Harrah’s Ak-Chin Hotel & Casino

Love the course, but the mosquitos quench out all its greatness. I think the amenities, staff, and layout are all top notch but unless I'm a pro I just can't see dealing with the thousands of mosquitoes that overwhelm the practice area and course. It's a real shame but I'd prefer to play elsewhere and enjoy my friends and the great game without bathing in bug spray and swatting off the bugs at every hole.

Probably nothing they can do but the staff is fully aware. Is there no commercial spray or treatment that could be applied to keep this at bay? It's a shame but I won't be returning until this changes.

Got a hankering for a road trip and decided to head south to play a course I suspected was nice, but was always a bit too far to bother. As a Troon course, you can come to expect quality. And Southern Dunes did not disappoint. The fairways and greens were all well manicured and the many bunkers were as bunkers should be--loose sand, not packed clay. The par 3s were all a stretch to reach either because of the outright length (193 yards on one from the yellow tees) or the elevation change from tee to green. Nonetheless, the course was a good challenge requiring accuracy in length and in direction control. The bunkers were usually deep and penal if you strayed into them. With over 100 bunkers across the course, it is inevitable that you will find one. On the day I played there was one negative feature--mosquitos. I don't know if this is a regular problem at this course, but they were trying to make a meal out of me during the round. Check with the course in advance of a round; you'll want to take repellant if they are on the warpath.

First time playing this course even though I've known about it for quite some time. I live in Tucson and the course is in Maricopa which is about an hour and 45 drive. Professional, resort style course with all the amenities for the golf only. Even has a cart come by a few times offering ice cold hand towels to cool off with. I played on 8-19-17 and the course was in pretty good shape except for the greens. They had been sanded recently in the past and they were terribly slow. Even downhill putts I couldn't get to the hole many times. But no worries, I plan to make it back up some time this fall once again. Did I mention all the bunkers throughout the course? Fairways and greens well guarded to make shots very challenging. Played with another single and we both shot in the low 80's so it was fun.

Great course, great staff. Pricey for every week play but good for a summer round.

played in the second group out on sunday,first 5 or so holes greens kinda spotty and they had been punched in the past several week,but they did get better as the round went along,course is in very good shape for this time of year,lots of flies but did not bother me or the others in the group,the course marhall had cool towels and there is water bottles every 3 holes and 2 seperate cart girls on each nine and they are very friendly...they do really put the water to the course so there are a few wet areas but play lift and clean and place and you will be good to go

Played here on 6/11/17 with 6:30am tee time. Fairways and tee boxes are in excellent shape for this time of year, only down side was the greens were bumpy due to recently aerated. But the course did advised us in advance and we chose to proceed with playing there so no faults to them. No need to bring bottled water as they have bottled water every few holes. Pace of play was slower than what we were used to due to 4some in front kept going back to retrieve their clubs left behind. GPS on carts is a nice feature. Greens are well protected by LOTS of bunkers so this course may not be suited for novice golfers. If you are serious about scoring then pay close attention to GPS and plan your shots accordingly, hit to the right spots and you'll be rewarded but if you miss then you'd better have a strong scramble game up your sleeve. Water is in play for number 10 and 18. Overall, excellent day of golf and would definitely return to play again. This course lives up to Troon brand.

On our day the flies and the mosquitos from the nearby cattle farms were out of control and we all got a ton of bites, which definitely affected our experience. As for the course itself, it was in good condition and challenging, and had plenty of water on a hot day. Lastly, the food in the restaurant was horrible and all 4 in our party agreed.

For such a well designed and well kept course, the grass, sand, etc, the reason and only reason I wouldn't recommend this course to friends, the biting flies that just continue to bother you and yes, bite. There are a lot of them all through out the course.

The course was in great shape. Staff was friendly.

The course is tough. Lots of bunkers that you have to deal with which makes you have to work to make it to the green. Makes it fun.

The con about the course is the FLYS. No matter how much spray you put on you they seem to still be hungry. So, if i were to play it again I would do it in the winter months.

Conditions are ALWAYS excellent, never a doubt you'll find a gorgeous course when you play here. Here's the real reason I write this review. A buddy and I (both good golfers) got paired with two older gentlemen who were very nice (also decent golfers themselves). After a couple holes the marshal came up to us and let us know that we were falling a bit behind - that we should try and speed up just a little. He was super nice and not once did we feel as if he was talking down to us. We weren't hacking it up, we were simply enjoying the round and looking over every shot, all while having nice conversations with the other twosome. At the turn, the starter and marshal told us they were going to have us skip holes 10 and 11 and come back to them after 18. Again, they were incredibly nice about it all and even gave each of us a Southern Dunes hat for being so cooperative. We had no issue doing what they asked, after all, they were looking out for their guests. I've been here plenty and this was by far the nicest staff I have ever encountered. I came to the conclusion that they truly care about keeping pace of play but will NOT sacrifice anyone's good time to do so, including the group slowing it all down. Bravo Southern Dunes.

Excellent course with many bunkers to navigate. Every hole was a challenge & very enjoyable. The staff were exceptional & very friendly like we old friends even though this was our first time to play this course. Will tell all my friends to definitely play this course when they are in the area.

One of the best courses in the greater Phoenix area. A must play.

Loved the layout, really good conditions, but too many bunkers. First time playing this course, had high expectations, didn't totally disappoint regarding conditions, greens were fast, speed was everything. Only disappointment, once we reached the 10th tee box, groups were waiting, averaged 2 groups waiting through to the 18th, took 3 hours to play the back 9! Lucky for us we were not in a rush !

Playing this course is an experience that should not be missed.

This is without a doubt the most organized golf operation that I've seen. We were greeted by Kyle an expert golf cart engineer.

The pro shop had the dynamic duo of Sam and Sam. Tall Sam and shorter but much more attractive small Sam. They have personality to spare and greet everybody and make them feel welcome.

Our starter was an amazing snowbird from Austin, Minnesota named Pete. Pete is the glue that keeps this impressive operation running.

On a Saturday morning, the tee sheet was full and they had 100 players before 9:30. Pete welcomes each group and spends time with everybody. They all know that it is important to maintain the pace of play. Golfers were making the turn in under 2 hours and Pete was cheering them on. Pete's enforcer on the course is Joe from New York. Joe can monitor all players on the course in real-time and put out the fires.

The course is beautiful but dangerous. The fairways and tee boxes are prime. The greens are thin in spots waiting for the Bermuda grass. Several of them are very challenging with false fronts, sides, and backs allowing your ball to easily roll off into deep swales. There are so many sand bunkers here you have to be aware at all times. Bunkers are punitive, especially around the greens. There are few clean approaches here.

The scenery here is amazing and it is so peaceful and quiet. We never encountered any maintenance personnel on this course!

To add to all our travails there was a rare 20 MPH wind that blew in different directions all day. There was no humidity and the temps were in the 70s most of our round.

Ak-Chin is a beautiful but tough golf course. Plan to tee it up here soon.

I think the slope rating is a little low on this course. It's heavily trapped and the tournament tees are way back. We've played the course for about five years and the condition of the course this year was the best ever.

Great course, lots of bunkers but overall, very player friendly. Worth the drive and will be back!

This is one of the nicest courses in Arizona. Without question, one of the best values in Arizona golf.

Not the most convenient location. Not the prettiest surroundings, but extremely well designed and well maintained. Very friendly staff, small, but well designed club house and patio.

Tough track, but fair. Greens are well designed, fast and can be hard to read for fist timers (there is some sort of mountain effect going on.).

If you play early morning in summer, make sure you use the insect repellent that the starter provides.