Allen Kennedy Photography
Allen Kennedy Photography
Dennis Murphy-DSPAZ
Dennis Murphy-DSPAZ
Overview
The Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed Gold Course is the standout among three courses at the Wigwam—and it's ranked in the top 25 of public courses in the state. The Gold Course was renovated in 2015 and plays plenty long at 7,345 yards from the back tees, with narrow fairways and strategically positioned bunkers along with small greens—making it a stout tournament host.
About
Awards
100 Greatest: Ranked for 18 years from 1969-'86. Ranked 99th on the inaugural list in 1985.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“An old flat resort that has seen its better days in challenging the modern players."
Read More2023
Review
“Stone walls and cactus islands add to a desert landscape oasis. The extremely flat contour and fairly bland difference in hole variety is a bit numbing. However the 4-6' deep bunkers with tan grass-lined accents provide a nice visual effect."
Read More2022
Review
“You’ll feel like you in Florida without humidity. Hardwoods and tall palm trees line some fairways and very little desert can be seen on the course, just grass. From the tips it’s a beast but precision trumps distance on a few holes. Greens tend to fall off quite a bit long and on the sides. Miss there and it’s a significant uphill chip. Missing short is a better option."
Read More2022
Review
“Wigwam (Gold) is proof that a course can simultaneously be challenging for the scratch player and fun for the high handicapper. The Gold course on this mega-resort property has no rough to speak of, wide fairways and very large greens. However, positioning off the tee is everything, and on a number of holes, very strategically placed fairway bunkers that are cut into the fairways at right angles are in just the right spot to force a decision off the tee: take on the bunker, lay up and face a much tougher approach, or shape your tee shot onto the narrower part of the fairway. Despite the lack of rough, recovering from less-than-ideal tee shots is hampered by a variety of tall and expansive trees along many fairways. All greens are elevated and slope back-to-front, but sections of the large greens are separated by moderate slopes. The lack of rough on the green surrounds allows for a variety of recovery shots, and putting is often the best option. With more water hazards and palm trees than cacti, this course feels much more like Miami than Phoenix (low humidity aside). This is not a desert experience. This is a resort course, not a long, hard slog, so the high handicapper will enjoy the round as much as, if not more than, the scratch player. This is low stress golf. You won’t lose many balls or have a lot of forced carries, but it keeps your attention at all times. It’s an easy walk. There is no uninteresting hole."
Read More2021
Review
“Wigwam Gold is a very traditional course that feels like you're in the Midwest more than Arizona. It is a good test, but there's not much creativity to the design here."
Read More2021
Review
“Excellent resort style course with a challenging layout. 18th hole is a beast."
Read More2020
Review
“OK--flat, some water hazards, decent mix of holes and greens are in pretty decent shape; fairways are spotty; this is parkland golf in a desert setting, but other than the heat, you'd never know you were in the desert here."
Read More2019
Review
“A traditional parkland course with a lot of very challenging holes. Playing the back tees will be a real challenge here, but there a number of tees that will accommodate all levels of golfer. It was in good condition the day I played here. I enjoyed my day playing this course and will play it again."
Read More2018
Review
“A very nice parklands course remade and restored in the most unlikely of desert environments. Walkable!!!! Love that. Push-up greens became a bit repetitive. Miss a green, roll down hill. Those greens may be the single most memorable feature of the course. They're interesting and challenging. Also memorable...the how the course uses irrigation canals as hazards. They might easily have been have been ugly. In this case, they worked. Conditioning was exceptional without being over the top."
Read More2018
Review
“Classic course layout by R T Jones, Sr: tree lined fairways, small to medium push-up greens. Nice variety of holes. Plays longer than the yardage indicated."
Read More2018
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