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4.5
52 Reviews (52)
5 Stars
32
4 Stars
11
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
2
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.3
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.5
98.2%
Recommend this course
45 out of 52 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.0
2 Reviews (2)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.5
Value
3.5
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
2 out of 2 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
3 Reviews (3)
5 Stars
1
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.0
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.7
Amenities
4.3
StaffFriendliness
4.3
100.0%
Recommend this course
3 out of 3 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Resort
Style Desert
Par 71
Length 6966 yards
Slope 137
Rating 72.0

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed We-Ka-Po Golf Club's Saguaro Course, open since the end of 2006. They integrated aspects uncommon to the region, building a walkable golf course with traditional elements: The greens are closer to the tees, and the course fits the landscape.

In addition to designing the Sagurao Course at the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, Coore and Crenshaw have laid out Bandon Trails in Bandon, Oregon, Sand Hills in Mullen, Ne., Friar's Head in Baiting Hollow, N.Y., and the Golf Club at Cuscowilla in Eatonton, Ga. Saguaro has garnered several honors in its short life: Golfweek currently calls it Arizona's No. 1 public-access course, and Golf Magazine called it one of the country's "Top 10 Best New Courses You Can Play" in 2007.

After a round on the Saguaro Course at the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, head to the We-Ko-Pa Grill for cocktails and the view, maybe a salad or sandwich if you've worked up an appetite.

Course Details

Year Built 2006
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens TiffDwarf Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Bill Coore (2006) Ben Crenshaw (2006)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Collared shirt required

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

Reviews

4.5
52 Reviews (52)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 8
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 11
Elevation Changes 9
Undulating Greens 7
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 14
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 13
A Weekend Splurge 9
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 13
At a Resort 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 310
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Birmingham Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
First Time Playing

Eighty-six yards. How many times can one have less than 100 yards left into a green and not just eat? C&C just tease you with short 4s and reachable 5s on the Saguaro course, then chuckle when you can’t hit wedges into 5-yard windows and wind up watching your ball feed perilously into collection areas further and further away. And that’s if you’re lucky. The alternative is winding up in a green-side bunker that is not only deep, but houses inconsistent sand, rife with pebbles. And that’s not a complaint. They are meant to be true hazards and answer the bell.

There is a payoff, however, for all of the aforementioned strife that accompanies an afternoon tee time. The inward nine offers some fun, challenging holes that play into a sunset that drapes pink hues on the surrounding mountain range that serve as a backdrop for every shot.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 61
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Beautiful course, no rough

Played here after playing ~20 other courses. Asked everyone else what the best course they've played is and they all dropped We-Ko-Pa's name. The layout was outstanding. You are out playing in the desert with views of mountains in all directions. No homes on the course. No sounds of cars passing by or planes flying overhead. Every hole with mountain views. There's uphill holes, downhill holes, elevated tee box par 3's, split fairways, doglegs. No water hazards

The "rough" here was a joke. It's dead grass cut as short as the painted fairways. Basically an extension of the fairway. Bunkers had plenty of sand. Greens were smooth. No divot sand/mix on the fairways. Fairways were dry, big bounces and roll outs.

Large grass range prior to round. Practice greens were super fast, thankfully greens on the course weren't as fast. Water bottles provided in cart. Carts had GPS but the holes weren't 2D. No ability to order food in advance at the turn. Ended up getting soggy fries and a burger that wasn't worth finishing. Club cleaners were grumpy (even after I tipped them).

Finished in 4:15 with about 45 min of waiting on the course. The course was good but not $200+ good. Everyone playing was a tourist.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 45
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

The best

10 out of 10 experience. Course is in immaculate shape, possibly the best I've seen for a Phoenix summer. Restaurant was affordable and excellent as well.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 181
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 100 Contributor
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Perfect course. PERFECT!

The Saguaro course is shorter, but also more fun (IMO) than the Cholla course.

PACE: Waited a few times, but nothing distracting.

CONDITIONS: Tee boxes were great. Fairways were excellent. Bunkers splashed wonderfully. Greens were the best I played on my PHX trip.

STAFF: Proactively helpful. The starter on the Saguaro course answered all my questions, and even answered questions I didn't know I should have. Fantastic!

VALUE: Go, play, and enjoy!

LAYOUT: Good mix of par 3 holes, short par 4 holes, and fair par 5 holes. Very few blind or hidden tee shots. Very fair and fun.

AMENITIES: Great practice/warm-up facilities. Half-way house on Saguaro is awesome. Are panoramic views and amenity? They are here, and they're great!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 72
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 500 Contributor
Colorado Advisor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Walkable Classic Desert Casino Course

90-minute frost delay - an email alert would be nice since they send an email tee-time reminder the day before. Staff very friendly and accommodating. They have a new fleet of pull-carts that are very nice. The course is walkable, especially during winter cool weather, although the back 9 has plenty of elevation changes and is a good workout. Course conditions were excellent, and the selection of tee boxes is something for everyone. The greens were medium speed and lots of front of green dropoffs so if the pin is up front you could have a tough down-hiller or if your approach comes up short it can roll 20 yards back. I thought the price was a bit steep but would consider paying it again because we really enjoyed the round.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 335
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Golf Advisor
First Time Playing
Walked

Desert splendor courtesy of Coore & Crenshaw

What a place for the first round of true desert golf in my life, and my first round in Arizona. Amid such breathtaking scenery, laying out a golf course that could successfully draw a player's eye away from mountains and sky to fairways and greens is a tall order, but C&C succeeded. They gave Saguaro enough width, attractive and strategic bunkering and interesting green complexes to make it one of the best courses in the Valley of the Sun.

If there's one bit of constructive criticism to give, it's that the full and lush overseed the course (and most others in the area) receives in the fall makes it play a bit mushy and slow, which would be in opposition to the C&C ethos embracing firm and fast turf. Still, you should consider Saguaro in the upper echelon of Phoenix/Scottsdale area golf.

Conditions Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 102
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great course!

Played Saguaro yesterday and it was in great shape for hot summers in AZ. The course and staff are all top notch! We Ko Pa is no doubt one of the best places you can play in all of Arizona!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

A must play course BUT

If you're in Scottsdale on a golf trip, We Ko Pa is a must play due to the views alone. Layout is also great and the courses were in great shape considering it was in the middle of heat wave (115 degrees). Amenities and staff were also top notch.

But one thing really really annoyed me...I take my golf and my USGA handicap pretty seriously and I play the tee box that I think matches my ability and length off the tee. If I'm playing the whites, I want to play the whites. At We Ko Pa however, about half the white tees were actually placed on the green tee boxes thus shortening the yardage I played by several hundred yards (No white tees were placed back to compensate for this). I feel like the people in charge must think we're not intelligent enough to figure this out - and I'm sure they do it to speed up play. But don't insult my intelligence please, put the tees where they belong just like every other course I have played in the Scottsdale area. Rant over - I would still go back but next time I'll just play from the white tee box instead of the tee box where the white tee is sitting.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Solid

Both courses are about the same layout. Fun design, some topography changes - good desert golf. Great place to play 36 in one day. Greens are just so-so - pretty slow, They look good, but putt slow. Fairways are perfect. A good day of golf, but nothing special.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 27
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Best Course

One of the nicest courses I have ever played. Played this the last day of my Bachelor Party and even completely hungover it was nothing short of amazing

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played

Poor scheduling

Asked for a tee time for 3 golfers for 4 Jan. Showed up to golf to find the staff had us on the 3rd. Staff tapped dance. Wii not go there again.

Friendliness Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Worse course played of golf trip

Course condition was not good. 105 degrees and no water on the course. Every other course we played this week provide bottle water every couple holes.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 43
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Saguaro Must Play

Was in the east valley for a 4 day trip..played Saguaro, Eagle Mountain, Verde River and Mcdowell Mtn...Saguaro was easily the best of the 4. Course was in great shape, greens rolled great, fairways and tee boxes were good...zero complaints with course condition. Nice range,short game area and putting green with unlimited balls included in your green fee, In summary if you play here you will not be disappointed.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 102
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

AMAZING

This course is such a great track! The conditions are always amazing out here and the course features some great views of the area. I would highly recommending playing!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 203
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
California Advisor
Top 50 Contributor
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Fun Track

I think this track might be a little over rated, but worth the play none the less. Conditions were very good from tee to green, although I thought the greens were a little on the slow side, but that's more personal preference than anything. There are no water hazards on the course and the fairways tend in general to be wide. I do like the way the course blends into the native terrain and nothing is tricked or gimmicked up, just pure golf. I was told this track is the longer, but little easier of the 2 courses here. The Cholla is more target golf with forced carries that don't exist on the Saguaro course. The only knock I have was the service at the restaurant. We couldn't get any one to serve us, so we left. But all in all a fun track and would play again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great Place to Play

Golf course is in excellent shape and play time was excellent. Tough but fair course with plenty of challenges.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Overrated

How does this course make top 10 lists? The condition of the course was poor. It was as if the fairways had not been cut in 2 weeks - they were overgrown and uneven in length. The fairways were so deep, I felt I was being penalized by being in the fairway - better to be in the rough where the grass was cut lower than the fairway, The greens were also bad - generally too shaggy, unevenly cut like the fairways. The ball did not roll true due to all the bumps and uncut grass. I kept wondering, do the groundkeepers not have access to any cutting equipment? The sand traps were also pretty bad - inconsistent sand with lots of pebbles. This is basically just a mediocre muni course, condition-wise. It is very scenic, however. Save your money - there are many better courses in the area that are cheaper.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 29
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Overrated

Not sure what the fuss was all about. Course condition was average. Front 9 went fast and took at least 2 1/2 on the back. I think there was a buddies trip or bachelor party slowing down the pace. Plenty of other places in Scottsdale to play before here.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

A course with a great view

Desert course, great practice facilities, excellant condition, a must play when in Scottsdale area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
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