Dinosaur Mountain at Gold Canyon Golf Resort

My third time to play the Dino Course and it didn't disappoint. Very, very windy most of the day, but my group played the blue tees which made the wind tolerable. If you don't hit the fairway, you'll be in for a loooooong day. I'll be back to play the course again. Love it.

I love this course cause it’s always in pure shape and the course is challenging and fun with elevation changes and pretty environment . Great target course and staff is amazing too! Overall one of my favorite courses in town and it’s worth every second out there

Unbelievable views, attentive and friendly staff and one of the most unique golf experiences you will have. If you are close to a scratch I would strongly urge you to play the tips. Higher elevations and better views mixed with more fun shots on almost every hole. Always a better price than I feel it’s worth compared to the Scottsdale courses. Also, best bev cart Bloody Mary situation I’ve encountered in a long time!

I have played here a lot. Always a great course, but no sand in bunkers yesterday, very disappointing. Also wanted to play more, they wanted 80 bucks and we could have maybe played another 9 holes. The grill is overpriced with below average food. The course is nice, the resort not so much.

If you want the full AZ golf experience, you need to play this golf course.

During my recent trip, this course gives you everything you want in regards to scenery, challenge and fun. With Superstitious Mountain as a backdrop, the elevation changes make for some daunting and fun golf holes. Luckily we played with some locals who gave us great tips on how to play the course. From the Black tees which are not terribly long (6300 yard) there is plenty of challenge to negate any notion of the course playing shorter.
From the pictures, you can see that they stopped watering to prepare for overseeding which took the green color away but did not take away the views and the fun. The 1st two par 3's have dramatic elevation drops and views make you take in the beauty and also grab your attention as club selection is key to finding the green. One of the best holes is the par 4 15th. The tee is very elevated and players have two options, play it safe to the right with a 200 yard downhill shot, or go for it with the driver to the left with a chance to drive the green. It's a hole you wish you could play three times in a row.
The greens were rolling good but full of sand and the fairways were firm and dry but still did not take away from the experience. I would most definitely go back when the course is in peak condition. If it was in peak condition, it would get 5 stars

Great staff and you can tell they know what they are doing. I will be back

Only the 2nd time playing this course and we love it! Conditioning was excellent. Fairways, tee boxes and rough in excellent shape even though it has been a difficult summer of weather. Greens were good but still showed a little evidence of last aeration. Rolled fairly true though. Sand traps a bit rocky but maintenance staff was grooming them the day we played. Views/scenery fantastic (Superstition Mountains). Staff was attentive and VERY friendly. Greeted immediately on arrival and cart girl available almost every few holes. Saw Ranger several times as well. Add this course to your must-play list.

First thing I noticed was the rather unfriendly employees when we checked in both at the counter and putting our bags on the cart. It was the attitude that "we are doing you a favor by letting you play OUR COURSE". Then we went to mats to hit terrible range balls. When we got to the tee, a ranger asked handicaps and rudely told us what tees to play. I finally told him we would play the tees we wanted. He acted as this was some super course and we should not consider the distance when deciding which tees to play. I have played several courses harder than this one. Then we get on the course and find there is no water. We never saw a cart girl til hole 15. It was probably 112 by the time we finished. The course has some pretty holes. The greens were not great. The condition of the course was average at best. When we finished we ran into the same people with the carts again. Not a word. No "How did it go?" No "how did you hit Em?" NOTHING I guess we were supposed to consider ourselves lucky they let us play. I would play it again if someone I was playing with wanted to, but it would never be my choice. There are several nicer courses and certainly more friendly courses.

I have played the course a couple times. For $224 you get to warm up hitting off mats in the middle of the concrete cart parking area. The greens are super fast and at times more like mini golf, just add the clowns mouth..... a golfer should not be penalized for hitting an approach into the middle of the green. I will not play the Dinosaur Mountain course again.

I find it hard to believe this course is ranked #1. Greens are tricked up, hit a SW to the front edge and roll of the back with NO Chance of keeping your chip on the green!?? Parking lot sets the tone! Practice MATS! Played @ 11:20 on a Saturday only to find out we were behind a scramble tournament!! 5 1/2 hrs later we finished! Not even a thank you for your patience let alone an apology for the slow play. Definite STAY AWAY!!!!

Golf course is beautiful. Amazing views and true desert feel.

Course not long, but plays challenging. Some top notch holes

Beautiful views friendly and helpful staff

Better stated? RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!

I first came upon the Gold Canyon Golf Resort when I played an event there as part of the the Western Skies Mini-Tour (a true "something out of a Dan Jenkins/David Feherty alcohol-induced phantasm" that passed as a tour AND a golf course) in the late 1980's. The original track at Gold Canyon opened in 1985 and then they added another nine soon after. Ken Kavanaugh had a hand in these, although I'm not sure if all 36 are his to own (his bio: great track at Oregon Golf Club, and terrific redos of Raveneaux in Houston and Randolph South - Del Urich - in Tucson show off his capabilities, well). When they put the Dinosaur Mountain and Sidewinder Courses together, they did some Frankenstein-esque gene splicing of the old into the new. Holes 1 through 4 and 14 through 18 on DM are from the original design, very tight and immediately forgettable, reminiscent of holes like you would hope not to see at Ancala or Tatum Ranch. Holes 5 through 13 certainly have more character and are, for the most part, quite good. Interestingly, once you get to the 13th and 14th holes, if you look just to the northwest, you can see holes 13 and 14 of the Lost Gold course at Superstition Mountain. You can take solace in the fact that real golf courses with proper staff and amenities DO exist, just over THERE>>> Back to the Asylum: The abject schizophrenia that attaches to how the courses were built has penetrated the rest of the facility. Let me, please, give you a rundown:

First, read the review dated 6/20/2017. This review could pass as my exact experience from a few years before. So, onto the the flyover tour of the course/experience! (Which, for both the DM and Sidewinder courses, you cannot get from their website because they are inoperative. Brilliant!!) Upon driving up, we are met by some of the worst Outside Service staff I have ever witnessed. Surly, unhelpful, uncaring and just downright miserable. Check-in was uneventful. Huge fee raise for Dasani water in 16 oz bottles = $ 3.50 per bottle. Driving range = off of mats with golf balls that haven't been thought about being round for many moons. One positive in this: Look for brands that haven't been manufactured in years. It's fun!! Hey look, there's a Maxfli DDH that is actually flat on one side. Wow, a Molitor that STILL hasn't lost any compression at all and still feels like a rock! A Strata?? A Strata?Really???

Course conditions were passable for the summer. Greens were good, rolling at decent pace and held their lines well. Service? One of my buddies ordered a sandwich on number 4... and we never saw the beverage cart again until 15. AND there was absolutely NO WATER on the golf course, at all. No coolers, etc. This was a summer day where the temps were in the 105 range. By the time we saw the bev cart again, we were completely done. The girl driving was apologetic, stating that she never saw us on the back nine until then. The reason why was that she had bypassed a good chunk of the back side earlier because of the cart path routing (letting her skip multiple holes) and that she just wasn't paying attention to see if any players were on those holes she was about to skip. She did, however, offer my buddy the tuna sandwich he had ordered two hours earlier that had just spent time soaking in the late afternoon summer heat and sun of Apache Junction. He politely declined her offer.

But the pièce de résistance came after we finished and went into the clubhouse to complain about the experience. The guys I played with are all the type who just wanted to go and never come back. I understood that, but having worked in the game for a dozen years, professionally, I felt the staff should know that this was what they were offering up to the players unfortunate enough to expect something different. I found the First Assistant and began to describe the day. He stared at me blankly, like I was just wasting his time. I stopped. And then I asked him just that: "Am I boring you?" His response, verbatim: "Just what do you expect me to do about it?" I turned around, walked out, jumped in the car and have never been back since.

But what I have done is recount this story to HUNDREDS of people, golfers and non-golfers alike. It is the epitomization of every possible negative that can occur within the customer experience realm that exists in a hyper-competitive marketplace. And what is truly mind-blowing about this is the fact that the experience documented on 6-20-17 is the mirror image of one five years earlier. No bueno.

Made the long drive out to Dinosaur Mountain and was very happy I did. This course zoomed up my list of great courses here in the Phoenix area. Layout and views are awesome. Course conditions were very good for summer. Greens were a little dry and coming out of airation but putted nicely. This course is a must play for anyone wanting a great view on the course. Only down side was the driving range (mat only)
Played the Sidewinder as well. That course while a nice course is not even in the same league as the Dinosaur.....

This was my 7th round this week. I played 6 other courses in the area. This was the BEST conditions all round GREAT golf course. The whole staff was most welcoming to me . I played as a single. Played Sidewinder in 2 1/2 hours. I had to play more at this great resort. Awesome views at every turn . This was fun to play. Take photos of your special round . You will dream about this course ! My thanks to the grounds crew, golf shop staff and Garett the cart attendant . All made this 36 hole day most memorable
Vacation. Play this course before you die ! If you don't get into heaven, you will remember this golf course.

As always the course played very difficult.
It was in superior condition
I would recommend playing Dinosaur Mountain
You will not be disappointed with the course however you probably will be with your score.

A short business trip brought me to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, and after extensive research I chose to play Dinosaur Mountain at Gold Canyon. I booked online at GolfNow for $50.

I arrived at the course and immediately took note of the first class facility with valet parking, bag check and excellent club house. I checked in and grabbed a bloody mary to go. The bloody mary was good but nothing special, but it did hit the spot in the 100 degree heat.

I headed to the starter who already had my bag on the cart and ready to go. He advised I could use the range and head out whenever I was ready. The cart included GPS, a cooler and club/ball washer. The cooler was important as there is no water provided on the course.

I hit the range for a few warm up shots. The range was ok and utilized well worn mats. It would have been nice to hit off of grass or a better mat, but it was good enough for a quick warm up.

I then headed for the number one tee box and was immediately impressed. The slightly elevated tee box surrounded by mountains provided a spectacular view. These types of views were found on nearly all eighteen holes and made the round extremely enjoyable.

The fairways at Dinosaur Mountain were perfect. Lush, green and so well maintained was impressive for a desert/mountain course.

Greens here were very fast and firm. It was difficult at times to hold the green and putting was extremely difficult. That being said they were in good shape and offered much undulation.

While playing I only hit a few bunkers. When I was in the bunker, they were a bit firm and were filled with what I would call desert dirt. After hitting my shot and raking, some of the dirt was clumped together.

All in all, this course a ton of fun and a must play if you’re in the area. The spectacular views, the fun elevation changes, and excellent playing surface will not leave you disappointed. I highly recommend this track and would love to play it again it I ever get the chance.

Same type of Mountain course as Troon north. Great layout. Half the price.
Great elevations.

Great course, amazing views, course in extremely good condition, friendly staff.

This is one of the "must" plays in the greater Phoenix area.

Course is in excellent condition. Only issue is that the greens are rock hard and much too fast if you consider how much slope there is on these greens. Impossible to get anywhere near a front pin. Played here last week and saw the same condition, played early today thinking the greens would be softer , not the case.

This is the most beautiful course I have ever played in AZ! It is located at the base of the Superstition Mountains, so lots of scenery!