SkeezyWeezle

Phoenix has a number of good quality muni courses. Cave Creek is one of them for sure. Pretty decent layout with good conditions. The northwest side of the valley presents a lot of competition for golfers and this course holds it's own.

This course is not too long or difficult. It is kept in good shape and has a friendly staff at a good price level. This makes it perfect for newer golfers who are ready to take on something longer than an executive course. There is a little water and sand in play, but for the most part, you won't spend all your time hunting for balls on an errant shot. The only real negative for the course is that it has no driviing range and the other prctice areas are minimal.

Las Colinas is a pretty straight forward layout that is playable to all levels. The course is kept in reasonably good shape. It is a good course for beginning and intermediate golfers who are ready to take on full length courses. The advanced player will find the course to be a bit easy, but, it will open up oppurtunity for real low scores by taking on what risk the course does present. All in all, for the price, it is a decent choice for golfers in the East Valley.

Kokopelli is a good golf course that is maintained farily well. There are spots on the course that are troublesome for the maintenance crew. They have been addressing them for a long time now with mixed results. The course has a lot of undulations in both the fairways and greens. This course will give you choices on how to play most of the holes. For the price, it is a good choice in the East Valley.

Southern Ridge is the new name for the old " Bouganvillea" course. Unfortunately, new ownership has yet to bring any new changes to the course. The conditions are still very poor. Most greeens still have burn out, even in the middle of overseed. The bunkers are slowly being worked on, but are still just nasty, muddy dirt. The layout of 6 each par 3,4, 5's is definitely unique, although uninspired and generally flat hole designs do it no help. This is the lowest price course in the Valley for sure and you get what you pay for.

The layout here is VERY boring, not much thought went into it. There are only about 4 holes that are well designed. This course has made a bit of a comeback, as their e-mail a few months ago proclaimed: "we are a goat track, no more"....Well, I wouldn't go that far yet. The conditions have improved, but are still lacking in key areas. This course is OK for the budget concious, novice and senior golfers. Nuff said.......

Bear Creek is an average layout in Chandler. Designed by the Nicklaus Group. Do not however, confuse it for being a "Jack Nicklaus" course. This design is far more average than what Jack produces. The course is always kept in reasonably good shape and the management is currently making subtle changes and improvements to improve the course. Dirt bunkers are being filled with sand. Some of the waste areas between holes are being modified to help golfers spend lees time searching for a wayward ball, which really has a tendency to slow down play on this course. I am not a big fan of the fact that the course is almost bare of any trees, to give it a little character.....and shade in the hot summers here. The fairways are almost always a little too long as well. Overall though, it is an OK course that is not one of the more expensive courses in the East Valley,

Coldwater plays well for golfers of all skill levels. The layout has a good mix of risk and reward shots. The course is generally kept in pretty good shape and has a friendly staff. Their prices are among the best in the west valley, so it is a solid value for your dollar.

Papgo is a challenging course for all levels. The layout presents plenty of risk and reward. The greens are generally pretty fast, but true. The fairways present a good mix of undulations, well placed bunkers and tricky rough. Adding to the challenge is the fact that it's location on the upslope of the Papago hills leaves it exposed to extra winds that come through the valley in late morning/ afternoon. This can make the course play another 4-7 strokes harder. It's location also affords some nice views of those hills that make a pleasant change from the view you would typically get from playing a course in the middle of the city.

This is one of the city of Phoenix's best municipal courses. It has a layout that is playable for all levels, is well kept and has a friendly staff.

Legacy is a solid all around track. It will challenge all skill levels, but remains fun to play. The conditions are always good here. The staff is friendly. The practice facility is nice and convenient to the first tee. Plus, they have some of the best cart girls in the valley.

This course was great....in 1980.....Now it it has turned into a run down layout with below par maintenance. The greens fees are pretty low, so if that is what you are looking for, you will get a playable course for your money.

This course is pretty tough. There are a few holes that are very well designed and visually appealing. There are also some holes that are not well designed ( Volcano Mt- par 3). The course has seen better days for conditioning, but is still kept in reasonably good shape. I have issues with the way the greens keepers let the rough rough and fairways grow out too long. I also think that most of the time, The lawn crew is setting the pins, because they end up in spots that are not even equitable for play. This happens a lot on the weekends too, which slows down play quite a bit. Since you never see a ranger on the course anymore, this can be a pain.

Power Ranch is a playable layout that is good for all levels. No great views, spectacular hole designs or anything like that, but a good all around course, kept in good condition. A solid choice fo golfers in the East Valley.

I believe I have reviewed this course before.....it is tough to go wrong with a Robert Trent Jones golf course. This is his first AZ course and it is a great layout with good views and a challenge to all who play it. There is very little not to like about this course. ( the driving range has been closed for months during construction and the staff can be a little pompous at times). This course stands in comparison to all the good Scottsdale courses. I would say that if you are coming to AZ in winter for a golf outing, that you should think about making the drive to East Mesa to play this one.

Longbow is a nice layout that will challenge your game. It is kept in good condition with one intermittent exception, the greens are often allowed to get too hard and too fast. This makes the course a little unfair when you can't keep a ball on the greens during those times. Because all the green side areas are shaved down tight, a ball can end up in a VERY unfair position for the quality of shot that was made to the green. The course has been rated in the top 20 in the state by golf magazines.... ( maybe...maybe not). One important tip here...when it is hot outside....bring an umbrella and plenty of fluid..This course has 0 shade and not the best drink carts.

First off, this course has no driving range...only a couple of hitting nets, that are usually in disrepair anyway. The layout is spread along a flood plain in Scottsdale and the holes meander in a very strange fashion across that area. You drive past other holes to get to your next one, then double back on them. The layout is a little boring and the maintenance can be more like a muni. This course just doesn't meet the standard that Scottsdale golf has achieved.

I went to this course because I heard the LPGA had played events here. I was pleasantly surprised by the layout. It presented some nicely designed holes that were anything but typical of a muni course. The grass used on the fairways is however, pretty typical of a muni course, but well kept and playable. I was not a big fan of the "dirt filled" bunkers, which is a popular thing to see on many AZ courses...even nice ones. Overall though, a good solid layout that was fun to play.

This is one of the best public courses in the valley. The Palmer is definitely the harder of the two courses here ( Palmer/Faldo). Arnie put together a real gem with this design. It will thoroughly test the pro player, but will allow the weekend warrior to have fun as well. Conditions are always good here. Be warned....missing the fairway carries a stiff penalty, as the rough is thick. The greens are very smooth rolling, fast (11/12), and full of very subtle breaks.

The course is an average layout that has conditions ranging from average down to lacking at best. The course needs a major overhaul. The price is the only draw on this course. It is playable, but dissappointing.