Courses

The best courses in Scottsdale under $100

December 14, 2022

Finding a golf course to play in Scottsdale is not difficult. With more than 200 courses in the area, Scottsdale is arguably the preeminent golf destination in the United States. Yet, with soaring demand (the region is among the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S.), many of the area’s must plays will set you back a couple hundred dollars. 

Tracking down a quality course with more affordable rates can be an arduous process. We’re here to help with this collection of the Best Courses Under $100 in Scottsdale. These layouts deliver unmatched value and include a Best in State member, traditional desert-style tracks and unique tree-lined designs more often found in the Midwest.

Though most courses have moved to a dynamic pricing system, where the rate changes daily based on demand, we’ve found regularly offered rates for under $100 at each of these layouts. Playing in the afternoon will offer you the best value, but many of these tracks can be found for a reasonable rate in the morning, too.

Scroll on to read more about each course and click around to read reviews from our course-ranking panelists. We hope you enjoy our searchable course database, Places to Play, our new hub for course reviews, experts’ opinions and star ratings.  

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
Public
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club
Maricopa, AZ
4.1
91 Panelists
An annual U.S. Open qualifying site and host to several top collegiate tournaments, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is a long and challenging sand-belt style course. The Brian Curley and Fred Couples design sits on a piece of land that was home to the Ak-Chin Indian Community until a 1912 Executive Order removed the reservation. In 2010, the community recovered its sacred base and opened the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club for all to enjoy.
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Wigwam Golf Club: Gold
Public
Wigwam Golf Club: Gold
Litchfield Park, AZ
3.6
53 Panelists
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.
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Verrado Golf Club: Victory
Public
Verrado Golf Club: Victory
Buckeye, AZ
3.6
58 Panelists

From Golf Digest Architecture Editor emeritus Ron Whitten: Every so often I come across a golf hole so compelling that it overshadows my memory of every other hole on the course. The par-5 18th at The Victory at Verrado is such a hole. It’s a dogleg right from the back tee (590 yards) over an irrigation pond (not really in play for big hitters) to a wide diagonal fairway with a rock escarpment on the left. The second shot is uphill to a green that’s tucked into a box canyon and protected front right by boulder outcroppings.

 

Read our architecture editor's full review here

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The 500 Club
Public
The 500 Club
Glendale, AZ
Situated just northwest of Scottsdale in the foothills of the Thunderbird Mountains, The 500 Club is a player-friendly Brian Whitcomb design that plays over rolling terrain. Though there are elevation changes on a few holes, much of the course is relatively flat, with subtle movement in the fairways. The course often hosts a pre-qualifier for the WM Phoenix Open.
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Raven Golf Club Phoenix
Public
Raven Golf Club Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ
Raven Golf Club Phoenix is a Gary Panks and David Graham design that plays among stands of pine trees, giving it a unique setting in an area dominated by traditional desert layouts. Though most holes are relatively straight, the prominent contouring in the fairways and variety of bunkering prevents the course from getting monotonous. Vistas of the surrounding rugged mountains and Phoenix skyline are present throughout, which paired with the serene setting make this a fantastic public option in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.
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Verrado Golf Club: Founders
Public
Verrado Golf Club: Founders
Buckeye, AZ
3.8
59 Panelists
Featuring picturesque views of the White Tank Mountains, the Founders course is a very playable John Fought and Tom Lehman design. Five sets of tee boxes and generous landing areas coupled with hazardous rock formations and elevation changes make this course enjoyable for a variety of skill levels.
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Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club
Public
Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club
Scottsdale, AZ
This centrally located Scottsdale public course plays to a par of 70 and is just 6,300 yards from the tips, making it play quite short for the longer hitter. That said, the course is often in quality condition and offers scenic vistas of the desert landscape and nearby mountains. Scottsdale Silverado finishes strong with the par-3 18th hole, which plays from an elevated tee to a green guarded by water on the front left.
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Eagle Mountain Golf Club
Public
Eagle Mountain Golf Club
Fountain Hills, AZ
Unlike many desert layouts which are demanding from tee to green, Eagle Mountain is more forgiving. With few forced carries, it’s a departure from the target-style golf that characterizes many nearby courses. There are many elevated tees that provide scenic vistas of the McDowell Mountains.
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Wigwam Golf Club: Red
Public
Wigwam Golf Club: Red
Litchfield Park, AZ
One of three 18-hole layouts at Wigwam Golf Club, the Red course is a playable Robert “Red” Lawrence design with towering pine and eucalyptus trees lining the fairways. The course features one of the toughest closing stretches in the area, starting on the par-4 15th. The long par-4 16th plays to an elevated green, while the par-3 17th tips out at 250 yards. The par-5 finisher plays over 590 yards from the tips, making it a true three-shotter.
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Western Skies Golf Club
Public
Western Skies Golf Club
Gilbert, AZ
Having recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation, Western Skies now boasts improved irrigation and a lighted practice facility. The affordable public layout is flat and forgiving, with wide fairways and minimal rough, making it a great option for beginners. The drivable par-4 18th is a captivating finisher with water up the entire right side, making longer players debate whether to go for the green off the tee.
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Sun City Country Club
Public
Sun City Country Club
Sun City, AZ
Unlike many of the nearby desert layouts, Sun City Country Club is tree-lined and plays closer to a parkland course. The greens are typically in great shape for an affordable public course, rolling quickly with plenty of slope.
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Ocotillo Golf Club: White/Gold/Blue
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.
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Arizona Biltmore Golf Club: Adobe
Designed by William P. Bell—who worked closely with George C. Thomas on designs such as Riviera Country Club and Bel-Air Country Club—the Adobe course was built in 1928 under the direction of chewing gum icon William Wrigley Jr. Over the years, U.S. presidents, foreign heads of state and Hollywood celebrities have visited the club and played the Adobe layout, which sits adjacent to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Resort. The course is a traditional parkland layout with very little elevation change and generous landing areas. Though the conditioning might not be up to the standard of a private club, the Adobe layout is worth playing for its history and subtle strategic elements, including uniquely shaped sharp-edged bunkering.
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