McDowell Mountain GC: #18
View of the 18th hole from McDowell Mountain Golf Club
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Rating Index Rating
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3.9
1033 Reviews (1033)
5 Stars
362
4 Stars
439
3 Stars
134
2 Stars
59
1 Stars
39
Conditions
3.9
Value
3.6
Layout
4.2
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
77.8%
Recommend this course
858 out of 1033 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.6
13 Reviews (13)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.8
Layout
4.2
Pace
3.7
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.2
76.9%
Recommend this course
10 out of 13 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
54 Reviews (54)
5 Stars
21
4 Stars
19
3 Stars
6
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
5
Conditions
4.0
Value
3.8
Layout
4.3
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.3
75.9%
Recommend this course
41 out of 54 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Style Desert
Par 72
Length 7118 yards
Slope 133
Rating 73.1

Nestled in the heart of Scottsdale, McDowell Mountain Golf Club offers a premier golf experience surrounded by breathtaking desert landscapes and panoramic mountain views. Known for its exceptional course conditions, friendly atmosphere, and signature Arizona scenery, the club blends challenging play with unmatched beauty. Whether you're here to test your game, enjoy a casual round with friends, or take in the spectacular sunsets from our clubhouse patio, McDowell Mountain Golf Club delivers a true desert golf experience that is both memorable and inviting.

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McDowell Mountain Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1999
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens TiffDwarf Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Randy Heckenkemper (1999)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes - "McDowell Mountain Learning Center"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Yes
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Collared shirt required, no denim

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities
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10 rounds of waived fees
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$120 in tee time credits
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Reviews

3.9
1033 Reviews (1033)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great golf great value

Course was in good condition including greens. Marshall kept play moving. Compared to other similar courses in the area, this is an excellent choice.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Excellent Day

Had friends in town for vacation. Between the four hour round and then the 2-3 hour lunch spent about 7 hours at course. Did not feel that way. Prompt and courteous service. Course was in great condition. Positively would recommend again. Plan on playing again throughout the year even though I live on the NW side of town.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Nice Clubhouse

Pace of play was horrible player attendant said on the 12th hole thanks for your patience waited on every shot. Waited to tee off on the 1st hole by 15 minutes from our booked tee time. Wouldn't play again.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

McDowell Mtn

Great facilities, and course conditions! The greens were in awesome shape, and the course offers a lot to all golfers at various skill levels.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 74
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Used cart

Fun Course but challenging

Enjoy the opportunity to drive into receptive fairways. Challenging approach shots but fair. Something here for all players. Really appreciated the Players Assistant on the course. He was courteous and kept the group in front of us moving. The result was we played in 4:15. Great job!

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Course is great to play.

Everytime we come to Scottsdale we like to play McDowell Ranch. It is a great course!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Highly Recommended!

I played on a Thursday morning during spring training so the course was pretty busy. Got paired up with a couple who were members which was positive as they had good course knowledge.

Very nice track with plenty of diversity and interesting holes. The power lines noted by others are frankly not a factor and really did not diminish the course for me. Good pace of play and very friendly staff. Will definitely play this course again!

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Promo

I was offer a discount promo from golfnow for my birthday but when I tried to us it to book this round it said "not available" at this time, with no explanation ? It was disappointing !

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Not Worth It...

An abused Golf Course, from the practice range to the fairways and the greens...
One of the worst greens conditions in memory.
Over booked, had to wait 15 minutes at the driving range, no chance on putting green(s)...AND you are charged for practice balls!
#10 and #18 hug the driving range...wear a helmet!
If not for the weather, what a disappointment. And it cost $100.00 each....

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

A nice walk-

It was a little crowded but did not slow us down until the last three holes. Wildlife on the course Quail, Dove and a Road Runner. Very playable with challenges and some varied sand in the traps. The greens were true and at a good speed for a mid handicap player. People I played with were very nice and knew the game. Round played 4 hours and 7 minutes with slight delay as noted above. I would return.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

SNowbird

Pace of play was good until 17/ guy fishing for balls out of lake

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 358
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Arizona Advisor
Verified Purchaser
Top 25 Contributor
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

All around nice place to spend the day, a treat.

Had a free round from Golf Now so headed further afield for a change of pace. I mismanaged my timing from the far east valley to Scottsdale so consequently hit the pro shop one minute shy of my 12:05 tee time and they got me out there in the blink of an eye. What I remember of the restaurant and pro shop was very nice. No time for range balls or putting and to my surprise nobody else on the first tee. I wound up playing the whole round as a single between two foursomes.......and it was great. Totally relaxing day, plenty of time to figure yardages from the book and enjoy the solitude. Certainly I practiced putting on every hole to fill time and hit second shots whenever I was peeved with my abilities. Saw the marshal and the cart girl twice per side. Fourteen of the holes play along the power line corridor with nary a home in site. One, nine, ten and eighteen play perpendicular between the clubhouse and the corridor and have homes. Traps had good sand, greens were large, medium fast and undulating, fairways were made interesting and challenging with shapes and bunker/waste area placement. Maintenance was generally very good. Really the only negatives I can think of were range balls in number 10 fairway and the patrons were less than stellar about fixing ball marks. I know some people don't care to play around power lines but they were not intrusive or "shocking" to me. I'd love to play it again but it's out of my frugal golfer price range.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Chicago 12

Nice course with a very friendly and accomdating staff. Would definitely play again when returnign to AZ. Good location and easy to get to.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 28
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

New design has made course easier to play

Course in great condition and pace of play was excellent.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Locals advantage

My only issue with the club house is locals receive a price advantage which makes travelers like us feel taken advantage of.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Disappointed

Course was ok in itself. Far to many Powerlines which diminishes the the atmosphere. Par 5 #9, disappointing when you havee to play a layup shot for a par 5. Also charging for Range Balls when you have paid to play the course is enough to keep me from returning and/or recommending to others for play.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Tricky greens

great course overall. it's somewhat tight in the fairways. The greens are difficult as they have subtle breaks that you don't necessarily read.

Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Enjoyable Experience

Greens were very nice, smooth, in good condition. Drives must be hit straight or you're ball will end up out of play. The round went by quickly, very little waiting to hit, which was in stark contrast to every other Phoenix based course I have played recently.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 20
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Nice course. Pretty much as expected

I've played this course several times with my wife. We enjoy playing there especially because there are tee boxes that match our level of play. I carry an 18 handicap and my wife carries a 23. I think it's important that there are tee boxes for men under 6000 and this was just fine at a little over 5700. It was a touch under 5000 for my wife. At this distance, I have good chance of breaking 90 and my wife and break 100 - allowing us to enjoy the round a little more.
The fairways and greens were well maintained and most of the fairways gave you plenty of space to land your ball (with one or two exceptions)).
There are two items with which I was less than pleased.
1. At a course of this level, and with the cost of golfing there, range balls should be included. When I asked the fellow at the golf shop whether he knew that most of the negative reviews were about their policy to charge for range balls (and that is was a short sighted policy), he acknowledged the problem, but pretty much said that it's decided at a much higher level.
2. Many of the courses are played near these massive power lines. It gets a little disconcerting when you hear the wires crackling.
While there's little they can do about #2 (the power lines are there for good), they can certainly make the range balls complimentary and remedy my #1 complaint.
All said, however, it's a lovely course in a beautiful setting. They maintain the course well and that's always important.
Finally, this course may have been a little rich for my wallet, but I was able to get on reasonably with a Golfnow twosome card that effectively made the cost only $50 per player. I would generally not spend the $90+ per golfer to play that course, the regular "Hot Deal" price, let alone the rack rate which is much more. For $50 each it was a pretty good deal.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Decent track

Good layout! Tough pin placements made for difficult putts but overall little better than most desert courses. Power lines not a factor.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
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