The Best Golf Courses in Scottsdale for a Buddies Trip (Ranked)

1. 1

   TPC Scottsdale — Stadium Course

   Tournament · Bucket-list

   Home of the WM Phoenix Open and its legendary stadium par-3 16th. A Weiskopf/Morrish design that every group wants to tick off. Book early, expect peak pricing, and make it your marquee round — not your warm-up.

2. 2

   We-Ko-Pa — Saguaro Course

   Pure desert · No homes

   A Coore & Crenshaw design on tribal land east of Scottsdale, with zero real estate in sight — just golf and desert. Walkable, fun, and consistently rated among Arizona’s best public courses. The connoisseur’s pick.

3. 3

   Troon North — Monument Course

   Classic high-desert

   The course that defined Scottsdale target golf — boulder-strewn fairways winding through the high Sonoran desert. Dramatic, memorable, and a near-mandatory stop for first-time groups. Pair it with the Pinnacle Course next door.

4. 4

   Grayhawk — Raptor Course

   Polished · Tournament-tested

   A Tom Fazio design that has hosted NCAA Championships, with immaculate conditioning and a buzzing clubhouse scene. Its sibling, the Talon Course, is just as good. Great for a group that wants a big-league feel.

5. 5

   We-Ko-Pa — Cholla Course

   Big views · Forgiving lines

   The longer, more open companion to Saguaro, with huge panoramas and generous corridors. A confidence-builder that still rewards good golf — an ideal opening round for a mixed-skill group.

6. 6

   Talking Stick — O’odham Course

   Value · Coore & Crenshaw

   A flat, links-inspired Coore & Crenshaw layout close to Old Town, usually at a friendlier price than the desert-mountain courses. Smart play for a budget round that doesn’t feel like a compromise.

7. 7

   Boulders Resort — South Course

   Resort · Scenic

   Jay Morrish desert golf threading through the namesake giant boulders in Carefree, just north of Scottsdale. Beautiful, resort-smooth, and a strong option if your group is basing at a resort.

There’s no shortage of golf in Scottsdale — the problem is choosing well and sequencing it so the trip builds instead of fizzles. Below is how we’d rank the public and resort courses for a buddies group, weighing the experience, the conditioning, the value, and how much fun a group of mixed handicaps will actually have.

A note on the ranking: this is for buddies trips, not a pure architecture list. We weight courses that are memorable, group-friendly, and bookable. Several outstanding private clubs (Whisper Rock, Estancia, Silverleaf) are left off because you can’t simply book a tee time.

How to sequence them

Don’t play your two hardest, priciest courses back-to-back on day one. A great four-round trip usually looks like this:

1. Open easy. Start on something scenic and forgiving — We-Ko-Pa Cholla or Talking Stick — to shake off travel and let the high handicaps settle in.
2. Build. Move to a classic desert test like Troon North Monument or Grayhawk.
3. Peak. Make your bucket-list round — usually the TPC Stadium Course — the centerpiece, ideally mid-trip when everyone’s dialed in.
4. Relax. Finish on a fun, lower-stakes round so the trip ends on a high, not a grind.

A word on cost

Green fees in Scottsdale swing more by season than by course. The same marquee track can cost three or four times more in March than in July. That’s exactly why we don’t publish package prices — we build each trip backwards from your budget, picking the courses and dates that get your group the most golf for the money.

Want this sequenced, booked, and confirmed without the spreadsheet? Tell us about your group and we’ll handle it.

Frequently asked

What is the most famous golf course in Scottsdale?

The TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course is the most famous — it hosts the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open every February, including the raucous stadium par-3 16th hole known as "The Coliseum."

Which Scottsdale course is best if we only play one?

For a once-in-a-trip marquee round, the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course is the iconic choice. If your group values pure golf over the famous name, the We-Ko-Pa Saguaro Course is the connoisseur’s pick — a homes-free Coore & Crenshaw design.

Are Scottsdale golf courses hard to get tee times at?

Marquee courses in peak season (February–March) book up weeks in advance and at premium rates. Value and resort courses are easier, but the best windows still go quickly. Booking the right courses in the right order is most of the planning battle — and the part we handle for you.