Papago Golf Club

Played Padre about a year ago, and have been wanting to come back for Ambiente since then. Tis' the season for deals in Scottsdale and I finally pulled the trigger.

My take as a golf course architecture geek:

-Conditions were superb -- tee boxes, greens, and especially fairways. Seems like the location/sandy turf preserves well in the summer here. Best I've seen all summer.

-Layout is fun and linksy. Very unique for the area. Out and back layout with no transition at all at the 10th. No elevated vistas but it feels natural. Could play fast but it doesn't, unfortunately.

-Despite the layout, actual routing is not as good as I thought it would be. Still a lot of distance from green to tee...not sure if it's walkable. Lots of restricted cart areas (GPS), which forced long walking approaches to the green and back. If my wife hadn't been driving/cattying, I would have been worn out in the heat (I'm in my 30's). Contrast this to Papago or Talking Stick where you can essentially drive the cart directly to your ball around every green. I find that much more efficient in the summer and "walkable" in season.

-Pace of play was miserable. At this time of year in the weekday, at mid day, I've become used to having courses to myself. I will play through if I have to. Today, I encountered quite a few slow foursomes of elderly and distinguished character. Got tired of playing through. Still, we finished in about 4 hours. That's just the sort of clientele this place attracts...not for the weekday soloists apparently.

-I'll add that the marshal was attentive, charming and wonderful, but could focus more on pace of play and less on chatting it up. I struggled to graciously end a conversation with him as the solo party behind me and I waited on 17th tee, both of us backed up with the 4ball ahead wandering around in the fairway for at least 20 minutes.

-Ladies tees looked thoughtful and gettable without a ton of forced carries. Looked like a good family course. Couldn't drag the wife out into the heat to confirm.

-Amenities are superb, up there with Troon.

Conclusion: Beautiful and unique scottsdale links-style course with an almost-walkable layout, impecable conditions, and cult local retiree following, which hinders efficient play. Would return with a 4 some.

The course was in rough shape. The greens were recently punched and were very sandy. We played the back nine twice as the front nine was closed. Course maintenance is necessary but we should have been more fully informed as to the current conditions.

Great layout, one of my favorites in Phoenix/Scottsdale. Tough course, long par 3s. Definitely a walkable/well designed routing. No concrete cart paths gives a great natural feel to the place. The red rock views are iconic. Green and fairway conditions were excellent. Service was exceptional A couple tee boxes could use leveling and closer trimming. No big elevated tee shots or huge forced carries, but lots of rolling elevation changes that kept the course interesting. Overall one of the best quality and highest value rounds I've had in the area. Will be returning.

The overall condition of the course was good and the staff was friendly enough. The biggest complaint I had was with one of the rudest people I've ever had to be paired with. I had advised the starter of my tee time and let him know I was a single. He said perfect and led me to the first tee and mentioned I could pass the group of three in front of me. The next group to tee off rolled up and all of a sudden I was paired with them to keep the pace of play even, not wanting to be rude I said ok. The gentlemen I got paired with made it a very long round with a lot of cussing, club throwing and uninvited opinions about my life and golf game. It didn't take away from the fact that papago is a great golf club but it really made me consider the people they allow on the course and forcing you to be paired with others as a single.

Second time playing. Only reason I didn’t offer a 5-star overall was cause the greens were punctured up .. typical this time of year in the desert I suppose. But, outside of that, this course is so solid. It’s got all of the right challenges and very calculated bunker placements. Will continue to play when in Phoenix!

Real simple, no beverage cart on the back nine! The Course was in good shape except for the fringes around the greens.

Awesome views course staff was very friendly and excellent customer service

Played from the blues and the course played over 6600. Three of the par 3s were over 200 with one at 245. This was a really long and tough course. Bunkers were strategically placed and deep. The greens were a bit bumpy but you can’t be mad at these conditions in August. Love this course and the staff was super friendly

I decided to take the Monday before I leave for vacation to visit a golf course I had never been to before. Normally I'm on the north side of the valley, but a friend recommended I try Papago, and being a city golf card member the price was right. So this review is for a round of golf in the middle of July that cost me $30. During peak season (and peak price), the expectations may have been a little different.

First, I'll say that the level of service was unexpected and I have never been treated so well at a city course, let alone during the summer when most courses trim back their staff and amenities. I arrived at the parking lot at about 8:10am, and as I was pulling my bag out of my car a staff member rolled up in a cart and greeted me, asking if I had a tee time or was walking on. After giving him my time, he greeted me by name, loaded my bag, and drove me up to the clubhouse. I was quickly checked in, and after heading back out the starter greeted me by name, gave me directions to tee #1, and gave a few pointers as well.

The course was not particularly busy, so pace of play was not an issue today, For a beginner, the course started a little tough for me, especially since I did not spend any time warming up. Wayward shots can be extra punishing as there is not much rough to save you before your ball ends up in dirt and rock. I'll admit, I did kick my ball a few times to get it back onto the grass.

The tee boxes were all in great shape. Fairways were pretty good. Again, July in Phoenix, so a few brown spots are to be expected. I wish there was more grass in the rough and a larger rough, but I believe that speaks more to my handicap than it does the course. Some of the fringes near the greens were scraped down to dirt; looks like they are trying to get worn sections fixed before the fall. The greens had been aerated just a few weeks ago, so speed was inconsistent and I'd frequently see my ball bounce down the green.

I also wish there were more scenic views. It's a shame that a course right up against the iconic Papago Park doesn't really feature it at all. Really the only way to take in the park scenery is from the driving range, which is nestled up against the hills. For most of the course you just get a view of the city.

Finished all 18 holes in just over 3 hours at a nice relaxed pace. As I was dropping off the cart, the staff wiped down all of my club heads and helped me take everything back to my car. Again, for a city course I did not expect this level of service.

So, bottom line is for Phoenix golf in July for $30, this was a fantastic deal and I plan of visiting again in the near future.

Played here after many years away and truly enjoyed the day, other than the pace of play. Fairways were generous and greens were big so knowing where to play to on them would help. Had to be aware of errant shots constantly as there always seemed to be other groups playing towards us on our fairways on every hole which may be why our group lost several balls from the middle of the fairways after going over hills. Loved the course but maybe some signage around tees and greens might stop carts from parking on or driving over them which we saw often, carts parked on tee boxes and in the middle of greens was hard to see. Will be back often

For a course that was at one time a great course has fallen short. Not sure why. For me too much money went into the club house setting and not enough into the course. GCU course is so much better for a college course. I thought since this is ASU home course it would have been in better shape. The greens were punched which was to be expected for this time of year. They need to pump in a lot more money if they want to compete with GCU. I would suggest finding a different course until they bring this one up to what I would expect for an ASU course.

The negative for me it today is that this track is DRY . The greens were rock hard with brown and bald patches and the weird thing is that on some of the greens the pin was placed right on on the bald brown part of the green .... seems like they are just letting it go over summer. Too bad because there are plenty of locals that will play a course that keeps it decent in the summer months. Maybe Ill give it another try in the winter.

The course was is good shape, the greens were quite fast and smooth. The course is moderately difficult. The desert area around the holes could use some maintenance.

Pace of play was good, the cost ($48) on June 14 was fair for the quality and condition of the course.