Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino

Love this course — might actually be my favorite course in the Phoenix area. Very fun, playable layout and the course was in great shape. Greens were rolling pure. Friendly staff. Only complaint was place of play, but that seems to be an issue at every course around here. 100% would play here again and would recommend this course to others.

Great course in great shape... Bunkers have the best sand compared to other courses I've played in Tucson and Phoenix area.

Pace of play very slow. Marshall simply told us that we were on pace...NOT.

Was a bad dust bowl due to high winds.... avoid on a super windy day if possible

I enjoy playing Southern Dunes. The practice area, the course, the staff and bar area are all really nice. The pace was slightly slow but a great time nonetheless.

Outstanding course. Lots of traps. At least 1 in driving range on every hole!!!

Great course. Firm, challenging greens. Nice fairways and layout. 2nd time playing and did not disappoint!

I love playing southern dunes, even as the wind was gusting 20mph. They take great pride in maintaining their course. Will be playing it again

The Good

- From the moment you pull up to Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Course, you can tell you're in for a complete golf experience. When I arrived, the bag drop attendant was very attentive and pointed me in the right direction to the pro shop.and restrooms. We chatted about the course as was very excited to play a Fred Couple's designed course, being from Seattle and all.

- After checking-in, the bag drop attendant loaded my bag on the golf cart and I rode a short distance to the driving range. The driving range was great, grass hitting area, unlimited balls, and good yardage targets to calibrate your distances and ball flight. As usual, the range balls are flight limited and don’t have the same feel as a quality ball you would typically use during your round. The chipping and putting areas were also on-point and provided an accurate feel of grass and greens on the course.

- With the above being said, the greens are incredible...very very fast, very very firm...this is not a course where you're seeking to hit the flagstick on your approach shot as the ball will inevitably roll off the backside of the green and likely into one of the numerous bunkers throughout the course. The greens are so firm that your ball will not leave a ball mark from an approach shot. This is a course which caters to players who can hit quality bump and run shots; high lofted wedge shots, and those who can impart hella backspin on the ball to hold the greens. With that being said, the putts roll true to quality reads and behave accordingly to the break, slope, undulation, and grain. The areas of the green that are in the shade also rolled slower than those in the sun, which was appreciated after a couple holes.

- The tee boxes were in great shape, with clear demarcation of the yardages. Additionally, all the carts have GPS technology with screens that display the total yardage to the flagstick, touch point yardage to areas you want to hit at, as well as an approach-view that shows the undulation of the green so you can properly assess how you want to play the shot. The approach shotn feature was very useful as a first-time player on the course because tye greens are firm and many are elevated so you don't know your shot result until you walk up.

- Similarly, the fairways were also in fantastic shape. The grass slightly elevated the ball so you didn't have to take as large of a divot to ensure ball first and center-face contact, but was also not so high and fluffy like second cut or fringe grass. You can tell the course maintenance staff takes pride in their work and avid golfers will appreciate these conditions.

The Bad

- The only bad thing I can say about the course is manybofntge bunkers were hardpan and inconsistent. I'm speaking from the experience of my playing partners who often found their tee or approach shots funnelling into the bunkers. Its understandable that with so many bunkers on the course, the maintenance cannot rake every single one, every single morning. So the best advice I would share is stay out of the bunkers and if you do go, club up and utilize the bounce as well as you can.

The Ugly

Finally, I provide the ugly... the desert mosquitoes. Nothing can prepare you for the amount of mosquitoes that swarm around in the late afternoon. Apparently it's because they water the course in the morning and when it dries the mosquitoes come out. We didn't really experience it from holes 1-13. However beginning on hole 14 it was apparent that they were everywhere. Believe me, it will impact all of your shots because as you set up to hit and are still, the mosquitoes buzz around your ears, eyes, mouth, and will even land on your shirt and pants to try and suck blood. The course knows it's an issue and has OFF Bug Spray on deck to mitigate the problem, but it wasn't that effective.I would strongly recommend you bring your own bug spray, something strong and long-lasting like White Mountain Bug Oil which I use because it's natural oils and DEET-free. It's so bad it made me want to just leave and my otherwise fantastic scorecard was ruined because every shot, including putts was accompanied by small clouds of mosquitoes swarming about. I actually enjoyed driving the cart to the next few holes because it allowed us to stay moving with wind blowing the mosquitoes away.

If anyone from the course reads this, feel free to contact me. This is an issue that will ruin the experience for golfers who travel far and wide to enjoy your course.

Notes

- Water bottles are located at the hole marker stations at numerous holes on the course. Take advantage and stay hydrated throughout your round.

- The starters are very knowledgeable and friendly, especially the guy with the mustache from Long Island, NY, who brought bug spray to our group on the 14th hole fairway. Also, the gentleman Micheal educated us on the course, including the bunkers and other aspects which are useful to players who are new to the course.

- The bar/lounge/patio area is spacious, cool, and inviting. They spray water mist overhead to help keep golfers cool at the turn or for a 19th hole beverage.

Overall, I would definitely play the course again, but only copious bug deterrent oil or spray.

nice course, I just felt that it was too pricy for the condition of the course

Tee to Green was worth every penny. Great experience from bag drop to leaving. Staff friendliness is a waste of a ranking for me because I don’t play for that, but these guys were great.

Great course. Lots of sand. Greens were in good shape. Would definitely play again when in the area.

This is a fantastic course and I would give it nothing but 5 stars except for the bunkers. The layout is awesome, they keep the course in super shape, the staff is super friendly...but the bunkers. I know, I know...why don't I stay out of the bunkers but c'mon, it happens. And these bunkers just don't do the course justice. They are horrible. There must be some concrete mixed in.