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Whirlwind Golf Club - The Devil's Claw Course
Rating Snapshot
About
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.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 7029 yards | 72.7 | 127 |
| Gold | 72 | 6487 yards | 70.3 | 123 |
| Gold/Silver | 72 | 6268 yards | 69.3 | 122 |
| Silver | 72 | 6034 yards | 68.1 | 119 |
| Silver (W) | 72 | 6034 yards | 74.7 | 130 |
| Silver/Copper | 72 | 5795 yards | 66.6 | 114 |
| Copper | 72 | 5540 yards | 65.4 | 111 |
| Copper (W) | 72 | 5540 yards | 71.6 | 126 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 72.7/127 | 424 | 399 | 593 | 190 | 410 | 564 | 160 | 317 | 441 | 3498 | 407 | 444 | 222 | 361 | 172 | 507 | 425 | 551 | 442 | 3531 | 7029 |
| Gold M: 70.3/123 | 392 | 366 | 566 | 159 | 376 | 535 | 148 | 289 | 411 | 3242 | 376 | 411 | 191 | 329 | 142 | 484 | 387 | 518 | 407 | 3245 | 6487 |
| Gold/Silver M: 69.3/122 | 367 | 366 | 549 | 140 | 376 | 511 | 148 | 289 | 393 | 3139 | 347 | 378 | 164 | 329 | 142 | 484 | 387 | 518 | 380 | 3129 | 6268 |
| Silver M: 68.1/119 W: 74.7/130 | 367 | 342 | 549 | 140 | 348 | 511 | 126 | 268 | 393 | 3044 | 347 | 378 | 164 | 300 | 118 | 461 | 358 | 484 | 380 | 2990 | 6034 |
| Silver/Copper M: 66.6/114 | 335 | 342 | 530 | 140 | 314 | 480 | 126 | 268 | 393 | 2928 | 347 | 345 | 164 | 300 | 118 | 461 | 333 | 459 | 340 | 2867 | 5795 |
| Copper M: 65.4/111 W: 71.6/126 | 335 | 316 | 530 | 123 | 314 | 480 | 112 | 242 | 346 | 2798 | 321 | 345 | 136 | 270 | 98 | 440 | 333 | 459 | 340 | 2742 | 5540 |
| Handicap | 11 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 6 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 9 | 11 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
Hot Deals at Whirlwind Golf Club- Devil's Claw
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Course Details
Rentals/Services
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Bar, Grill, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Lounge, Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities, Locker RoomsAvailable Activities
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Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by ymetivier on 02/02/2026
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Yes it’s this nice Photo submitted by cluadedurham on 12/23/2025
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Photo submitted by Mrgilley on 04/17/2025
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Photo submitted by ituon on 05/29/2024
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Photo submitted by 8zFZ0TTaFkm2HtyuYHcB on 02/11/2024
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Photo submitted by u314161622535 on 12/20/2023
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Great vistas! Photo submitted by daveloney on 02/14/2023
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Photo submitted by u128400273 on 10/10/2021
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Photo submitted by Heated35 on 09/07/2021
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Par 3, #7 - Beautiful! Photo submitted by u000002627226 on 06/02/2020
Need to Improve Communication
The Devil's Claw Course was just over-seeded and "cart path only. I have difficulty walking and no one gave me any indication the course was cart path only until I reached the second tee and noted the continuing "cart path only" signs and asked a marshal. I managed to painfully make it for all 18-holes, but if there had been any indication of the course wide cart path only restriction at the reservation or check-in stage I could have changed courses to Cattails or another venue.
Devils Claw
First time on the Devils Claw. Was paired up with a couple other fellows that new the course WHAT a HELP. Enjoyed every hole greens are VERY fast and not one that didn't make you think not only about your line but speed as well. All staff members were very helpful and courteous. The entire course was in excellent condition. WILL play again and HIGHLY recommend both courses at this wonderful golf facility. Thanks
Whirlwind - Wild Horse
Nice course! Reminds me of Talking Stick South! Very similar layout and grounds. Played Devil's Claw so looking forward to playing Cat Tail later.
Fair & undulating greens, generous fairways, lot's of bunkers and fairly difficult surrounding rough around the greens; that spongy stuff where your ball sits up but there's 2-3" below before you hit paydirt. Gotta play that stuff carefully!
Great Course
Played Devil's Claw on Labor day with a 9:45 tee time. Staff at Whirlwind is always courteous and professional. The course was in very good condition although the bunkers may have had a little too much sand in them. The greens were fast and true. We always enjoy playing here.
Desert Golf
As usual, the course presented well and the playing surfaces were quite good although the the greens were slow.
Very happy to have played there again and the bar staff were welcoming.
Now I Have Played Both Courses!
Devils Claw is about three strokes easier than the Cat Claw course and it is fairly open on some of the holes but it is a nice course and it was very enjoyable playing there.
Poor customer experience with front desk and ranger
One of my guys had a last minute change of schedule and was unable to make it. The front desk stated they had a full tee sheet and would have to charge me for my missing playing partner. He offered me a voucher for next time but really didn't care just wanted the money. I get on the course and it was empty, maybe they are just feeling the summer pinch and need the money. Then the ranger followed my group and hawked us the whole front 9 holes. We started at 7:45am and finished 18 at 11:30am. Well within 4 hours!!! If they are not used to new faces and want them to return get better customer service. Troon managed courses are really losing the focus on people wanting to enjoy their day and hard earned money on something they love.
Pàce of play
No help from the rangers with the pace of play. We asked for help twice nothing was done.
Devil's Claw
Overall good condition, some of the fairways had been cut to get rid of thatch and were quite bare in some areas.
Loved it!
Greens and fairways were in great condition. The staff couldn't be nicer. Overall just a great experience.
Long drive from the north
Experience was enjoyable, staff was very friendly and helpful. Course maintenance was excellent.
Fantastic
Right from the time I got to the facility the staff was amazing allowing me to move back my tee time due to some unfortunate mess up on my part. The cart girl was available often and there was water throughout the course.
Considering the time of year and considering I have played many other courses in the area in the past couple weeks this one was in the best condition by far.
The course was challenging but not extremely tough. Fairways are pretty open and the greens rolled real well and some pin placements added for an extra challenge. I loved the course and will be back to play the other 18 in hopes its as good.
Greens good fairway grass bad
This is normally a very nice course. They must of had a problem with the fairway grass. The greens are in good shape but the fairways are in bad shape. Not up to Troon course standards by a long shot.
Enjoyable and Playable
This is a very nice and playable course. Fairways were in great condition, and the greens ran true. Staff was very friendly; clubhouse personnel were nice and professional. Definitely returning to play again.
Devils Claw 7/25/15
Played the Devils Claw Course & it had some dead spots in fairway plus both right &left sides where the 2nd cut would be had virtually no grass - the biggest issue was that it took 5 hours to play & when we asked the ranger about the group ahead of he said they were fine
rough condition
We played the course in April and loved it. However, this time the fairways were about 75/25 grass to dirt and the greens were running about 7 on the stimp. They claim that the cooler June nights hurt the transition from rye to Bermuda. I guess it was warmer on all the other courses in the valley. I still like the course but wouldn't recommend it until later in the year.
kristen1,
Thank you for your kind comments and for taking the time to write this review. It is true that we are experiencing some difficulty with this year's transition to Bermuda grass. There are some rough spots out there to be sure! Some of it is due to the quick change in high temperatures that we saw last month, but there are several other factors as well. We are working hard on improving conditions and it is getting better each day. Thanks for recommending us and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Wide Open Spaces
The course was good and had wide playable fairways which provides plenty of room for a variety of tee shots. The greens were good and played well. Great course for a bogey golfer like myself.
Great time
The course is great for new players and ones who have been playing for years
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You're right. The course isn't up to our standard right now. We have had some difficulty with some areas of the fairways this summer due to the much hotter temps we experienced in June. The conditions are also the result of damage done to the bermuda grass layer at the end of last summer, when we saw an unprecedented nine inches of rain in September. The winter grass overseeding covered a lot of that damage, but this summer as the winter grass transitioned out, the damage to our bermuda layer manifested itself. We are working very hard to bring those areas of the golf course up to our standard and it is getting better everyday! We hope you will be back soon and that we can change your rating and review with a great experience.