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3.6
5 Reviews (5)
5 Stars
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Conditions
4.0
Value
4.0
Layout
2.5
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.0
60.0%
Recommend this course
3 out of 5 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Private
Style Desert
Par 72
Length 6815 yards
Slope 145
Rating 73.5

The golf course at the Ancala Country Club is a challenging course set in the Sonoran desert, nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. The fairways and undulating greens, known for their speed, are immaculately manicured. The course has a target-style layout with well-placed bunkers guarding most of the landing areas, including the greens. A lake runs the length of two holes, creating water hazards, and desert ravines run across the lush fairways. The course is known for the challenging game it offers, making shotmaking and accuracy a priority. Ancala Country Club also has five sets of tees for several different golfing options.

Course Details

Year Built 1990
Fairways Bermuda 328 Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
GPS No
Pull-carts No

Practice/Instruction

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

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Collared shirt required, no denim

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Reviews

3.6
5 Reviews (5)
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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
First Time Playing

Vet tournament

Played in a tournament benefiting SEE 4 VET foundation. Course was beautiful. Glad I got the chance to play

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 01/11/2023

Thank you for your review. We’re happy to know that we’ve exceeded your expectations and hope you have a chance to play at our club again soon!

Played On
Reviews 103
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 250 Contributor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Be Straight

I played this course as a guest. I found the staff on and off the course to be very friendly and helpful.

I am not from Az and as such, i had not played in several months. My host was kind enough to have our group play off the Greens which measure 6300 plus.

This course is not for bombers, I only used driver on 3 and 16. The greens are smallish and have plenty of character, so making sure your second shot positions you to score is critical.

Since I hadn't played much, it took awhile to get the putter working. I found the speed of the greens to be fast but fair.

I liked the course and the people.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 38
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
2.0
Arizona Advisor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Ancala Country Club: Golf's Version of a Crowded ...

Pick the environment - A train. Cab. Elevator. Theatre. Can of sardines. Keeping that thought in mind (one of claustrophobia), I always recall golf courses that were built upon too little land, often times shoehorned into developments where the game was viewed in a secondary fashion. Long dead Turtle Creek Country Club in San Antonio was one of those. Yet Willinger's Golf Club in Minnesota and the original design of Longbow, in Mesa... these are (or were) all designs that actually make you feel pressured by a lack of space and that's simply because the designers used so little turf to play upon. Years ago, I had a chance to play a few rounds at Sahalee, outside of Seattle. This was where Colin Montgomerie said: "From above, I'm sure it looks like you can only walk single file down the fairway." While it was true as to the tightness of the course due to the trees, it was STILL playable. That CAN NOT be said about Ancala. This is quite literally Red Mountain Ranch's Soul Mate.

Nut and Bolts: Website - Spool up the website and the first thing you see is a pop-up that offers the next TEN GOLF MEMBERS a $3500 discount and complimentary cart fees for the next 6 months. Click on the Learn More button and what do you get? Hmmm.... Dye-Design Golf. LOL. Uhhh, that ain't Pete, by the way. ARCIS Golf. Ooooff. Not a good gig there, either. Nate Oberhofer is the Head Golf Professional and THAT is the one HUGE positive that this membership has going for it.

Driving - Pete's son Perry Dye designed this course, thus the Dye-Design moniker. For the most part, the driving is pretty tight. Looking at the yardages below, you can see that taking a 3 metal or hybrid, even a long iron on many of these tees will just make sense.

Approach shots - Tees at 6800, 6250 and 6000 with slopes at 139, 133 and 130. You choice will dictate what the loft will look like for the incoming iron play. The greens are notoriously firm, so keep that in mind.

Green Complexes/Surfaces - Small to very small. Most often there is open area to play the ball on the ground into the greens, but, again, the surface areas are minimal. Turf conditions on the surfaces have never been to my liking. Not sure if it is simply a cost-driven consideration or if the club wants hard, firm, fast on small, hard to hold greens. Their call, not mine.

Staff and Membership - This is one of those places where the ego is allowed to run rampant. The members are terrifically proud of their course and often that mind-set is amplified by the Staff. Pride is one thing. Hubris is another. That has ALWAYS been the case with Ancala. I'm not sure if a propensity for haughtiness and arrogance is included in the membership review (and given a big green check mark), but there are a few clubs in the Valley that suffer from it. As Kurt Vonnegut would say in his book Slapstick: "Hi Ho!"

Experience it once and tell me I am wrong.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/03/2020

That is one of the most in-depth, thorough, and comprehensive reviews I’ve seen. Great job and thanks for the info.

Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

poor layout

Ancala is a private course that features a golf course that is incredibly tight. The tee shot is the hardest shot on each hole which gets rather repetitive. The course feels too packed together as the houses are very close to the fairways and seem like they bear down on you. A few holes on the course are simply dumb, like number four. The course plays extremely short as it is always as hard as a rock. Greens are normally decent but also rock hard so not too playable for an average player.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Accuracy off the Tee Box!

Private course with a great staff. I played a complimentary round and they were very accommodating. Course was in great shape (especially for the summer in Scottsdale, AZ). The course is very narrow and the greens are often protected with bunkers or have false fronts. Ancala defines Desert Golf to a tee (no pun intended). It's a challenging course but if your accurate of the tee box you will be fine. I would definitely recommend this course to a friend.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
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