So, it's my first time playing Kopokelli, a buddy and I met up at 3:30 after work, and walked on for $21 which came with a cart and a Gatorade. The course was wide open, and even when we ran into a gr... Continue »

So, it's my first time playing Kopokelli, a buddy and I met up at 3:30 after work, and walked on for $21 which came with a cart and a Gatorade. The course was wide open, and even when we ran into a group on the back 9, they kindly let us play through. We finished in a little under three hours.

I absolutely love the layout, for starters. It has elements of links golf, with blind hazards, severe undulation on the fairways, and everything playing incredibly firm. The tee boxes were pretty solid from the tips, only a couple spots were noticably unlevel at all. The fairways rolled for days, but a lot of it was just hardpan and some dead crabgrass.

The greens were the major source of my enjoyment, though. They were very firm, rolled true, and had strong grain and a lot of undulation. There were plenty of putts, pitch shots, and approach shots that really forced me to think. The greens are definitely the star of the show.

The bunkers are well-placed, and absolute garbage. I didn't see any rocks that would mess up a wedge, but if you find your way into a bunker here (you will), you'll likely be in a large crevasse that happens to be hard pan, or in a puddle (even in 110° heat).

I'll definitely be returning to put some of the course knowledge I gained to work and see how well I can attack the pins, but I'm still gonna hate the fairways and bunkers, with a passion.

Played on Friday May 27th at 3:15pm for $17 plus tax per player. The course was a bit dead on a Memorial Weekend but no complaints. The service was good even though the cart girl had packed it in for ... Continue »

Played on Friday May 27th at 3:15pm for $17 plus tax per player. The course was a bit dead on a Memorial Weekend but no complaints. The service was good even though the cart girl had packed it in for the day. You can order all the beer and beverages you "need" while paying as they have a fridge behind the pro desk. We were able to head right out and pick our cart (which is gas powered if you care) with an available ice chest that has ice in it around 90% of the time.

The course has returned to its original layout as they had a driving range makeover and switched the nines (for reasons I've never been able to get a hold of). The greens were very firm and fast however they were smooth. Not too many pitch marks being a muni course as it is. The fairways were serviceable, not always the cleanest or most consistent lie as the cut seemed to vary hole to hole but they were ok. The tees were clean on par 4's and 5's, quite a few divots on par 3's though. On this course there are a handful of ponds and water hazards, and at times they were an eyesore with the low levels and gave out swamp like aesthetics.

The course itself is fun, and I enjoy it more during the summer simply because it plays like a true links course when dry, hot, and fast. There are plenty of hills with large subtle complexities around and on the greens. The bunkers can be hidden by the valleys in some holes while others present eye games if not in the right spot. It's a solid test for those wanting sub-$20 rounds. It's so close to my house that I visit frequent however if I wasn't close...I wouldn't take a 20 minute drive to play.

Played with my dad on May 24th for a greens fee of $25 plus tax per player at 12:30 pm. The course wasn't busy for it being the Sunday of Memorial Weekend, so we were offered to head out early even th... Continue »

Played with my dad on May 24th for a greens fee of $25 plus tax per player at 12:30 pm. The course wasn't busy for it being the Sunday of Memorial Weekend, so we were offered to head out early even though we had range balls. The customer service at the desk was a new guy, but he was politely learning the point of sale register. Heading out we saw similar faces that always greets us welcoming.

The course is experiencing wear from all the play, however it is still of good quality worth the greens fee. Tee boxes were great on the par 4's and par 3's...all par 5's at all courses should be well kept bc NO ONE should be hitting iron off of par 5's. The fairways are lush and easy to get good lies. Only once did I experience bad divots, the first hole mainly because everyone lands in the relatively same spot. Now the only problem with the physical being of the course I had an issue with was the horrid bunkers, because they were either cement or wet. No in between. So avoid the bunkers and treat them as actual hazards.

Strategy wise, the course needs to use new pin locations. I understand that there are certain holes that have interesting carries and you want people to experience a risk reward pin location, but on the 12th hole, I've never seen the pin anywhere else except the island location. The first hole always seems to be on the front which is difficult to hit because of the two guarding bunkers that are severely sloped. As always, the course requires you to hit fairways and attack greens but with the fairways firming up with the heat I believe pin locations should be slightly more accessible even for good players like myself. I always have fun at Koko, but I feel the re-playable value is becoming low because of the repeating pin locations and lack of new tee box locations. Variation needs to be present.

Played Wed 4/29, 12pm tee time but teed off early as a single. Course has made some changes since last year: they've flipped the front and back nines, so that you are now teeing off on what used to ... Continue »

Played Wed 4/29, 12pm tee time but teed off early as a single. Course has made some changes since last year: they've flipped the front and back nines, so that you are now teeing off on what used to be the #10 hole and finish your round on the former #9, which is right next to the clubhouse. I was told they did in an effort to speed up play as well as end with an easier Par 4 hole as opposed to one of the harder Par 5's. Aesthetically I was bit disappointed today. The usually green driving range is now a sea of brown dirt and patches of neglected grass, though the actual practice area is green. While one would never describe this course as "verdant" the front nine outside of the tee boxes themselves, the fairways and the greens looked torn apart and there appeared to major cart damage all along the borders of most holes. All normal hitting and landing areas were in good shape, but stray at all and you'll find yourself either in hardpan or a muddy, overwatered area of the course. Some bunkers, particularly in the fairways, were also overwatered and muddy. Most seemed to have enough sand from which to play a decent shot, though many are quite deep and are a definite challenge from which to play. The greens can be diabolical. If you're not close (and even if you are in some cases), it can be d%mn near impossible to avoid three putting on many holes. It is imperative you end up on the right level or your score will skyrocket. This can be challenging though, as the hardness of the greens and the speed and degree of slope make it difficult to hold all but the best iron shots into them. Customer service was good today: no issues with the clubhouse, starter or cart girl. POP was a disappointing 4 hours plus, due to a foursome that would not yield. First seven holes played in about an hour; last 11 played in 3 hours. Hey Old White Guys: it's okay to let other players play through. You won't lose your man card doing so. CP

Tee time was April 18th, 2015 at 2:00 pm for only 25 bucks. Great price, on a Saturday that was blessed with great weather. However, this is where the review turns sour. I rarely complain about pace o... Continue »

Tee time was April 18th, 2015 at 2:00 pm for only 25 bucks. Great price, on a Saturday that was blessed with great weather. However, this is where the review turns sour. I rarely complain about pace of play or service. But this time was ridiculous. We played the front nine in the time it would usually take me to play 27 holes....4 hours and 40 minutes. That is right, 9 holes for 280 minutes. About 30 minutes a hole. Now, not only was it the players' fault (5 practice swings every shot, took about 8 shots to get it into a par 4) but the course SOMEHOW booked 8 people for 1:48 AND 1:56. So 16 people needed to get in pace of play before our 2 o clock tee time went off. So that was terrible, fortunately those drunk 20 year olds lost energy and quit after 9 (this coming from an 18 year old).

Now on to the course itself. I love Kokopelli bc the final holes are always fun, 16 17 and 18 are a par 5 that is reachable in two, a tough par 4, and a drive-able par 4. These final holes always give some time to make up ground against the wagers with your buddies. Great layout that isn't too long but can be if the tees are chosen incorrectly. The fairways were okay, but again there needs to be a crash course for players to replace divots and rake bunkers...that is terrible at this course compared to other local courses (Dobson Ranch and Ken Mcdonald). The greens are much different than other courses, firm and fast with a lot of undulations. If you place it in the wrong spot the ball can almost trickle back to where you chipped it from.

Last thing, this course is great for summer rounds. Cart girls stay out till 3 or 4, the tee boxes, fairways, and greens stay in shape and the prices are cheap. So if you are looking out for a great summer course..swing by this place to scout it out. Worth the greens fees, mainly because it'll test out EVERY club in the bag...even patience. ;P

Been well over a year since I played here last, got on with a 12pm tee time for $10 from GolfNow. Not the longest course in the area (Tips are 6716 yards, while the yellows, where I played, measured o... Continue »

Been well over a year since I played here last, got on with a 12pm tee time for $10 from GolfNow. Not the longest course in the area (Tips are 6716 yards, while the yellows, where I played, measured out @ 6225 yards). There's also a pale yellow which measures 5805, and the forward tees come in @ 4992 yards.

What it lacks in length, it makes up for in moguls, swales and fairways tilted towards hazards. While the course itself has no real elevation changes, it's rare to find a flat spot on the fairways, which makes it quite fun. Bounces can either help or hinder; today I got more help than hinder. Fairways were more lush than most other courses in the area (ie, Western Skies, Greenfield Lakes), though many were in process of being punched to recondition the course and eliminate a lot of the barren spots that have creeped up over the years. That said, the fairway punching did not seem to impact any shot I took, as I had a higher than average GIR total. The rough, such as it is, seemed to be a combination of Kikuyu, Bermuda and random small weeds, and if you strayed beyond that, you're in hard pan. Never in a bunker, they appeared to be in decent shape, but not overly sandy.

The greens are extremely tricky. One of the few courses in the area where you actually have to read them, as opposed to just get the speed right and it relatively straight. There are lots of levels, breaks and swirls on these greens, along with false edges where shots will slide off. Greens were hard and fairly resistant to ball marks. I hit an absolute cloud-seeding PW into #4, stopped it 6' from the hole, and spent 5 minutes trying to find a ball mark to fix, and could not.

The only real negatives about the course might be the customer service today. The clubhouse guy (accidentally?) kept my change when I bought some range balls, there were no cart girls on course and the two girls behind the counter in the kitchen area ignored me as I walked in and out. When I finished my round, the cart guy was too busy doing nothing to offer to clean my clubs. You hit off carpet on the driving range, the carts had terrible engines and there was a $3 upgrade fee for GPS. Bathrooms are Porta-Potties, but there are plenty of water stations scattered throughout the course.

CP

Played 8-7-14 for a 2:23 pm tee time for only $15 unlimited play. Great value, decent "links" style course, however not of top quality compared to around the valley. There is water on 9 of 18 holes, h... Continue »

Played 8-7-14 for a 2:23 pm tee time for only $15 unlimited play. Great value, decent "links" style course, however not of top quality compared to around the valley. There is water on 9 of 18 holes, however only 3 or 4 come into play. Much of it is cosmetics. All summer they have had unlimited play for any tee time, which is a huge bonus especially for the value hunters like me. My playing partner and I were able to play 22 holes in 4 hour time. Pretty good if you ask me!

Onto the course, the fairways and tee boxes were in superb shape. We played from tips so of course they get less playing and the landing areas are somewhat different, but never experienced a poor lie. The rough was quite low in length, but we don't really need any higher than 3 inches right? The greens were well manicured, and the pitch marks were kept to a minimum.

The holes have exceptional character due to the flowing hills rolling along the fairway and greens, which can lead to a few lucky bounces ;) (or unlucky). Great course, great price, and the service was very understanding with unlimited play access even though they had a Thursday men's league. Definitely a returning customer in me!

Played this Mar. 5th. Can't believe the online deal I found, 20.00 for 9 w/ breakfast weekday early bird thing. Played the back 9 what a great course. Well maintained the greens were spectacular and F... Continue »

Played this Mar. 5th. Can't believe the online deal I found, 20.00 for 9 w/ breakfast weekday early bird thing. Played the back 9 what a great course. Well maintained the greens were spectacular and FAST. The breaks were breakin'. Can't wait to go do the full 18. Alot of little hills on every hole and a fair amount of water hazards and well placed bunkers. The heavy rough is hard clay soil so it's interesting. Definitely a go play in Phoenix, Gilbert to be exact. Nice pro shop/restaurant, staff is awesome and a great lit range. Will be going back.

Worst golf experience ever! I hate this course every time I make the drive out there. The website state it was in great shape and since they were still a couple weeks out from overseeding I thought it... Continue »

Worst golf experience ever! I hate this course every time I make the drive out there. The website state it was in great shape and since they were still a couple weeks out from overseeding I thought it might be...I was wrong. From the street I could tell there had not been a drop of water put on the course in a month. I asked the staff why the website lied and they could have cared less. Don't waste the time of money to play this well below average golf course.