Three Scottsdale golf courses ranked among best, most affordable places to play

Three Scottsdale golf courses ranked among best, most affordable places to play

By Jeff Gifford

Three of the nation’s best golf courses that are also the most affordable are found in the Valley, according to a survey by HomeToGo. And two of them are ranked in the top 10.

The vacation rental company’s recently released Golf Price Index put Scottsdale’s We-Ko-Pa Golf Club - Saguaro Course as No. 2 in the country for quality of play and affordability. Not far behind that was another Scottsdale course, Troon North Golf Club - Monument Course, which came in at No. 8.

HomeToGo said it gathered the prime-time prices of 18-hole rounds, club rentals and golf cart rentals at the top public golf courses in 20 different states, and then factored in its own data for nearby accommodations to come up with its index.

At the We-Ko-Pah Saguaro Course, the green fee of $95 is the fourth-lowest on the 40-course list, and the cart rental is included in that fee. By comparison, more than half the courses are charging multiple hundreds of dollars for green fees.

Add in the club rental cost of $69 and the nearby median nightly accommodation price per person of $51.85, and a getaway to the Saguaro Course is $215.85, HomeToGo said.

HomeToGo offered some commentary on the top three courses on the list, which included TPC Deere Run in Silvia, Illinois, at No. 1, costing $212.20 per day, and Moorpark, California’s Rustic Canyon Golf Course, at No. 3, costing $216.78 per day.

Scottsdale’s No. 2 Saguaro Course was described by HomeToGo as “a top-rated gem.”

“Renowned for its awe-inspiring scenery, pristine condition and challenging layout, offering an unforgettable golfing experience for enthusiasts seeking nature's harmony and a true test of their skills,” the report said.

A similar outing to Scottsdale’s No. 8 Troon North’s Monument Course would cost a total of $255.85, according to the survey, which found that the green fee of $125 also included the cart rental, and that club rentals are $79 and nightly accommodations are $51.85.

Just beyond the top 10, Arizona had one more course on the list, also in Scottsdale. TPC Scottsdale - Stadium Course came in at No. 11. The green fee there is $159, with golf cart included; club rental is $95 and nightly accommodations are also $51.85 for a grand total of $305.85.

The TPC Stadium Course is the home of the WM Phoenix Open, which is one of the five oldest events on the PGA Tour. It will enter its 89th playing next year, set for Feb. 5-11.

TPC’s Stadium Course is also tied as the 23rd most challenging golf course in the Phoenix area, according to Business Journal research using United States Golf Association slope rankings.

The state with the most courses on HomeToGo’s list was California, which had 11, but only three of those courses made the top 20. After California came Wisconsin, with four, and then Arizona and Florida, with three each.

Arizona a leading producer of pro golfers

Separately, another recent study found Arizona has produced some of the most professional golfers among U.S. states.

Training platform Golf Workout Program’s report ranked Arizona No. 11 in the nation, with 15 Arizona-born golfers making at least one cut at a PGA Tour event in the past decade.

The report went on to show that Arizona-born golfers have four PGA Tour wins to their credit in the past 10 years, with Michael Thompson and Pat Perez earning two wins each during that time. Of those 15 Arizona-born golfers numbered, 10 came from the Phoenix metro, the report said.

Golf Workout Program said its numbers counted golfers who made the cut at Tour events, even if they didn’t finish. The report also said that limited birthplace data availability meant that some golfers with incomplete data may have been excluded.