With so many courses in the Phoenix unavailable due to overseeding I was happy to find out this course was open (the North course was closed. ) I had seen many photos that intrigued me and I really wa... Continue »

With so many courses in the Phoenix unavailable due to overseeding I was happy to find out this course was open (the North course was closed. ) I had seen many photos that intrigued me and I really wanted to check it out. I booked my tee time by phone. The woman told me she locked in my rate at $165 and had I booked online it would have been $225.
When I checked in however, they charged me $225, saying that the rate was $175 plus tax and water fee. They did say it would have been “a lot more” if I had booked online. I was not too pleased with it but I paid so I could play.

I got my cart and warmed up on the range and putting green which was wickedly fast. I was paired with a twosome and another single. It was the first time here for all of them as well.
The scenery didn’t disappoint. The rock formations were just as stunning as in the photos. The desert area was all neatly maintained with beautiful vegetation. I love all the Saguaros. They have so much personality and it’s amusing seeing so many with golf balls stuck in them.

The fairways were in excellent shape with no thin or bare spots. The tee boxes were all perfectly level and few unfilled divots. The bunkers were deep with clean, soft sand. The greens were absolutely crazy fast with unpredictable and sometimes invisible breaks that they really took a lot of fun out the round. I got more GIRs than usual then got totally beaten up on the greens. My putting is usually pretty good, but these greens were beyond frustrating.

The layout of the individual holes were all fun. But, with the very tough greens and the difficulty of following the routing of the course, it was really a mentally exhausting day. I would say recommended but I also don’t think I’d be in a hurry to play here again.

After playing, I saw previous reviews mentioning the new greens in 2022 and how firm/hard they were. And that's exactly what I experienced. Firm greens that you needed to play for bounce, which is f... Continue »

After playing, I saw previous reviews mentioning the new greens in 2022 and how firm/hard they were. And that's exactly what I experienced. Firm greens that you needed to play for bounce, which is fine. But then disappointingly mostly rolling on the slower side and somewhat fuzzy at times.

Not a good value for $300. But Phoenix is kind of nuts in 2023 and March with Spring Training tourist time on top of it.

The course is pretty cool for the views and playing through the boulders and arroyos. Not a big fan of the layout, especially for a first-time player there. A few holes I wasn't sure where to hit it. There were holes where it takes driver your ot your hands, but then leaves a long 2nd shop over canyons and scrub. I don't mind short holes that give you options. But this is a more original desert target golf design (from 1986) that demands placement on a lot of holes, which isn't exactly the same as strategy IMO.

The fair price for the course I feel would be in the $150-$200 range. But I guess nowadays $300+ is what you can command for Scottsdale desert course these days.

Played here today (6/28) as part of my GK Cup match against Chuck, accompanied by his two family members, Jim and Vic (great people all around). First time playing this course and left impressed by ho... Continue »

Played here today (6/28) as part of my GK Cup match against Chuck, accompanied by his two family members, Jim and Vic (great people all around). First time playing this course and left impressed by how tight it played and how badly it beat me around. I was however disappointed in having to play the back 9's of both courses rather than just a full 18, but they seem to have one front/nine closed most of the time for maintenance. Overall, it was a good experience, even if my game didn't show up at all.

Tees: Odd placement of markers on many holes, forcing the golfer to rethink club selection and shot shaping. Okay shape on most, but some where chewed up.

Fairways: Good to great shape, given it is nearly July and the last 2 weeks have been 115+ down in the mesa. Good color, nice long run (not always a good thing unless you hit it straight every time), and very good lies all day.

Rough: Not much to speak of, the rough that DOES exist isn't penal at all. The natural waste areas are FAR more penal and very unforgiving.

Sand: Was in a few bunkers and I thought the sand could be better. There were often little pebbles in the bunkers, not a ton of sand in them, and the sand was more like brown dirt than traditional sand from Augusta.

Greens: The highlight of the round, even if some of the greens were solid concrete on approach shots. The roll was fair and quick, the breaks were tricky but not so crazy that you would walk away scratching your head.

ETC: Carts with basic GPS and cooler with ice. Comfort station where the carts are that had water, ice, tees, markers, and divot tools. Staff was friendly and helpful. Property can get a bit tricky to maneuver if you don't pay attention. Nice range and practice area. Good (but Scottsdale-expensive) food after the round. Pro shop had all you needed. A nice variety of holes and happy to see conditions still good in late June. Recommend!

Overview: The Boulders Golf Club in North Scottsdale is a 36 hole golf resort that was designed by Jay Morrish. He completed the North Course in 1984 and the South Course in 1991. These 2 courses ar... Continue »

Overview: The Boulders Golf Club in North Scottsdale is a 36 hole golf resort that was designed by Jay Morrish. He completed the North Course in 1984 and the South Course in 1991. These 2 courses are the true definition of "desert golf" with scenic views and the rugged beauty of the Sonoran Desert in play on all 36 holes. The South Course is considered to be the more scenic and tougher of the two courses.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: A small pro shop where the player assistant gave good customer service. The clubhouse also had a grill and a members area, but I did not take a look around due to the massive increase in cases in AZ with regard to COVID-19. Was able to ride as a single in the golf cart ... due to the pandemic.
I thought the golf merchandise could have been presented in a much better way, but that is just the retail manager coming out in me.

Practice Area: A beautiful practice area that looked out toward Black Mountain, but the range was closed due to maintenance. I voiced my opinion about this to one of the outside player assistants and he apologized saying that the maintenance crew should have had it done by 6:00 am that morning and that they were running late. Kind of disappointed because I am a huge fan of loosening up and hitting balls before I play.

Course: A true desert course that forces you to hit it straight off the tee. It is not the tightest of courses that I have played, but considering that I have not played there before it was more of a challenge to pick the proper line off the tee. The fairways are transitioning to the summer bermuda ... they were of course brown in spots and wet due to the amount of water that is being placed on the course. The rough was cut down very tight. The bentgrass greens were punched and sanded about 3 weeks ago and were in very nice shape. They were smooth and ran at about a 10 or 10.5. They should be perfect in about 7-10 days. Sand was very nice, consistent and easy to play out of.

Final Thoughts: Was very fortunate to play the South Course. During the summer, it seems like only 18 holes are in play each day. At times, they will allow you to play the the front nine on the North and you might play the back nine on the South or some other variation. I was very happy to play the South because I have played the North before. Be aware that the Boulders does have private membership and there was a lot of play by them yesterday. While the resort guests and outside players went off the front nine, the membership went off the back nine. We got to hole #7 and we were told to slow down because they were doing split tees and we would have to wait for the last group of members to go off the back before we could play #10.
The Boulders - South Course is a true desert course that everyone needs to play if they are visiting the metro Phoenix area. It ranks right up there with some of my favorite courses, and the scenery on the front nine is truly amazing. It is definitely a course that I would consider paying the greens fee in the high season.

Part two of my review of the Boulders. This review is for the front nine of the south.
Very different fairway conditions. The grass in the fairway was a light green and the rough dark green. The fai... Continue »

Part two of my review of the Boulders. This review is for the front nine of the south.
Very different fairway conditions. The grass in the fairway was a light green and the rough dark green. The fairways were not as nice as the north. They are starting to thin out. Still good but not as lush as the north. The greens are good. Soft and semi slow. I wasn’t in any bunkers but they looked ok. Tee boxes are good. I find that this nine is quite a bit more difficult than the north. Very challenging.
Customer service was great. Staff very friendly

Played The South here Friday at twilight with a coworker POP 3 hours. Wow this course is stunning. By far my favorite and most visually stunning course I have played out here in Phoenix/Scottsdale. ... Continue »

Played The South here Friday at twilight with a coworker POP 3 hours. Wow this course is stunning. By far my favorite and most visually stunning course I have played out here in Phoenix/Scottsdale. The opening hole is absolutely stunning. Greens were close to immaculate and rolling pure. No severe undulations and greens seemed like slow medium/fast. With them rolling you can be aggressive with your putts as they roll true. Bunkers were in outstanding shape. Tee boxes are level but dried out and a little beaten up on the par threes. Fairways are going through the summer transition to bermuda, but only in patches and area. Not nearly as bad as the other courses in the area. And really the only thing holding the course back currently from being immaculate. The course isn't too challenging if you can drive it straight. Not overly tight and the greens aren't elevated tortoise shells and are quite receptive to irons. You can easily score well here. The opening 6 holes here are out of a magazine / video game. It is everything and more you would hope desert golf would be. The backdrops of the boulders behind the greens are unbelievable. Absolute must play. The tee shot from the tips on 6th is literally off of a boulder with a big elevation drop. You do get spoiled as from the 7th to 13th hole the holes are rather standard desert holes. 14 is an awesome par 5. Then back to back par 3's not my favorite. The finish here is brutal. The tee shots from the blacks on 16 and 17 are a little nutty. 16 is a 225 yd blind shot over a tree where you can see just the right edge of the green. 17 has a house and tree cutting off the right side of tee boxes making the tee shot on this 460 quite intimidating. The forced carry to the small recessed green complex is the most beautiful on the course. An intimidating, difficult and amazing hole. 18 is a difficult hole too into a tiny green protected by water to the right. Must play and you will want to pinch yourself after the first hole as the views and stacked boulders behind the greens are spectacular.

Played this course today. Tee time 11.00am. The South course layout is stunning, tremendous views and the majority of holes are very challenging. Although the greens had been recently aerated (and we'... Continue »

Played this course today. Tee time 11.00am. The South course layout is stunning, tremendous views and the majority of holes are very challenging. Although the greens had been recently aerated (and we're not great), it in no way affected our enjoying this course, will definately be returning!!

Golf course is a scenic wonder. Did not have as much fairway burn as other courses in the area. Sand is well maintained, but dense.....use a lob instead of a sand wedge. Greens were smooth and play... Continue »

Golf course is a scenic wonder. Did not have as much fairway burn as other courses in the area. Sand is well maintained, but dense.....use a lob instead of a sand wedge. Greens were smooth and played to a good speed. When choosing your tees,...use the slope to determine where to play. This course plays very difficult at the longer lengths and is tight with the potential to lose a lot of balls. If this is your first time at this course, tee it forward. I hit my drives 250 with a 11 handicap, but played the copper tees as they have a slope of 120. Now that I have played the course I will move to the white tees next time.

I had the opportunity to play the South Course on 7/1 for a great price.
I experienced great service from the start of the round. We got paired up with two cool people who were fun to play with.
Th... Continue »

I had the opportunity to play the South Course on 7/1 for a great price.
I experienced great service from the start of the round. We got paired up with two cool people who were fun to play with.
The course was in awesome shape for the time of year. The fairways and greens had plenty of grass on them. The greens were receptive and would hold a shot. Three of the tee boxes were not level but not to the degree we couldn't use them.
The sand traps were some of the best I have seen in the Valley. They weren't fine powdery stuff but desert sand. They were extremely playable and all consistent.
The course is fairly challenging but doesn't beat you up too bad unless you are way off line with shots. Open areas are there for a wayward shot giving you some opportunity to make a recovery. The scenery is cool around the course with the large boulders and views of the mountains. I think it's definitely a place to play once or twice but don't think I could play it all the time.