the course -- their ranks just seem thinner now a days. I saw a marshall once during my round in May, and in June a marshall came out to tell me that I was allowed to drive off the cart path if I used the 90 degree rule (as they had seen me walking on the video in the club house) I knew this but was just taking my clubs and hitting while my partner drove off to hit his ball. Both times the marshall was friendly, and I had no pace of play issues. It may get worse later in the day -- I do not know. The course has an excellent practice area (putting green, pitching green, full driving range with grass teeing area). There is also a 9 hole walking course here called the Futures Course with par 3s and some par 4s, as well as a good program for juniors.

I will definitely play this course many times in the future, and while I'm sure some serious golfers will say it does not compare to a We-Ko-Pa Saguaro or similar, it is definitely a better golf experience than muni or $15 tracks, and is well worth a round.