Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino

Challenging layout that will play tricks on the eyes from the tee box. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. from the people in the pro shop checking you in, to the starter, beverage cart ladies, and a gentleman that we saw no less than three times to bring around cold bottled water. Absolutely fantastic experience from layout, to service, to pace of play. Worth the drive to desert gem, for sure. Thank you Southern Dunes for a first class golf experience. I highly recommend this course and the experience that it offers.

This course will challenge your game. Between the long par 4s and fairly tight fairways then add the wind it will humble you. Depending on what tees you play it’s easy or challenging. I play from the golds. If you’re a low single digit handicap don’t even try from the tips.

was a good day. Course was not in as good of condition as in the past. Greens ran a little slow but were true . Really enjoyed my round

The layout is a great challenge. Some bunkers were like concrete and need some work. Other than that the course is in great shape! Can’t wait to play it again.

Course in great shape. Starter was very helpful. Dunes everywhere and played my share of recovery shots.

2 recommendations: create a Blue/White tee and slope accordingly- 6,200–6,300 yds.

5 holes over 406 yds- just too much to score for 73.yr. old with a 11 handicap.

Second idea: I’m done with the round and go to drop off my clubs at the club drop and return the cart to the barn. A worker stops me just as I approach the clubhouse and informs me he has to take the cart RIGHT THERE!- covid #19.

So, I have to carry the clubs 200 -250 feet to the club drop with a sandwich and drink cooler. It’s 97, I’m 73, a brand new knee 4 months ago.

You get the point.

Somebody wake up!

Otherwise, loved the course.

This has been on my Scottsdale bucket list for a while. Probably the 3rd highest rated public course in AZ depending on the ratings. And I get it. No houses, amazing bunkering and layout, extremely friendly staff and great amenities as you would expect from a Troon course. This is written during the COVID pandemic so my opinion probably isn’t fair and I apologize. Talking to the cart girls, it sounds like a large percentage of the staff was furloughed and that’s a shame.

Pace of play was amazing. I assume it’s usually pretty good based on the distance from Scottsdale and lower population density of golfers down there. Also, it broke 100 degrees this week which is usually good news for pace of play. Finished in 3 hours exactly and I took my time with every shot. Didn’t encounter anyone out there except for a maintenance guy. Saw a red tailed hawk which was pretty special. Beautiful, natural property. A desert links.

Conditioning was poor. Tee boxes need leveling. Had a few muddy bunkers. When you’re serious about your score these things are annoying. But, bunker maintenance is extremely costly and time intensive and they’ve got a ton of bunkers. I get it.

My big pet peeve was the cut on the green side “rough”. The greens are tiny and are clearly designed with punch bowl features that should allow you to use surrounding contours as a backstop. The well-conditioned holes were a blast to play, but I had several balls held up on other holes when they should have rolled back toward the green/hole, based on the contours and green complex design. Like any links, putting from off the green becomes essential because pitching a shot on to a 5-yard-wide green surrounded by bunkers simply isn’t a playable option. Bermuda grass doesn’t help much at all. I simply can’t figure out why the green side “rough” is Bermuda, and moreover why it is cut higher than the fairway, when the course is clearly designed to play like a links course. I found putting to be the only option but also extremely problematic due to various length cuts of the green side rough (inconsistency), and the fact that Bermuda likes to grow in specific but differing directions, making it almost impossible to gauge when the grass is longer than green height. They need to address this. The greens themselves were exceptional, no complaints there.

Conditioning aside, I had a great time and would definitely return. Have yet to find a troon course I haven’t liked, or with employees who weren’t incredible. My wife rode along for free which is what I expect from them, but something I really appreciate. Truly the staff was exceptional and I wish them and the course the best of luck in these dire times.

Probably because they are not doing as many rounds as they normally would this time a year, it’s hard to find a blemish on the property. Fairways are perfect, greens are rolling great. I always enjoy playing Southern dunes. I make the trek all the way from down in Tucson (1 hr 30 min) around 10 times a year

First visit, and our group really liked Southern Dunes. It has a lot more grass than most desert courses and a fun layout. In many ways, it was better than expected. The only downside was pace-of-play. We had 5 groups backed up on No. 12 so we turned around and played the front nine again. We mentioned the problem to the starter (we never say a Marshall on the course, but there were several folks delivering ice-cold water), and the starter said that the back 9 always backs up. He said that the members/regulars often play the front 9 twice because the back 9 gets so slow. Disappointing that they know the problem exists but let it persist. If we get the first or second tee time of the day, we may return--the course itself is fantastic.

Well worth fighting the valley traffic to play SD. Course is great, condition is always A1.

I’ve played this course several times on trips to AZ. It has never disappointed! Very well taken care of! Staff was friendly. Loved that there was free bottled water at various holes on the course. The beverage carts made rounds just the right amount and they had margaritas on tap!

Course was in excellent condition and layout was very interesting and challenging. Practice facilities were great. Staff were very friendly.

conditions excellent. good condition and greens roll smoothly. greens are receptive to approach shots. bunkers have excellent sand.

practice area excellent. staff friendly.

As all Troon course , a quality experience . Conditions throughout the course are excellent . We always like to come back here for an excellent experience.

Off the beaten path, excellent course. Bunker placements make scores go through the roof. Management is very thoughtful: by renting clubs, two sleaves of balls and a golf cart are provided for free. What a great place.