Best golf courses near Chandler, AZ

Just about 30 minutes south of Scottsdale, Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass boasts a world-class practice facility and two very good public courses. For five years, the then-Nationwide Tour hosted an event here, the Gila River Golf Classic, an ode to the heritage of the surrounding Gila River Indian Reservation. The layouts—the Cattail and the Devil's Claw—are routed over 500 acres, with half of that being native vegetation. The courses boast large greens and wide fairways for the most part, but golfers are rewarded for taking on hazards with shorter lines into the greens, which boast subtle but tumbling undulations.

About 30 minutes south of Scottsdale, Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass is an underrated public facility with a world-class practice facility and two very good courses. For five years, the then-Nationwide Tour hosted an event here, the Gila River Golf Classic, an ode to the heritage of the surrounding Gila River Indian Reservation. The layouts—the Cattail and the Devil's Claw—are routed over 500 acres, with half of that being native vegetation. The courses boast large greens and wide fairways for the most part, but golfers are rewarded for taking on hazards with shorter lines into the greens, which boast subtle but tumbling undulations.

Just south of Scottsdale in Chandler, Ocotillo is a 27-hole public facility that more closely resembles a Florida course than one in the Arizona desert. Water is in play on most of the holes on each nine, as the course plays around lakes and trees in a residential community. The many water hazards weave across many of the fairways, creating plenty of risk-reward decisions. The greens offer ample challenge as well, as some have significant undulation and multiple tiers.

Just about 30 minutes south of Scottsdale, Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass boasts a world-class practice facility and two very good public courses. For five years, the then-Nationwide Tour hosted an event here, the Gila River Golf Classic, an ode to the heritage of the surrounding Gila River Indian Reservation. The layouts—the Cattail and the Devil's Claw—are routed over 500 acres, with half of that being native vegetation. The courses boast large greens and wide fairways for the most part, but golfers are rewarded for taking on hazards with shorter lines into the greens, which boast subtle but tumbling undulations.

About 30 minutes south of Scottsdale, Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass is an underrated public facility with a world-class practice facility and two very good courses. For five years, the then-Nationwide Tour hosted an event here, the Gila River Golf Classic, an ode to the heritage of the surrounding Gila River Indian Reservation. The layouts—the Cattail and the Devil's Claw—are routed over 500 acres, with half of that being native vegetation. The courses boast large greens and wide fairways for the most part, but golfers are rewarded for taking on hazards with shorter lines into the greens, which boast subtle but tumbling undulations.

Just south of Scottsdale in Chandler, Ocotillo is a 27-hole public facility that more closely resembles a Florida course than one in the Arizona desert. Water is in play on most of the holes on each nine, as the course plays around lakes and trees in a residential community. The many water hazards weave across many of the fairways, creating plenty of risk-reward decisions. The greens offer ample challenge as well, as some have significant undulation and multiple tiers.

The golf course at San Marcos Golf Resort opened in 1913 and unlike many desert-style courses in Arizona, San Marcos is a tree-lined parkland design. The course, which hosted the 1973 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2014 that improved the irrigation system, added new tee boxes and expanded many greens.

The golf course at San Marcos Golf Resort opened in 1913 and unlike many desert-style courses in Arizona, San Marcos is a tree-lined parkland design. The course, which hosted the 1973 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2014 that improved the irrigation system, added new tee boxes and expanded many greens.