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Rating Index Rating
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3.3
578 Reviews (578)
5 Stars
154
4 Stars
248
3 Stars
95
2 Stars
53
1 Stars
28
Conditions
3.0
Value
2.8
Layout
3.5
Friendliness
4.1
Pace
3.1
Amenities
3.9
52.4%
Recommend this course
442 out of 578 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
12 Reviews (12)
5 Stars
5
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.1
Layout
3.8
Pace
2.9
Amenities
4.3
StaffFriendliness
4.4
50.0%
Recommend this course
6 out of 12 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.3
23 Reviews (23)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
5
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
8
1 Stars
2
Conditions
3.3
Value
2.9
Layout
3.6
Pace
3.0
Amenities
3.9
StaffFriendliness
4.0
52.2%
Recommend this course
12 out of 23 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Municipal
Style Traditional
Par 72
Length 7333 yards
Slope 130
Rating 75.0

Papago Golf Course is conveniently situated just a few minutes from downtown Phoenix though you would never be able to tell with the peace and seclusion provided by the course's location in Papago Park. The golf course sits at the base of Papago Buttes, past the rugged red rocks you can see Phoenix skyline. The course was designed by William Francis Bell, whom you may know for Torrey Pines in San Diego. The challenging layout features undulating greens framed with strategically placed bunkers and subtle but tricky mounding. Water hazards appear on a few holes as well. It's a tough but straightforward layout that is still playable for a range of skill levels. Since opening in 1963, Papago has hosted numerous events including the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and Phoenix Open Qualifying.

Book a Tee Time at
Papago Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1963
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
GPS No
Pull-carts Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Caddies No
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Bar

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 College Courses in the U.S. (2020 #23)

Reviews

3.3
578 Reviews (578)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 19
19th Hole Scenic Views 8
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 73
Undulating Greens 51
Plays Long 50
This course/club is great for:
Locals 67
Advanced Golfers 57
Walkers 56
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 85
Near the Airport 76
Near Local Attractions 37

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Don't play until construction is complete

They have no business selling tee times to people while they're undergoing course renovations. This wasn't a minor inconvenience with regards to a few areas, every single hole had some form of construction activity. They have you play only certain holes, and you play them twice.

Staff were friendly. Course was not.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Papago is just looking for handouts to fund their construction!

This course may be beautiful someday but between Papago and Golf Now it is not clearly stated that you will not even play a full 18 holes of golf. You get to play 10 and they throw in there that you can go around twice. There are no cart paths and the GPS will shut down your cart for trying to menouver around the multiple tractors actively digging in the bunkers while you tee off. You are instructed to yell fore so you don't hit one of the 10 yellow shirt employees bravely raking sand around the landing zone. Between the tractors digging and the constant mowing this course is just unsafe and the course manager should be fired for thinking this is okay to do this to not only the workers out there getting nailed by golf balls but the CUSTOMERS that have to deal with EVERY hole under construction. They need to close down and fix the course and stop taking peoples money for a half-assed course. Garbage 🗑

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Papago Golf Course has beautiful views

I highly recommend Papago Golf Course because the views of Camelback Mountain as well as the Buttes near the course are spectacular. The golf shop as well as Lou’s Grill are top notch. The course is fun and has many par 4 and 5 holes. You will enjoy it and I highly recommend it.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Lack of disclosure

We made a tee time and looked forward to playing one of the Valley's most underrated courses. However, when we got there we were informed the range was closed and there were a 'few' temporary greens (there were four). Because of on-going construction the course played as a par 65, the bunkers were concrete (which resulted in multiple lost balls when we couldn't find where the bounces of the concrete ended up) and the course was basically torn up. A little advance disclosure would have been helpful--I had out of town guests that weren't very happy with my choice of courses Very disappointed

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

ASU Course - Had to play it

Stay away until 2023, full construction mode in progress on complete remodel. Think it will be a real great makeover when complete if not made too expensive.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 125
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Under Construction

Course is under complete construction. Should not really be open. 8 of front nine holes only and 1 3/4 hole on the back. A few temp tee boxes and greens. No sand in bunkers etc. The course will be nice(r) than before when finished but seems a real stretch if the are able to finish by 2nd week in November. I would wait until next summer to try and play again. In the meantime, keep up the work but don’t raise fees thru the roof.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Under construction, not even worth the reduced rate

Was not aware that the course would be under construction and that several of the holes would be out of commission. Given this, I think there are better options for the $50/person rate in the area. I also think that a little bit of notice would have made a difference too, not finding that out the morning of showing up

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bad day

We booked the course on line and there was a disclaimer that there would be 2 temporary greens and some construction. When we arrived we were told that we would be playing the front nine twice instead of the entire course. I accepted that although begrudgingly. The paths between tees were just awful. Large pot holes, ruts, roots, dust etc. Pace of play was fine at first, but really backed up on the second nine. Outside staff were very friendly and supportive.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 52
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Less than Expected

The course was under construction with the front 9 being unavailable for play. The back 9 had two temporary greens and tee boxes were considerably shorter than normal. There was no indication of the current conditions on the website when booking which is extremely disappointing. The staff was friendly and helpful. Overall disappointed in the experience.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

under construction, only 9 holes open

we were not informed until driving there that it was 9 holes only. They said we would have priority to play the back 9 again for our 18 hole booking but 3 groups were lined up after our first 9 holes so we quit. Then the computers were down so no refund!! "Call back tomorrow or here is a free replay card." No thanks! Suckered me once, won't be back.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course under construction so lots of construction activity

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Terrible

I understand courses have to make improvements, however the extent of the construction was not communicated through GolfNow or from the course. Total trash! To charge people money to play there when half the course is unplayable was a poor strategic move. Close the whole thing down. Paying $70 for a course that turns 2 of the par 5s to par 3s is bs. I will never go back whether it’s looks good or not after construction.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Under construction

The front 9 was closed so I played the back 9 twice. The 10th and 18th have temporary greens that might as well just not exist. 11-17 are mostly ok other than some off riding in between the holes. The price for what you get is just not worth it. I’ll come back once all of the construction is done and see if it’s worth it then

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 40
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

This course is a mess

The course is completely tore up, maybe in six months or a year it will be good but right now it is not playable. You would have no idea where the next hole is. Not a good course to play right now.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Gonna be very nice!

Hard to judge completely as one hole was closed and several others with construction related issues. But the holes that are done are in great condition and the update to others looks promising. Will look forward to coming back when the remodel is done. Range is nice and Lou’s bar and grill is a great place for lunch and drinks. Staff very friendly and facilities excellent. Expect 5 stars soon.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
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Golf Packages

The Phoenician Golf Around Package

FROM $237 (USD)
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at the Scottsdale Marriott Old Town and 3 rounds of golf at The Phoenician Golf Club, Westin Kierland Golf Club & Papago Golf Course.

Grass Clippings Golf Getaway Package

FROM $247 (USD)
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE | Enjoy 3 nights’ accommodations at the Scottsdale Marriott Old Town and 3 rounds of golf at Papago Golf Club, Phoenician Golf Club, and Grass Clippings Rolling Hills.

Camelback Golf Getaway Package

FROM $237 (USD)
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE | Enjoy 3 nights’ accommodations at The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa and 2 rounds of golf at Camelback Golf Club – Ambiente & Padre courses.

Arizona Golf Grind Package

FROM $257 (USD)
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at the Courtyard by Marriott Scottsdale Old Town and 4 rounds of golf at the Phoenician Golf Club, Longbow Golf Club, Papago Golf Club, and Eagle Mountain Golf Club.

The Fairways of Fountain Hills Package

FROM $197 (USD)
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE | Enjoy 3 nights’ accommodations at a Private Home or Condo rental and 3 rounds of golf at Eagle Mountain, Sunridge Canyon, and We-Ko-Pa (Cholla or Saguaro Course).
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