Played 11-13 and had a 8:28 tee time for $85.00.
We checked in and went to the very nice all grass range to warm up. The starter came by several times to check on us and let us know how many groups w... Continue »

Played 11-13 and had a 8:28 tee time for $85.00.
We checked in and went to the very nice all grass range to warm up. The starter came by several times to check on us and let us know how many groups were ahead of us.
The marshal met us on the first tee and offered several tips and asked that we stay connected to the group ahead as they had a full tee sheet. We waited on a couple of the par three's but never more than 4-5 minutes. Pace of play ended up being 4:20 and we never felt rushed. Saw the cart several times.
Tee boxes were very good with nice grass and never a tough time finding a level spot.
The fairways are just coming out of over seeding and we were asked to play the with the 90o rule. They were lush and cut just right. I never had a thin lie all day.
The rough was around 2" and not too tough to hit out of.
I was only in one fairway bunker and it had lots of deep soft sand. The green side bunkers looked the same.
The greens were a bit thin but ran true and medium speed. The only down side to the greens were the large number of ball marks that had no been repaired correctly.
I enjoyed the course. The fairways were a little narrow but there were still good landing areas if you can hit it straight. Being a desert course if you were too wild, you had rocks-sand and cactus to deal with.
Overall a very enjoyable round.

I played McDowell Mountain around 1130. The course was basically deserted with only a few singles and a couple of twosomes out. Rate was $26 off GN while the course website was advertising $40.
The... Continue »

I played McDowell Mountain around 1130. The course was basically deserted with only a few singles and a couple of twosomes out. Rate was $26 off GN while the course website was advertising $40.
The driving range has a large movable cover and it was full with young kids getting lessons. The "grass" outside of the cover was thin but I was still able to hit all the shots I wanted.
The greens had been aerated fairly recently and still showed. They didn't putt horribly but weren't completely smooth. The bumps and sand affected a few putts.
Tee boxes were ok with a few not level and/or bumpy. The markers were placed poorly because the course does have large tee boxes. Some of the elevated tee boxes were hard to get a tee in.
The fairways were in awesome shape save for the first tee. The landing area was soggy wet and my tee shot basically plugged and got zero roll. Bad golfing luck but didn't make a good start to the round. Some of the areas around the greens were also soggy wet but overall the course was in excellent condition.
The course is challenging but fair. Tee shots way off line will find desert but the course isn't overly penal. The greenskeeper must have been in a bad mood because many of the pin positions were in difficult spots.
I also like how the course gives multiple tee options. Many times the tips are too long but with MM they provide a combo tee using part of the tips and some of the next tee up.
The staff at MM seem to keep the course up in the summertime after playing it a couple of times last summer and this summer. Crews were working on a large number of bunkers and areas around the greens while I was playing. I thought a couple of the guys had a death wish and didn't want to move as I was waiting to hit. The course seems to be mostly empty during the week and is a good place to get a round in at a good pace.

Played as a foursome (paired up) on 15/04/20 at 11:10. We had booked for 11:50 on GolfNow but were able to get off early. Good driving range with lots of space and pole targets. Large putting green. I... Continue »

Played as a foursome (paired up) on 15/04/20 at 11:10. We had booked for 11:50 on GolfNow but were able to get off early. Good driving range with lots of space and pole targets. Large putting green. I did not see a practice bunker but I suspect there is one. This is a double ended driving range with a golf school?? on the back end. I quite enjoyed this course as the maintenance was to a high standard. Greens and bunkers were in good shape as were the tee boxes. I like a course that leaves sand/seed bottles at all the tees to enhance active maintenance. It was 97 degrees when we finished our round in 4 hrs. Saw the ranger several times as well as the beverage cart. Washrooms were spaced throughout the course and water points were every 2nd or 3rd hole and very welcome in the heat. This course reminds me of Terra Lago in Indio (Palm Springs) for the terrain outside the actual golf course. Site lines were interrupted by power lines towers adjacent to the course. The course seemed to follow the power line grid which accounts for the tower proximity. We played in high winds from the 2nd from the back tees which made every par 3 play super long. No wedge par 3s on this course. I will play this course again on our next trip as I enjoyed it very much for it's playability. My only criticism and I consider it constructive, is that we lost direction on several holes, notably a par 5 dog leg leftand a down hill dog leg left par 4 where both greens were blind from the tee. We literally did not know where we were going and just tried to hit the tee shot straight. There is no legend at the tee box to show the hole character (left, right, straight,pond etc)nor was there anything on the cart to assist in planning your tee shot. I could shave a few strokes by having that information. My rangefinder was a help for our foursome as there were prisms in the flag stick. The greens were super quick and undulating. I got fooled more than enough on the greens but that made it a fun and challenging course. Amenities in the club house were first rate. Cold beer at 97 degrees was much appreciated!

Played Sunday 11/2, course was still cart path only (not advertised on the GN site). For an upscale course, I was surprised there was no one to take my clubs and put them on a cart. Those were the las... Continue »

Played Sunday 11/2, course was still cart path only (not advertised on the GN site). For an upscale course, I was surprised there was no one to take my clubs and put them on a cart. Those were the last two negative surprises I experienced on this course.

Facilities: a large, grassy driving range in excellent condition, multiple putting, chipping, sand wedge areas for practice. Carts are electric with an ice chest and ball/club washer provided. Surprisingly, no GPS on the carts. Each cart is provided a yardage book, which is full color and very helpful.

Course conditions were superb after the fall overseed. All tee boxes were green and level. Never a bad lie all day in the fairway and the rough was as high as 6 inches or more in areas, so don't let your ball stray or have trouble finding it. Bunkers all appeared to be in good to excellent condition (was only in one, a good condition one). Greens were fast and true, even this close to the overseed (no bumps) and rolled with less break than one might expect.

The course gives you multiple options from which to tee: Blacks are 7,072 yards, Golds are 6407, Whites measure at 5724 and Reds go for 4880. As a 12-14 handicap who hits drives in the 225 yard area, I choose playing from the Golds (there are also Black/Gold, Gold/White and White/Red combos that can be selected). There are four 400+ yard Par 4s: 404 yard #7, 422 yard #10, 421 yard #11 and 435 yard #15. I managed to par two of them and bogey the other two (both times missing 6' putts to save par) so I didn't find the course too overwhelming for even a moderate hitter such as me.

Overall, possibly my most enjoyable round ever on a Scottsdale course. Staff was friendly, pace of play was satisfactory and course conditions made it a very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.

CP

McDowell Mountain was the first 18 of a 36 hole day. We teed off at 8:30 with not many people on the course for a Friday morning. We were informed by the beverage cart she would not be coming around... Continue »

McDowell Mountain was the first 18 of a 36 hole day. We teed off at 8:30 with not many people on the course for a Friday morning. We were informed by the beverage cart she would not be coming around again for the day.
The course conditions were some of the best I have seen in the Valley for this time of year. Tee boxes, fairways, and greens were all in great condition considering it's the month of July. The conditions were very similar to when I played last summer and shows a consistency in how they take care of the golf course.
The course is fair but challenging with areas of relief and a chance to recover without a lost ball. I like the finishing holes on both nines. Number 9 is a fun par five and 18 is a difficult par 4.
Pace of play wasn't an issue as we were around in 3.5 hours. For the price I don't think McDowell Mountain can be beat for conditions and play-ability.

Played at 0900 on a Tuesday morning. The course was mostly empty with a few foursomes out. As I dropped my clubs, I was worried about the customer service since nobody was at the bag drop, but I qui... Continue »

Played at 0900 on a Tuesday morning. The course was mostly empty with a few foursomes out. As I dropped my clubs, I was worried about the customer service since nobody was at the bag drop, but I quickly changed my thoughts in the pro shop. The customer service was top notch. The driving range was in decent shape. Spots under the movable shade were bare dirt while a few spots outside of the cover were in great shape. At the first tee, I was met by the starter who asked if I had played there before. I told him I hadn't played in years. He went back to the clubhouse to get me a yardage book which helped out immensely. The course conditions were great. The fairways were in good shape and they still have quite a bit of rough. As expected this time of year, the fairways did have some bare spots but nothing outrageous. The greens had recently been aerated, but it didn't affect putting too much. The greens were very receptive to approach shots and were consistent throughout. The rate I payed on GN, $29, was definitlely worth it considering the conditions of the course. I will definitely be back again. As a warning for those playing during the week; no beverage cart service was available, so plan ahead. The course does feature numerous water stations seemingly on every other hole.

Played here 7/11/12 during a family trip to Phoenix. I was a little hesitant to play here based on the negative reviews I read about the course. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an underst... Continue »

Played here 7/11/12 during a family trip to Phoenix. I was a little hesitant to play here based on the negative reviews I read about the course. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Fairways, tees and traps were in excellent condition. Greens need another week or two to recover from aerification but still rolled well. I played 4 different courses during the trip (Wildfire Palmer, Superstition Springs, TPC Stadium and McDowell) and this was easily the best maintained of them all. McDowell Mountain is definitely be seeing me again.

McDowell Mountain Golf Club Review
Scottsdale Arizona Golf Course Reviews

Played 7/6. Online rate of $25. I played this course in early June when the greens were punched. I wanted to play it again and review it when they healed. This course used to be called Sanctuary ... Continue »

Played 7/6. Online rate of $25. I played this course in early June when the greens were punched. I wanted to play it again and review it when they healed. This course used to be called Sanctuary G.C. Most people I knew weren't fond of it. It was very tight, with a lot of blind tee shots. On some holes all you would have were directional stakes to use.

A group of investors, led by Phil Mickelson, bought the course. They did a major renovation. They flipped the nines. They added over 450 yards to the course. They added & elevated the tee boxes. Landing areas were widened. On the edges of the course they cleared out the thick brush and there is no more ESA left of 12 & 13. It's now a very enjoyable playable course. #18 is a long tough finishing hole. 508 yard par 4 from the tips, uphill L-R hole.

Overall the condition of the course was great. Tee boxes, fairways, bunkers were in fine condition. Rough was a little thin and cut short. Some areas were recently aerated. I was expecting the greens to bounce back nicely from a month ago. I gave them a kind '6' rating They have grown back in, but they a still soft, bumpy and slow. Around 9.5. If the course starts rolling them, they will be better.

They currently have a temporary trailer as the pro shop. They said they were scheduled to finish the renovations on their permanent pro shop in 6 months. Pro shop and outside service were good. They told us upfront they didn't have any beverage cart service. They weren't busy enough. The pro shop had drinks and there are water stations out on the course. We were a twosome and it took 4 hours to play. 1 1/2 hours on the front. Then, it took 2 1/2 hours to play the back. We got behind a foursome on #10. They hit so many extra shots and putts. We told them they really needed a ranger. The practice range and the practice putting area are good. The chipping area is so-so. Kudos for getting a moveable cover for the practice range. (See photo It's awesome!). Other courses would be smart to copy this. I would definitely recommend this course for GKers to try. Especially if you were sour on the old Santuary course.

McDowell Mountain Golf Club Review
Scottsdale Arizona Golf Course Reviews

First time playing here. Layout is mostly straight forward. Most definitely desert style course that will penalize errant tee shots. Fairways are undulating but pretty generous for most part. Greens a... Continue »

First time playing here. Layout is mostly straight forward. Most definitely desert style course that will penalize errant tee shots. Fairways are undulating but pretty generous for most part. Greens also are undulated and very challenging to chip if you miss in the wrong place.

Conditions: Great. Greens firm and fast.

McDowell Mountain Golf Club Review
Scottsdale Arizona Golf Course Reviews