We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort

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.

Played this course this last weekend with a group of old friends from the East Coast. We played several other very high profile courses in Scottsdale over the weekend, and all agreed without hesitation that this was our favorite. The tee sheet was full, but in the course of our round we saw only brief glimpses of other groups both ahead and behind us. The course was wonderful both aesthetically and from a golf standpoint. Staff was great to work with. Hope to come back soon.

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.

I could not make it to We Ko Pa during my fall visit to AZ because the course was closed for overseeding. I was excited when it was in the rotation for my annual buddies trip because I have heard so many good things about it.
Perfect conditions. Carpet like fairways and awesome greens that rolled true and were green. By far the best that we played the entire week during peak season. I know they have an advantage when it comes to watering and they definitely use it.
The course is very playable from the combines tees although shorter hitters may have trouble with some of the forced carries off the tee box. Holes offer a nice variety of doglegs and strategic options and long hitters can blast away on most holes but you must know where to place your tee shots. Great views on the Cholla and I cannot wait to come back.

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.

Great desert golf experience. Scenic, no surrounding developments and wonderful conditions. Fairways are generous but if you miss by much it can be penal. Key to scoring is in the approach—although the greens are large, if missed in regulation or in the wrong spot, scoring is difficult. Greens are undulating and challenging, but very fair. Must play course for the desert experience and challenge.

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!

I got to play the Cholla course on a perfect Wednesday while vacationing in AZ. I had played the Saguaro course 2 years ago and loved it, so I had high expectations for Cholla. With temps in the 70's, it was a perfect day to let the ball fly. We played the Composite tees at 6500 yards, and that was right on for us. Every aspect of this course was excellent on this day from tees to fairways to greens and even the hazards. There are 18 clearly unique holes on Cholla that use elevation changes and natural effects to challenge your game. You must be careful to cautious when putting, as some putts can easily get away from you if you are too aggressive. We enjoyed every minute of the 4:20 we spent on Cholla. It was a perfectly paced and well managed round on this deservedly busy golf destination. The only back up was at the halfway house on the 10th tee that we hit at exactly 12:00. I would urge any golfers, regardless of handicap, to get a round or 2 in at We Ko Pa if you are anywhere within 50 miles of it. You will not be disappointed. I assure you that.

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.

Cholla is a very fun course, I played all 36 and will be writing an additional review for Saguaro. We started the day with Cholla and I was really looking forward to playing here. Very cool restaurant and pro shop area, they have a fire pit as well which was quite neat. We Ko Pa had least friendly/welcoming of the 5 courses we played during our trip, which was disappointing. It was fine, but when we compared to the others we realized they were the only course to literally not say "Welcome". This is being picky but for the money being comparable to Grayhawk and Troon, this could have been better. The starter was the nail, by far the most unwelcoming started of our trip. The 2 guys we were paired with felt the same thing. Now to the course, awesome views with some memorable holes. I enjoyed the course but felt it wasn't nearly in as good of shape as Saguaro. Bunkers were good, well groomed and they played pretty fair. A few were packed and hard to play out of. Greens were pretty good minus a few bad patches but that happens everywhere. The views are spectacular on both courses, the mountains were a great back drop. This course, like most in this area, is pretty tough. Keep it in the fairways or you are playing in spots you will regret. I recommend this course, but if I could only play 1, it would be Saguaro. Great place but the least friendly staff I dealt with on our 5 course trip.

Love We Ko Pa, don't feel like the Cholla course gets the love it deserves, Cholla recently underwent renovations which only improved the product. Cholla/We Ko Pa are a must on your next AZ trip.

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.

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.

I'm a huge fan of Scott Miller designs and in my opinion the Cholla is a better layout and is far more challenging. The course is a lot tighter and the sight lines from the tee and fairway are more demanding. The greens seem to have more variation as well......I definitely don't agree with the slope ratings being so close to each other....Cholla should be 5 points higher.

This course is in my top 5

This is a tough golf course, but unlike it's sister course it is fair. Plenty of bunkers, but they are sand, not dirt and they don't have stones in them. The layout will challenge you off the tee & on many of the approach shots. I would definitely play this one again.

This course was amazing. It was in beautiful shape and every hole is one of a kind. The greens were rock hard and fast, which is ideal for someone looking for a challenge. Plus, the views are breath taking. This is a must play when going to the Phoenix area.

I recently played the Cholla course and absolutely loved it, especially the front 9. The layout is spectacular and the setting is beautiful. The conditions were perfect as well, the greens were pretty firm but i wish they were a little faster considering how firm they were. My only complaint was with the bar at the turn. We quickly went up to the bartender and asked if there were any quick meals specifically made for golfers at the turn. He said yes, breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches. We ordered 4 breakfast burritos and I kid you not they took close to a half hour. We were getting relatively impatient and when we finally got them we had to slyly cut in front of another group making the turn which is a complete pain and rude to do but we didn't have a choice.

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.