Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club

Played at the Saguaro course for my bachelor party and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We 24 golfers at our outing and It was a perfect day with the temp getting up to 105 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The course conditions/layout were fantastic and the greens were also great, rolled true and weren't too fast or too slow. The course was surprisingly green and lush for this time of year, which you will see by my picture attached. If you really want to experience desert golf at its finest you need to play the Saguaro course at Wekopa. Really love that there is nothing around the course and that you're surrounded by desert. Would most definitely play here again when we comeback to the Scottsdale area.

This course is awesome. Considering this is the offseason for Phoenix golf this course was in solid shape with only a handful of browned out (but not dead) spots. Great layout, routing and shaping done all around this course. Would definitely play this track again next time I’m in town. This course is very architecturally sound.

Today was my first round of desert golf in forever, and my first round in Arizona. I played WeKoPa Saguaro in the afternoon, mid-week.

Saguaro comes very highly rated by both Golf Magazine and Golf Digest, and was recommended to me by a few locals as well. I was also intrigued because it's a Coore/Crenshaw design.

First the good: Saguaro is a great layout. There are a few really memorable holes. Probably my 2 favorite on the course are #4 (609 yd par 5 that plays shorter than that) and #15 (233 yard par 3 to a huge green). The condition of the course was good and the pace of play was acceptable.

Now the average: The staff was just okay. There wasn't a starter in the afternoon on Saguaro. It appears that the other course, Cholla, did have a starter. The staff was friendly but not over the top awesome.

Finally the bad: I was really disappointed with the condition of the bunkers. I know there's only so much you can do in Arizona in May, but I would have expected there to be more sand in them than there was.

If this course would have cost $75, I would have given it 5 stars, but at $114.65, I expect a little more than I got in terms of staff friendliness and bunker conditions. I would play it again though and I would recommend it to others.

Fun layout but the the greens were thin and the course was in generally below average shape. Don’t play here.

A very nice, forgiving course. Big fairways, but if you miss them you'll destroy your clubs try to hit off of the rocks. Windy conditions during our round. I'd like to play it again when it's not quite as windy. My group enjoyed ourselves. We'll be back.

We play Cholla in the morning and came away impressed and then played Saguro in the afternoon and was even more impressed. Fun golf course to play with your friends. I don't know how they did it but the views from Saguro are totally different than Cholla and it actually seems like you're on a different property. Saguro is designed where you have a great view of your surroundings on almost every hole. There are plenty of short par 4's that put a scoring wedge in your hand balanced by some longer par 4's and some great risk reward par 5's. Awesome conditions for peak season in AZ. You still pay too much for it but for me, this course was worth it. I would and will return any time I can.

Absolutly amazing course! Very well in shape, great layout and AMATHING VIEWS! A must playing course.

Sure there are better golf courses in Scottsdale but very few daily fee courses in Scottsdale area can top the quality, fun and consistency of these two courses. (I am rating both courses here as I could not detect a big difference between them). The layouts, conditioning and greens are excellent. Greens were rolling around 10 and you would not want them any faster with the slope and firmness of them.
It’s all so easy with the resort right there, very good food at the course and hotel. Reasonable greens fee and no houses anywhere! Just a few coyotes, roadrunners and quail all over the place. I always come back here because it’s so easy and fun.

First of three I played on Phoenix Open weekend. Fast greens, fantastic layout. Fairways are wide but errant tee shots are gone. Great restaurant for after round meal and drinks. Definitely watch out for the jumping cactus!

Saguaro was my favorite course between the We-Ko-Pa courses. As I stated in my Cholla review, the staff was not the most welcoming but Saguaro made up for it. I loved this course, both have amazing views and memorable holes, but I felt Saguaro was tougher and better maintained. Not as many rough patches in the greens and tees, and the fairways looked nicer. Both courses have great holes, but I remember more of Saguaros than I do Chollas. You feel like you are all alone out there with zero homes and such around the course. It is an incredibly memorable experience and something very unique. I would come back and play Saguaro in a heart beat. Long hitters will succeed, but you need to be accurate our you are playing out of the sand. Greens are great, they move a lot and are lightning fast. Go and play it, experience the wide open desert and enjoy a course that is an absolute blast. You will be humbled, but the fun and beauty of it will mend all wounds.

Played both courses on a 36 hole special today....You can't find better public golf conditions anywhere in the valley! Both are gorgeous and there is not one maintainence issue with either.

Saguaro is a great layout and along with Cholla provides fantastic views. I didn't like Saguaro as much as Cholla from a pure sight line and shot making perspective. The holes were also not as memorable......it reminded me of Coore & Crenshaws North (O'Odham) course at Talking Stick (which is very basic) with some elevation change thrown in.

Still a beautiful course and the facility is second to none.

We played this a day after playing another Coore Crenshaw design, Talking Stick, and although this cost a bit more, it was a HUGE upgrade. The layout was really enjoyable - short par 4s, long par 4s, same with the 3s and 5s. Just a good mix of holes and tee boxes for all skill levels. The condition of the course was nearly perfect, the staff was really great, the views were awesome - it was just a really enjoyable experience. This is one of the best and most enjoyable courses I've ever played - I would love to play it again one day and if anyone is choosing between this and other Scottsdale courses and especially if money is a consideration, just trust me and pay a little extra to play this place, because it's worth it.

Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore are certainly not prolific, by any stretch. They create golf courses judiciously. The Valley of the Sun is blessed to have three of their designs - 2 at Talking Stick and Saguaro at We-Ko-Pa. All three have particulars that draw me to them... But THIS course has a profile and cadence that truly is quite special for the generally cookie-cutter-esque considerations that attach to Sonoran golf. Former Nicklaus Senior Designer Scott Miller's Cholla (he also did Eagle Mountain, just down the road) is the original design at We-Ko-Pa, but, in my opinion, it is NOT the best. Saguaro looks like it was softly blended into the landscape with a master's palette knife and and air brush. VERY low profile. Holes 4, 7, the brilliant short (137 yds) 9th, a split-fairway par five 14th, the spectacularly canted uphill dog-leg right 16th and the huge finishing hole (508 par four from the back) will all make a strong lasting impact. While I love both tracks at Talking Stick (especially the North now known as the O'odham Course), the Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa has more elevation change and greater shot requirements. Play it and find out!

First off, I've never played a Coore-Crenshaw course I didn't like and this is among their very best. I rated this a notch over the Cholla Course, which I also love, simply because the holes are a little more memorable. They both share the incredible views of the Sonoran Desert and mountains and are impeccably conditioned. Depending on the set of tees you play, it can be incredibly challenging, too, but never boring.

Got to do 36 holes on both the Cholla in the morning and the Saguaro in the afternoon. Both tracks have beautiful picturesque views as well as just about perfect course conditions. The facility is top notch from the pro shop/clubhouse to the practice range. Despite the wet morning round, greens still have speed. To me the Cholla plays a little tougher because you must pick your tee shots (target golf) as well as the undulating fairways. The Saguaro to me is a little more forgiving with wider and flatter fairways. Price is a little steep but you definitely get what you pay for.

A few years ago when I first played the Cholla and Saguaro courses at We-Ko-Pa, I curried slight favor towards the Cholla. I don't agree with that anymore at all. I like Cholla, and it is worthy of any area Top 10 list. But the Saguaro is just too good. The pace of play is quicker thanks to the design and more walkable routing (I wouldn't walk Cholla) and the holes roll naturally up and down the landscape. We managed to squeeze in 36 last week in waning twilight. I loved every shot. My favorite holes are the 1st, 8th, 10th, 15th (where I won a closest to the pin -- sorry for bragging but my golf game hasn't had many bright spots lately), but each hole is different. It's truly one of Coore-Crenshaw's best efforts and absolutely worth the jaunt east from Scottsdale.

Played Saguaro Thursday and Saturday on the 36-hole package.

Saguaro has a lot more grass than Cholla, making you think it will be easier - but there several long par 4s (18 was 490!) and some seriously uphill approach shots. A very interesting layout, much different from Cholla. Great fun to play. The only negative regarding the course is the bunkers, which were firm to the point of being packed dirt. Note that the bunker at the practice area has the very different sand from Cholla. There is no way to prepare for the bunkers on Saguaro.

Two notes for management:

1 - Get a ranger out on weekends. An 8:00 am Saturday round should not take 5 hours on Saguaro. We later quit our afternoon round on Cholla after 3 hours, 10 holes, and views of the drunks in front of us driving across #9 green and hitting wedges off #10 green. Kudos to the staff for issuing a credit for that round.

2 - Get some training for staff or hire some friendlier people. Staff does their job OK, but few seem to enjoy being there or try to make your feel welcome.
The beverage cart ladies were a notable exception.

The Saguaro course is extremely pretty with great vistas and views Unfortunately, my experience was marred by an extremely unfriendly staff. The man in the pro shop had a grumpy disposition. The cart guy manning the bag drop was extremely rude and made jokes about my diminutive disposition. The range was inexplicably closed and the snack bar was closed despite what the man in the pro shop told me.

This course was absolutely beautiful and a fun course to play! It had some challenging holes but the layout made them interesting. There were 360 degree views from almost every hole of the Arizona desert and mountains. The staff was very friendly. This course can be a bit a pricey but if you are coming from our of town it is definitely worth paying the money. Arizona resident rates is very reasonable.