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Rating Index Rating
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4.7
908 Reviews (908)
5 Stars
624
4 Stars
226
3 Stars
35
2 Stars
19
1 Stars
4
Conditions
4.8
Value
4.4
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.6
95.0%
Recommend this course
855 out of 908 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.7
27 Reviews (27)
5 Stars
23
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.8
Value
4.1
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.7
96.3%
Recommend this course
26 out of 27 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
48 Reviews (48)
5 Stars
43
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.9
Value
4.4
Layout
4.8
Pace
4.7
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.7
95.8%
Recommend this course
46 out of 48 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Whirlwind Golf Club consistently earns top marks for immaculate course conditions, with fairways and fast, true greens impressing golfers even during Arizona's hottest summer months. Friendly staff from bag drop to starter, combined with strong value and smooth pace of play, make this a must-play destination.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Style Desert
Par 72
Length 7029 yards
Slope 127
Rating 72.7

Devil's Claw is one of two golf courses at Whirlwind G.C., part of the Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino on the Gila River Indian Reservation near Chandler. In addition to its views of four mountain ranges -- South Mountain, the Estrella Mountains, the San Tan Mountains and the Superstitions -- Devil's Claw overflows with Native American culture.

A round on the Devil's Claw at Whirlwind Golf Club begins on Greasy Mountain, a par-4 424-yarder that faces Muh-wah Ha-dahk - the Gila River Indian Community's name for South Mountain. Things get long on the fifth, Maricopa Journey, a par-5 593-yarder designed to memorialize the travels of the Pee-Posh (or Maricopa tribe) from the Colorado River to where the Gila and Salt rivers meet. Go home via Going Home, the 18th hole, a par 4 that measures 442 yards from the Black tees. As the Gila River Indian Community sings it, "Our songs are ending as you go your separate ways, take along with you the good songs that were sung here today, as within your hearts."

Don't go straight home: You can still fit in another song after golfing the Devil's Claw golf course at the Whirlwind Golf Club in the clubhouse, which features a fully stocked bar and plenty of plasma televisions for relaxing and catching up on other sports.

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Course Details

Year Built 2000
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Winter: Rye, Summer: Bermuda
Golf Season Year round
Architect Gary Panks (2000)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
GPS No
Pull-carts No
Caddies No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Yes
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code No Denim, Collared Shirt and Bermuda Shorts Required

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Lounge, Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities, Locker Rooms

Available Activities

Riding

Available Sports

Tennis

Accolades

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Reviews

4.7
908 Reviews (908)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 40
Patio Dining 29
19th Hole Scenic Views 17
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 69
Undulating Greens 52
Forced Carries 33
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 49
A Weekend Splurge 45
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 44
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 54
Convenient to the City 48
Worth the Drive 46

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course

Having played this course several years before my memory of the layout was dim. The signage and the GPS were excellent ,as if you had a forecaddie to direct you. The greens were in excellent shape, very receptive and rolling true. Overall it was an excellent day to be alive!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good value and conditions

Played Devils claw. Impressed with conditions and layout. Pace a bit slow at first but Marshall was on top of it later. Only minor complaint, cart service is lacking. No food , no Caesar drink spices, exhorbident charge for coffee and baileys. I know...first world problems!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Best day had by all

Weather was great, condition of course was immaculate and we played 18 in 3 hours. Food at course excellent and affordable. Overall a perfect experience. Can't wait to play again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Most golf experiences start when you pull up to the club house and unload your clubs. Usually you unload them yourself. At Whirlwind, you are greeted by a young man that immediately warms your heart for being there. Any business starts with who is the face or first representative you encounter.. this continues thru check in, your warm up facilities to on the course. The courses are always in prime condition and very enjoyable to play. As usual we have some scores to settle at the end of our round of golf, and the staff in their bar and grill is the best. For the money, Devils Claw is more than a five star golf course. Every golfer should make Whirlwind part of their golfing experience.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Always Good at Whirlwind

Both of these courses (Cattails and Devil's Claw) are outstanding layouts. Miss the fairway, pay the price! Don't go looking for your ball because there are snakes out there! Great desert tract, kept in great shape most of the year 'round. The staff is always helpful. The practice facilities (putting green is huge and range is good) are good. The grill/restaurant is a hidden gem with outstanding food (go for the Philly sandwich - on a pretzel roll - yummy!).

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Perfect

We played through a good rain storm, but other than that it was perfect. Great layout and conditions, greens rolled true, and staff were good. This is a must play course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Hole in One!!!

I had played Devil's Claw a few days earlier and loved it so much I just wanted to experience it again.

This time...the experience was EVEN BETTER. The weather was superb, the course was magnificent AND on hole 4 I scored my first ever hole in one!!! Whirlwind Golf resort gave me a commemorative flag from the 4th hole with details of my achievement written on the flag!!! So great!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 36
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 78
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played

Always a great experience

I’ve played here over the years and conditions are consistently good. Very playable course that lets you let loose the driver

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Fantastic desert course

First day that Devil’s Claw course was opened after overseeding & redoing the sand traps. The course, as anticipated, was in perfect condition. The sand traps had loose sand at least six inches deep in all of the bunkers. The only thing that I could find fault with was that their large putting green at the clubhouse was kind of burnt out and fast compared to the actual course greens that were lush and not tightly cut. Therefore it took a few holes to determine the actual speed of the greens.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

First time experience

So the course is great and the staff are friendly. My biggest complaint is that the ranger at the start forced every group to play as a 4 some. I've been asked before if I was willing to play with a stranger when a course is busy and sometimes yes and sometimes no. But when I'm forced to take an extra person to a 3some, I'm gonna be displeased. If your course is overbooked that is your problem not mine. I should not be required to add to my teams just because your wanting to maximize your profit. So, unfortunately, even though the course was gorgeous and the staff friendly, I will probably not play here again. Your supply demand issues are yours not the players.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Worth your time

Devil's Claw is a very challenging layout and plays quite long from the gold tees. Probably too difficult for a higher handicap player. Several of the par fours play uphill and long, and a fairway wood or hybrid will be needed, even for a better player. Par threes are very reasonable and shouldn't be a problem. Par fives are very enjoyable. This is a course that the player needs to think his or her way around, and can't be taken lightly. I would recommend it for a better player, but a short hitter will have a long day. This is a Troon Management course, and as such is well done.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 32
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Great time

Two great courses

Greens rolled true

Awesome staff

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 244
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Arizona Advisor
Verified Purchaser
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Love This Course

I have reviewed this course and its sister course--Cattail--on prior occasions. The fairways, greens and amenities are all top notch even in the hottest days of summer in Arizona.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/11/2019

Wondering how your experience was with the bunkers and pro shop staff? I will be visiting the area in November and was hoping to play here but some recent reviews regarding sand and staff have put me off.

Cheers!

Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Is there a Management issue here?

8/11/2019 - All sand traps are being redone and are considered grounds under repair. Most of tee boxes and large sections of fairways and areas around the greens have been resodded and are not recovering well. But from booking to check-in to the send off from the starter, not a mention of the poor conditions (other troon courses have called me after a booking when greens were punched to let me know the course is not up to the typical quality standards-not so here)

Furthermore pace of play was the worst I've ever experienced, not because of slow play but rather management overloaded the course by stuffing 25 foursomes in front of our 6 AM group. Our round was 5 1/2 hours with 1 1/12 of that just in that last 3 holes! Management should have never sold these morning tee times if they were going to do this. While this could have been an Isolated miscalculation, the Members we were playing with indicated it has become more common lately.

I would recommend passing on this course until you see some turnaround in these reviews. I know I'll be taking my money elsewhere for now.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Getting close...

All sandtraps are being re-done and were out of play with free drops today. But rest of course was in really good shape. Cant wait to play this course in 4 to 6 weeks. Should be amazing.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
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