I played here this morning (Sunday) at 9 AM. (Saguaro side) I have to say I was even more let down here than when I played Grayhawk. (Grayhawk was in bad shape but has an awesome layout) I don't ... Continue »

I played here this morning (Sunday) at 9 AM. (Saguaro side) I have to say I was even more let down here than when I played Grayhawk. (Grayhawk was in bad shape but has an awesome layout) I don't want to sound jaded or a snooty Scottsdale golfer but this course was just meh to me. **Asterisk the greens were bumpy and I drove the ball terribly so I know that has a large impact on your enjoyment of a course** Golfweek has this course rated as the highest in the Phoenix area and I had really high hopes but it fell flat to me. The course was just odd to me. It's a Coore Crenshaw course so it's a Scottish links style course in the desert but it just didn't do it for me at all. I can only remember 1 hole. The split level par 5 on the back nine was cool but nothing too unique. Otherwise the course was very straightforward. I'm a bunker guy and maybe that is where the disconnect was. There are almost no bunkers on this course except the par 3's And the bunkers that are here are tiny little links style pot bunkers with no lips or sides. They have very little sand and were hard packed like CA bunkers. There were a lot of drivable par 4's (4 maybe) but there were no large bunkers protecting them so it was odd. The par 4's were just straight away, few fairway bunkers, minor doglegs. The views were okay but you are far from the mountains so there are no dramatic cliff faces. The greens did not have much undulation for a desert course and were large and kind of boring. I will give them a little leeway because today is the last day this course is open before aerification, but the greens were trash. They were a little shaggy medium speed, and there were lots of dead spots which are fine. But because they weren't mowed short the ball hopped and took weird angles off the recessed dead spots. Putting was not enjoyable. Almost none of the greens were raised so you couldn't see where your ball landed on an approach. The fairways were in better shape than most out here and there was actually rough which is unique for the desert. Maybe this design was a miss for me and other like it, but this course was bland and didn't do it for me at all. There was no artistic element to any of the holes or sight lines from the tees. To each their own but a minimalist semi narrow desert links course with tiny bunkers just didn't do it for me.

I played here last Friday and Saturday. We arrived on Friday afternoon and teed off around 2:00 p.m. for a practice round before the weekend's golf event which is aptly named #TheOven16; next year's e... Continue »

I played here last Friday and Saturday. We arrived on Friday afternoon and teed off around 2:00 p.m. for a practice round before the weekend's golf event which is aptly named #TheOven16; next year's event will be #TheOven17. I was charged about $43 for the round, including cart and range. It was hot, 118 degrees, and a little breezy. The course is nice, but seemed on the dry side. Any shot into the fairway would run a long way; unfortunately, many shots seemed to run right off the fairway into the desert. It seemed most everything wanted to break to the northeast, whether you were hitting onto a fairway or putting on a green. Great views all around as this course plays mostly on an exposed ridge. Greens putted medium fast and held any well-struck shot. The rough was cut slightly longer than the fairways. Tees were nice and level. The sand was crusty, heavy, dark-colored desert sand and had many small rocks and gravel. I just read they are going to be re-doing them, so that's good. Saw the cart girl a couple of times and there were many water stations with ice-cold water. We got through the course in about 3 hours. Saturday's round was a little nicer, shotgun start at 8:00. Slightly cooler and the fairways seemed like they received some water overnight; the bunkers looked like they got a sand pro grooming.

This was my 2nd stop on my AZ weekend. I’d wanted to play here since seeing a photo in a magazine a couple years ago. The weather was a perfect, dry 85 degrees. My clubs were loaded on a cart and t... Continue »

This was my 2nd stop on my AZ weekend. I’d wanted to play here since seeing a photo in a magazine a couple years ago. The weather was a perfect, dry 85 degrees. My clubs were loaded on a cart and taken down to where I could pick it up after checking in. The pro shop was really nice- I could have easily spent an hour shopping- but settled for a new hat and of course a logo ball for my collection. The guy in there was very nice and told me to head out to the range and the starter would come get me and escort me to the first tee when it was time. The grass range, putting green and chipping/bunker area were all very nice, though it got me bit apprehensive hoping the bunkers on the course weren’t really going to be that deep and damp. I was paired up with Mike, Steve, and Wayne. There was another practice green by the first tee. We were advised that putts will break towards 4 Peaks Mountain which was very helpful, but it was really difficult to get a handle on the speed. The difference between with and against the grain was huge, from really slick to completely sluggish. It was the same throughout the course, so my recent streak of good putting ended abruptly here. There were no seed mix bottles on carts. I asked about that and was told that most people don’t do it properly anyway so maintenance comes out 3 times a week to fill all the divots. It seems to work well that way because the fairways were gorgeous. The grass was so green and perfect it almost looked artificial. The rough was dormant brown but in perfect shape. There were so many fun and interesting holes. One my favorites was the split fairway #14. I was definitely not disappointed in the beauty of the scenery. I love the Saguaros and the different personality each seems to have. It was pretty amusing to see how many golf balls were embedded in them. I was careful to avoid the Cholla cactus with those spikey thorns. Fortunately I only lost one ball in the vegetation but didn’t even try to find it. What I was disappointed in was that while there was a ball/club washer on the cart, there was no GPS and it was very hard to find yardage markers on the course. The bunkers were just as bad as the practice one. There was no sand, just hard dirt full of small stones. I knew going in that I was going to pay the price ($210) for peak season, so I was expecting perfect everything. I’m still glad I played there but for that price, next time I’ll play somewhere else.

After quite a bit of research, we decided that we were going to play both We_Ko_Pa tracks as our big splurge courses while on our Arizona golf getaway. We played the Saguaro layout on Friday, Feb. 27 ... Continue »

After quite a bit of research, we decided that we were going to play both We_Ko_Pa tracks as our big splurge courses while on our Arizona golf getaway. We played the Saguaro layout on Friday, Feb. 27 and were the first group going out in the morning. Upon arriving to the expansive 36 hole golf facility located on an indian reservation, I first noticed how isolated the course was from any homes. Initially, there wasn't anyone at the bag drop but eventually an attendant showed up and loaded our gear on a golf cart. We paid the "special" 2 course discounted rate of $200/course. After telling the pro shop guy that it was our first time at the course, we received very little instruction of where to go and when we would tee off. We found our way to the giant driving range and practice facility and didn't see anyone except for a pack of coyotes who were crossing the range. After hitting for quite sometime, we made our way to the 1st tee. There wasn't a soul in sight so we decided to tee off anyways. After arriving at our tee shots in the fairway, we were confronted by a players assistant. He rudely scolded us and said that we had to wait 5 more minutes before teeing off. Whatever! They should've provided some instruction to us if they were going to be such sticklers. Anyway, as far as the course went, the conditions were spectacular and the layout was very challenging, yet still fun. There were a few tee shots that seemed as if the landing area was a tiny sliver but they turned out to be slightly more forgiving than expected. On certain holes, previous course experience would've definitely helped and course management would've been the better play rather than gripping and ripping. I would say that the course conditions were just short of immaculate and probably deserved a better rating than what I gave. The greens were slick on this day and if you were above the hole, fahghettaboutit. This is fantastic desert golf. The greens fees could be knocked down a bit but I'm happy we played it. They provided a poster of the signature hole upon leaving the course....a very nice added bonus.

Played We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) today with fellow GK members jpeairs85, bapr5092 and molebio. I must say that although we knew coming in the course was only days away from closing for fall upkeep, we were s... Continue »

Played We-Ko-Pa (Saguaro) today with fellow GK members jpeairs85, bapr5092 and molebio. I must say that although we knew coming in the course was only days away from closing for fall upkeep, we were supremely disappointed in the conditions. The other course (Cholla) was closed so I figured Saguaro would offer semi green conditions but fairways were totally dead and yellow, greens were slow and grass was also dead, overall this course did NOT play up to even a quarter of it's potential and that was a shame. Tee-boxes: like every other part of the course, yellow and grass was dead. There were level lies available but visually the tee boxes were cut small and tight. Luckily they offer many tee box choices so that was nice. Fairways: completely dormant. This wasn't "lack of rain" bad this was "the course is closing" bad. Not only was the grass dead but it was a sight for sore eyes to behold. It was tough hitting out of because lies felt untrue. Rough: surprisingly the only part of the course that was kept green. Fluffy in most areas and offered the truest lies on the course. The highlight of the course. Bunkers: both greenside and fairway bunkers didn't have great amount of sand but at least it wasn't terrible. Rocks were plentiful and the type of "sand" was borderline dirt everywhere. Rakes available and no footmarks anywhere. Greens: dead and disappointing. We figured the course was dry but for the greens to be borderline unplayable this was shameful. Not two greens rolled exactly the same and could be classified somewhere between "slow" and "slower". At least ball marks weren't an issue. ETC: carts were fine. Staff was great and friendly. Lots of water and restrooms throughout the course. Practice facilities were good. No yardage markers on range though. No GPS. Overall, stay away in Oct. This course just isn't worth the money right now and does not merit a Top 100 ranking presently.

This course was the highlight of our 3 day Phoenix area golf trip. The service was top notch from bag drop to check-in to the starter. Fantastic practice area with well groomed driving range, putting ... Continue »

This course was the highlight of our 3 day Phoenix area golf trip. The service was top notch from bag drop to check-in to the starter. Fantastic practice area with well groomed driving range, putting area and short game area with chipping green and bunkers. The course was in immaculate shape from tee to green. Majestic desert scenery and great variety of holes. You never get the feeling that you played a similar hole earlier in the round. Many holes featured multi-tiered and/or undulating greens. My internal Stimp meter is broken so I'll just say that the greens were medium-fast. The only bummer was that the course was cart path-only that day due to the rain the course received 2 days before. Because of that, we decided to walk. Its a tough but do-able walk. Just remember that despite it being the desert that there are several elevation changes and you will find yourself walking downhill and uphill alot, even during the same hole. Overall I really enjoyed the course and it was definitely one of the most challenging courses I've played. Just a tick below PGA West Stadium, Bandon Trails and Ko'olau in terms of difficulty. Would love to come back and take another crack at it on a day my irons are working a bit better.

Played We Ko Pa - Saguaro on Monday, March 5th @ 10 am. Matt Barr, the general manager and his entire staff was friendly, accommodating and provided a wonderful experience.

From the bag drop, to t... Continue »

Played We Ko Pa - Saguaro on Monday, March 5th @ 10 am. Matt Barr, the general manager and his entire staff was friendly, accommodating and provided a wonderful experience.

From the bag drop, to the starter, all the way to the beverage gals, there is a definite pride of ownership with this facilities. They really pride themselves on not only having the best playing conditions (public) within the state of AZ, but also a top notch golf experience. Clubhouse was nicely stocked and there is even a shower available for use in the restroom. Make sure you get here early because they have a extensive practice facility with free balls, large putting area, sand trap and chipping area too. Because of the rains, they did cart path only, so we just decided to walk the course. They have plenty of Sun Mountain push carts available for us. The player assistant guys really took care of us. What a beautiful and tough walk, esp the back 9 with many elevation changes.

This course is the 2013 #1 rated course you can play in AZ according to Golfweek magazine. They certainly did not disappoint. Do not be scared off by the rack rate as you will get every pennies worth with this facility.

The fairways were pristine and green was a little soft from mother nature, but putting true and cosmetically beautiful running between a 9 and 10. Fairway sand traps affected by the rains and still a little damp. The layout of the course gives you many unique holes with very unique Coore/Crenshaw undulating greens. If you miss the correct side of the green where the flag is, you are guaranteed a double breaking putt. We played from the purple tees (blues equivalent) and this was a stern test of golf.

We had a wonderful time and cannot wait to come back and try the other course. Please put this on your AZ must play list!

I played here on 07/15/12. When I first looked at the scorecard , I thought it was a strange mix of extremely short and extremely long par 4's. While that is true , I found I really enjoyed the course... Continue »

I played here on 07/15/12. When I first looked at the scorecard , I thought it was a strange mix of extremely short and extremely long par 4's. While that is true , I found I really enjoyed the course and the opportunity to use every club in my bag. This is a course where you must take advantage of the many birdie holes on the front 9 , because the bogie holes are coming on the back ! The fairways are plenty wide if you club appropriatly and there are alot of elevation changes. There are also alot of desert carries. The layout is good and very walkable. The views are outstanding. The greens were in good shape but slow. I know they are about to start aerating the following week. The faiways were decent but had alot of bare spots. About half the tee boxes were pretty beat up and the bunkers were decent but at times thin on the sand.

We Ko Pa Golf Club Review
Phoenix Arizona Golf Course Reviews

Having now played this course and Cholla at We-Ko-Pa I think the majority of our group would choose Colla unless we wanted a good walk in which case we would choose Saguaro. Saguaro is more straightf... Continue »

Having now played this course and Cholla at We-Ko-Pa I think the majority of our group would choose Colla unless we wanted a good walk in which case we would choose Saguaro. Saguaro is more straightforward golf on what is certainly a beautiful canvas for an artistic gem. The course is in great condition - greens are lightning and very true. It doesn't have the tricks and the design features that make Cholla exceptionally interesting. But well worth a good walk - and it wouldn't be spoiled here.

We Ko Pa Golf Club Review
Phoenix Arizona Golf Course Reviews