Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino

One of my favorite course in the valley. Plenty of challenging holes and excellent layout. Normally it’s an excellent rating, but this time the greens were not rolling to their normal fast speed.

Southern Dune, I guess the name says it all.This course was designed by Fred Couple, this course has so many sand traps 100+ on most holes you're not going to be able to see the green.I love a challenging golf course ones that force you to do what they call "Course Management" I'm a 15+hdcap finding spots to layup on this course it's not easy. With sand traps not only protecting greens it felt like they're were also protecting the fairways. Speaking of the greens they are small more so than most courses they are surrounded by deep Link's style traps.Mind you the greens had recently been aerated so stopping the ball was not working for me. My ball would hit the green from one bunker and roll across into the bunker on the opposite. Size wise most greens looks to be somewhere between 30-45' long × 20-25' W. Having link style layout. Unless you're a scratch golfer someone who can dial in your shot, this course will cause you to have a lot of disappointment. For some novice golfer's this course will be very satisfying, but for older golfers like myself, I for one will not be playing a very expensive course like the dune.

Only issue was the inconsistency with the sand in the bunkers.

this is a great tract. about the fifth time I’ve played it but one of my favorite tracks in the valley. from the bag check in to the after round beers the service is outstanding. greens are fast. be ready for bunker play cause there’s a ton of them too many for some people. my only complaint is it’s an hour from my house or I would play it all the time.

Hundreds of bunkers but not as well kept. Greens and fairways awesome. I Will decently be back

The sand quality is lacking, with many of the traps more akin to piles of stiff dirt and rocks than the soft, playable sand you’d hope for. It's almost as if the maintenance team neglected to properly fill or groom these hazards, leaving them more frustrating than fair. Instead of giving you that nice, fluffy bunker feel, you're left hacking away at a surface that feels like you're playing in gravel. Not exactly the experience you want when you're paying premium greens fees.

For a course that promotes itself as a top-tier destination in Arizona, these bunkers are a glaring issue. It’s not just a minor inconvenience—it detracts from the overall experience, especially for golfers who find themselves in the sand more often than they’d like.

While the course itself is solid in terms of design and layout, the state of the bunkers feels like a big oversight. At nearly $140 or more for a round, Southern Dunes doesn't quite justify its price tag when the quality of play is undermined by poor bunker conditions. If you're considering a round here, be prepared for some frustrating moments in the sand, and don’t be surprised if you leave feeling like you paid more for the views than the actual golf.

The FW's/tees are in decent condition. Greens are excellent and you can actually make a ball mark. A little on the slow side. The only gripe we had was the inconsistency of the bunkers. Some were perfect and others like concrete. A side note - I limped into the proshop and asked for a handicap cart and the young lady questioned whether or not I had a handicap placard. I thought I was going to have to go back to the car to get my placard. I have never had this experience before.

Layout with all the bunkers and some elevation make it a challenging course. Really have to be precise to stay out of trouble and approaching some thin and small greens. Gotta be on your game to score well.