The best golf courses in Arizona, USA

The Estancia Club, designed by Tom Fazio and established in 1996, sits beneath Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale, Arizona. Renowned for its seamless integration with the Sonoran Desert and dramatic mountain vistas, it features 18 holes on bentgrass greens across 7314 yards. Consistently ranked among America’s best private courses, Estancia is famed for both design and immaculate conditioning.

Forest Highlands Canyon Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish in 1986, is a celebrated private course nestled in the world’s largest Ponderosa pine forest near Flagstaff. Widely regarded as one of Arizona’s premier golf experiences, the par-71 course stretches over 7,000 yards and is famed for its challenging design, mountain scenery, and exclusive club amenities.

Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the Monument Course at Troon North is a standout desert layout in Scottsdale, known for its dramatic granite boulders and High Sonoran vistas. Immersive holes wind through ravines and foothills beneath Pinnacle Peak, offering top-tier conditions and one of Arizona’s most celebrated golf experiences.

Stone Canyon Club is a private, Top 100-ranked course designed by Jay Morrish, nestled against the Tortolita Mountains in Oro Valley, Arizona. Carved through dramatic desert canyons and boulders, it features lush Bermuda fairways, ample teeing options, and challenging greens. The setting provides breathtaking mountain and saguaro views, offering a world-class desert golf experience.

Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree, Arizona, was designed by Robert 'Red' Lawrence in 1962. Recognized as the first true desert-style course, it’s revered for a minimalist, natural routing fully integrated into the Sonoran desert. The course’s impeccable conditions, absence of water hazards, and subtle elevation changes attract serious players seeking a pure, challenging golf experience.

Troon North's Pinnacle Course is a Tom Weiskopf design winding through the striking Sonoran Desert landscape beneath Pinnacle Peak, featuring giant granite boulders, saguaro cacti, and dramatic elevation changes. The course is renowned for its challenging layout, scenic beauty, and exceptional maintenance, consistently ranking among Arizona's best and delivering an iconic desert golf experience.

Quintero Golf Club, designed by Rees Jones and Steve Weisser in 2000, is set in the high Sonoran desert surrounded by the Hieroglyphic Mountains. Known for dramatic elevation changes, immaculate bentgrass greens, and stunning desert vistas, it’s consistently ranked among Arizona’s best public courses. The routing offers a challenging but fair test for all skill levels on one of America’s top-rated desert courses.

Opened in 1986 and designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is a renowned public golf venue, home to the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open. Known for its pristine conditions, dramatic spectator mounding, and challenging desert-inspired layout, it offers both playability for amateurs and a stern test for professionals.

Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, We-Ko-Pa Saguaro is a pure desert golf experience situated in the untouched Sonoran Desert northeast of Scottsdale. The course features a routing that follows the land’s natural contours, offering strategic variety, scenic views, no residential development, and a tranquil escape. It’s consistently rated as one of the best public courses in Arizona.

Silverleaf Club, designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 2002, is a private, luxury golf course nestled in the McDowell Mountain foothills of Scottsdale, Arizona. The course features 18 holes that wind through natural desert contours, providing both challenge and scenic views, and serves as the centerpiece of an upscale residential community.

The Boulders Golf Club (South Course) in Carefree, Arizona, is a Jay Morrish-designed par 71 course opened in 1992, renowned for spectacular desert scenery, giant granite boulder formations, and strategic routing through the high Sonoran landscape. Its layout offers dramatic elevation changes, elevated tees, and memorable photo opportunities. The South Course is known for being both scenic and challenging.

The Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon, designed by Tom Fazio in 1984, is a celebrated desert-style destination set against Tucson's Catalina foothills. Known for its dramatic elevation changes, panoramic vistas, and challenging, quick greens, the course offers 18 holes of classic Sonoran golf, winding through stunning canyons and saguaro-dotted terrain. Resort guests and club members alternate play between the Mountain and Canyon layouts.

The Rim Golf Club, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish in 1999, offers an extraordinary mountain golf experience amid the Ponderosa pines of Arizona’s Mogollon Rim Country. This private 18-hole course features dramatic elevation changes, stunning forest vistas, and a routing that flows through rock outcroppings and lush native vegetation, delivering year-round play in a tranquil, high-elevation setting.

Pine Canyon Club, designed by Jay Morrish in 2004, is a private, 18-hole mountain course set in the pines of Flagstaff beneath the San Francisco Peaks. At 7,272 yards from the back tees, the course features dramatic elevation changes, rolling fairways, multiple lakes and ponds, and views of Humphreys Peak. Known for its pristine conditions and exclusive, family-friendly atmosphere, Pine Canyon delivers a memorable alpine golf experience anchored by thoughtful design and outstanding amenities.

Whisper Rock Golf Club's Upper Course, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2005, sprawls across the dramatic desert landscape of north Scottsdale. Known for its rugged rock outcroppings and mountain vistas, the Upper Course is a private, members-only layout that emphasizes a premium traditional golf experience, attention to detail, and exclusivity.

Big Wick at Wickenburg Ranch Golf & Social Club, designed by Bill Brownlee and Wendell Pickett, is a par-71 championship layout set amid dramatic Sonoran Desert terrain. Opened in 2015, the course has earned national accolades for its engaging design, bentgrass greens, and panoramic views, providing golfers of all levels with a memorable Arizona golf experience.

Designed by Jay Morrish, The Boulders North Course offers stunning desert golf in Scottsdale with rugged granite rock formations, dramatic elevation changes, and smooth TifEagle greens. Renowned for its unique scenery, playability, and extensive amenities, it is frequently ranked among the premier resort courses in the United States.

Camelback Golf Club's Ambiente Course is a 7,225-yard, par 72 desert-inspired layout designed by Jason Straka of Hurdzan Fry. Opened in 2013, it features rolling fairways, elevation changes, native grasses, and a blend of desert and meadow aesthetics. The course challenges golfers of all abilities and is part of the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa.