Is Papago the best muni in Maricopa County? I'm hard pressed to think of a better and more enjoyable test of ALL your golf skills.

Course conditions were stellar. Tee boxes were well trimmed and g... Continue »

Is Papago the best muni in Maricopa County? I'm hard pressed to think of a better and more enjoyable test of ALL your golf skills.

Course conditions were stellar. Tee boxes were well trimmed and green, the fairways were were lush and well trimmed (why no divot mix on the carts? I felt terrible taking a chunk out of these fairways and not being able to fix them). The bunkers were, thankfully, in wonderful shape. I was in 4 of them, all allowed me to hit a clean shot near the pin. The only mark against the course today would be the greens. Punched about 10 days ago, they definitely caused balls to bump and shift direction slightly, as well as being slower than what I've come to expect at Papago.

Rough was incredibly penal in areas. Balls would sit down and hide, and the Bermuda would really grab your club as you swung through it. Each of us in our group managed to hit a number of excellent recovery shots, so the course was definitely tough but fair. A word of warning about the Par 3s on this course. Even from the Whites (3rd most forward tees), these bad babies measured 195,195, 146 (over water) and 214!. From the tips they're an astonishing 233, 253, 187 and 243, so any pars on these "short" holes are well earned. Service was excellent today, from the guy who came out to the parking lot to get my clubs (at a muni!) to the cart girl. A very fun day of golf. PoP was a bit over 3 hours.



CP

Played 4/15, $39 @ 11:30. This is a golfers golf course, no frills, pomp or prestige, just an excellent layout with very good conditions.
Friendly staff that gives great service for this kind of cour... Continue »

Played 4/15, $39 @ 11:30. This is a golfers golf course, no frills, pomp or prestige, just an excellent layout with very good conditions.
Friendly staff that gives great service for this kind of course. The clubhouse is a trailer, ok with me, everything that impresses me is out on the golf course. This course has length and requires you to work the ball left or right, except in the wind. Tried to get to cute with T shots and ended up in the desert a few times, with wind steady around 15MPH +. Be careful in the desert, some of it was rocky other times it was solid granite.
T's, greens and fairways were all in very good shape. Rough around the greens were expertly done, with first, second and third cuts.
Ice machine was provided at the restroom with large Styrofoam cups, nice touch, wish IE courses would do this.
Cart girls came around a couple of times, wearing cut off jean shorts, not complaining, course mission statement seems to be very casual, yet deliver on service and golf.
The next day we played Ocotillo, in much calmer conditions. I like it too, but wish I could have played Papago again.

$21 GN reservation with an 11:51 tee time. Paired up with a twosome and another single who was a no show, so it was the three of us. Papago is one of Phoenix's busiest municipal courses, and for good ... Continue »

$21 GN reservation with an 11:51 tee time. Paired up with a twosome and another single who was a no show, so it was the three of us. Papago is one of Phoenix's busiest municipal courses, and for good reason. The course is a demanding 7333 yards from the (Black) tips, and even from the Blues it's still 6771 yards. As the course winds through the Papago foothills, tee shots must be placed on the correct side of the right-to-left or left-to-right fairways to make sure the ball stays in play. Fairway widths are reasonable, but strays can result in playing out the desert areas or the rough, which is about 1-2" higher than the fairways. I found the tee boxes to be in very good to excellent shape, and the fairways themselves were also in good to outstanding condition (especially 18, which looked like a perfect sea of green, trimmed grass). Bunkers definitely come into play, and these can be daunting. I never played out of one, but my partners did, and often they'd find themselves 8-10' below the hole trying to get out. Sand was also in excellent shape, fluffy and full. The greens were really the nemesis. While in good condition (save for a few bumpy areas and the expected pock marks from unrepaired balls hit into it, what made them particularly tricky were the speed and breaks. Large greens has multiple undulations, and while they held every decent shot into them, they were somewhat difficult to read.

As for the amenities, staff was very pleasant, polite and efficient, there is an excellent (if a bit crowded) driving range, medium sized practice green and another one for chipping. Carts are electric, and have an ice chest as well as a ball/club washer. There is one bathroom/rest station that serves the entire course, but you come by on 5-6 holes, so you're never far from it and getting your ice chest refilled, water, or a needed bathroom break. Cart girl came by twice on the front and back, very nice. POP was around 4 hours, and I even had the marshal come by to ask us to stay with the group ahead of us (my partners were a bit slow)! Huzzah! Don't listen to the old timers who complain about this course and it's changes from 4-5 years ago; this place is an absolute delight for golfers of all skill levels.

CP

Played Papago the second day of our AZ trip, 4/16. Found a deal @ 11:30 for $32+tax, definately worth that. Paid $55+tax at Legacy Golf Resort the day before and despite supperior conditions, I liked ... Continue »

Played Papago the second day of our AZ trip, 4/16. Found a deal @ 11:30 for $32+tax, definately worth that. Paid $55+tax at Legacy Golf Resort the day before and despite supperior conditions, I liked this course more, it had more interest and challenge. In a nut shell this course was lush everywhere you wanted it. T box lush, level, ugly crab grass, good lush landing area, great greens and bunkers, ponds a little unsightly, but made up for with hills in the back ground. Recommended.

Played Papago Golf Club on March 5th. For a public course it is well maintained and in excellent condition. Pace of play on this day was just shy of 4.5 hours. You will find large and amble practice ... Continue »

Played Papago Golf Club on March 5th. For a public course it is well maintained and in excellent condition. Pace of play on this day was just shy of 4.5 hours. You will find large and amble practice facilities here. The range is maintained to high standards and well marked. You will also find a practice chipping area with 3 pins and a large sand bunker with 2 pins. The practice green is very large with a true look at what you can expect from the greens on this course. I found the practice green to be very helpful with the up and down hill putts that you will find on this course.
The fairways here are green and very lush providing excellent scoring chances if you can stay in them. The rough although still dormant is starting to fill in with some nice emerald color which is a nice contrast from the pine green fairways. The Dessert shrub is maintained and playable. The bunkers here have been restored to the original size and shape with 15 being added to accommodate the length of today's game. The bunkers have amble sand to hit out from allowing for any number of shots you may wish to try. The greens themselves were large with several tiers. They rolled true and fast with little ball mark damage. You will find that this course presents gradual elevation changes that can not be over looked with many of your second shots, going to an uphill hill green complex. Do not be foolish here and go for tucked pins as you will find your ball rolling off the greens down the shaven embankments to collection areas that are difficult at best to get up and down from.
I was pleasantly surprised by this course and would highly recommend it for an opening of closing round on a trip to Arizona.

date of play12/30/2012. Course in great shape, greens rolling so well, fairways in great shape. If you are visiting here in the winter a must play for you out of towners. For us locals I do recommend... Continue »

date of play12/30/2012. Course in great shape, greens rolling so well, fairways in great shape. If you are visiting here in the winter a must play for you out of towners. For us locals I do recommend that you get out and play this course, great time, you will not be disappointed and once played you will go back and play again....

Played Jan 1, 2012. Course in great shape. All surfaces excellent. Sand in bunkers played beautifully. Only minor nit was the drop area on 11 being a mess; just don't go in the water. Started at ... Continue »

Played Jan 1, 2012. Course in great shape. All surfaces excellent. Sand in bunkers played beautifully. Only minor nit was the drop area on 11 being a mess; just don't go in the water. Started at 10am and got around in 4:15. Highly recommended.

7/14/2012
Haven't played there in a while but it was a pleasure and the pace of play was good. The greens are consistent and in excellent shape. Overall it was a wonderful golfing experience and even... Continue »

7/14/2012
Haven't played there in a while but it was a pleasure and the pace of play was good. The greens are consistent and in excellent shape. Overall it was a wonderful golfing experience and even the soaking we took on 18 was fun as we got drenched with the last storm that moved through the Phoenix area. two of the players in our group bolted but Greg and I finished with par's so it was a fitting end to a day of golf, Amen!

Papago Golf Course Review
Phoenix Arizona Golf Course Reviews

I played Papago on 4/20/12. This course is a nice layout with alot of elevation changes. There are no houses on the course and the setting is beautiful. It can play moderatly challenging or all you wa... Continue »

I played Papago on 4/20/12. This course is a nice layout with alot of elevation changes. There are no houses on the course and the setting is beautiful. It can play moderatly challenging or all you want from the black tees at 7300+ . If you like the back tees , the only unusual thing is that you will see 2 very long par 3's. #8 is listed at 253 , but plays into the wind at times and slightly uphill, and if that wasn't enough , is gaurded by a huge bunker. #17 is listed at 243 , but does play a little down hill . The course was in good shape and the greens were rolling pretty fast. There is a good grass driving range and nice practice facilities. It is also set up nicely for those who like to walk.

Papago Golf Course Review
Phoenix Arizona Golf Course Reviews