Camelback Golf Club - Ambiente Course

I very much enjoyed the layout at this course. However, the greens had recently been punched so putting was almost impossible. The fairways and tees were in ok condition but not yet recovered completely from overseeding. They were MUCH better than Legend Trail and TPC Champions courses which I also played within the last week.

Pace of play was awful. There was one group that had 3 open holes but no ranger to speed them up.

Perfect pace of play and the course is in great conditions. Greens had been punched several weeks ago but had recovered well. Lovely day to play!

It was very very hot, but they had ice in the cooler so you could cool off with a towel! Slow play with backup but the Marshall got it going quickly! The only bad thing was there was lots of distance from the golf cart to the tee box & greens with elevation that made it very difficult with the heat but otherwise good course! Will play in cooler weather 108 was tough!

The Ambiente course was fun to play, but the greens were phenomenal. They were fast and true. The best greens I have played in Arizona!

Played Ambiente on Friday, May 1st with an 11am tee time. Paid $250 per person, which turned out to be a terrible value for what we got.

Course Conditions:

The course itself was in decent shape. Nothing spectacular, but fairways and tee boxes were acceptable. The greens, however, were subpar—especially disappointing at this price point. The course lacks any real signature holes that make it memorable. It's a straightforward out-and-back routing without anything that really stands out.

Practice Facilities:

The driving range was crowded and the hitting area was in poor condition. Not what you expect when you're paying premium prices.

Service - The Real Problem:

This is where the experience completely fell apart. We played the entire front nine without seeing a beverage cart once. Not a single time. The halfway house was closed—no explanation, no notice. We actually had to call the clubhouse to ask what was going on. They told us they'd send the cart our way.

The beverage cart finally showed up at hole 13. Then we didn't see her again until hole 18, right as we were finishing. In May in Phoenix, this is completely unacceptable, especially at $250 per person.

Value Assessment:

You're paying for location, plain and simple. This is what happens when a course can charge whatever they want because they're in central Scottsdale near the resort. The golf experience doesn't justify anywhere near $250.

For comparison, I played McDowell Mountain the next day and it was a MUCH better experience across the board. More scenic, better maintained, and the beverage cart actually came around regularly.

Bottom Line:

Unless you absolutely need to play in this specific location, skip it. There are too many better values in the Phoenix area that will give you a superior golf experience for less money.

We had a great day out on the course and finished our round around 6:00 pm. We returned to the cart area and let the staff know we were going inside for a drink before departing. They let us know the entire clubhouse was closed. It was 6:00 pm on a Saturday evening, the course was jammed with players, and the clubhouse is closed. What a huge disappointment as one of the reasons we specifically played at Ambiente was for the amenities.

We have a choice around Scottsdale as to where we play for a total golf experience. It starts when we arrive to the course, and the greeting we receive. Next is the pro shop experience and then practice range. Everything from the time we arrived to the end of the round was great. The 19th hole is part of the experience. Perhaps one area could remain open until course play ends and folks have an opportunity to close their day.

This was my 2nd time playing this course since the renovation. My opinion is essentially the same. The course was in average condition, although the greens very in very good shape.

This course has potential to be much better, but they need to up the condition of the course.

Not a great value for the green fee...

The staff is friendly and helpful. The Ambiente course is challenging and fun.

Played a round with my wife, who is just getting into the game. Fairways are wide, but strategically placed bunkers will grab errant drives. I was in three of them. Conditions were very firm and fast, except for the greens. A fair bit of sand was on the greens, but they were very smooth, if a bit inconsistent in speed. The course description seemed off. I didn’t feel that there were any “significant elevation changes.” The front tees afforded my wife a good chance to hit successful tee shots. No forced carries except on 18. Pace of play was good. Our twosome followed a foursome and we had to wait just a bit on some holes. Finished in 4:20. Carts are excluded from a very large distance in front of the greens, so there is a lot of walking if you leave shots short.

I was expecting a little more in terms of quality and condition. It was fine and challenging just not as good as I thought it would be.

The staff was incredible! Course in great condition.

This is a stunnng course - out and back with few houses nearby. It was in great condition - the greens were fast and true. The best part was that I finished uin under four hours! That's unheard of for a resort course in peak season.