Played on 7/24/2022. This course is under construction with multiple temp tee boxes and temp greens (just a flag stuck in a circle in the fairway). Definitely not green status. They don't tell you o... Continue »

Played on 7/24/2022. This course is under construction with multiple temp tee boxes and temp greens (just a flag stuck in a circle in the fairway). Definitely not green status. They don't tell you on the website or when you check in about the construction

We got out to Papago around 11:17 fora $42 rate. The course was busy but pace of play really wasn’t an issue during the round.
Driving range hitting area was more like hitting out of thick rough and... Continue »

We got out to Papago around 11:17 fora $42 rate. The course was busy but pace of play really wasn’t an issue during the round.
Driving range hitting area was more like hitting out of thick rough and not a lot is spaces to use.
Course conditions throughout were good and consistent. Fairways were good and provided a good amount of roll out. Greens were in good shape and accepted well struck approaches. Lots of subtle breaks on the greens.
Some negatives were the sand traps and tee boxes. Traps and bunkers were on the crusty side. Some of the tee boxes were extra lush and had a lot of grass on them.
Overall, I enjoyed the course. It’s a course to keep it in the grass and not stray too far. Areas surrounding are desert and rocks. It’s a challenging course but fun enough to play. Definitely a good place to play a round.

Played Papago Golf course, new home of the ASU Golf program, at 11am on Sunday July 21st for around $25 through a call to the proshop. The facilities of this course have recently went through extensiv... Continue »

Played Papago Golf course, new home of the ASU Golf program, at 11am on Sunday July 21st for around $25 through a call to the proshop. The facilities of this course have recently went through extensive renovation as well as the pro shop and grill. The range is elite through and through, multiple stations available up to around 100 golfers, multiple chipping and bunker practice areas available with a large putting green awaiting your attention prior to teeing off. The Cartbarnguys, known largely from the presence on social media, offer pristine customer service and the beverage cart employees were present as well on this 100+ degree day. Bravo.

Now onto the golf course itself. The tee boxes, which there are five to select from, looked level and had ample amount of room to tee off from allowing a tee to be pegged of any choosing. The fairways were trimmed nicely, presenting a firm roll out with few divots in the fairway providing great opportunity to hit an approach shot. The rough is characterized with consistent boundaries prior to getting to the oh so present desert shrubbery and dirt landscape. Rough wasn't too high but could bury a ball deep if you hit into the grass that hadn't been trampled on by carts. The greens were aerated on the week of the 8th of July so they were a bit on the sanded, recovery side. Should be in amazing shape within a week or two more. The bunkers were great, fluffy and soft to hit from greenside and just a touch firm next to the fairways. They were noticeably machine raked about everywhere there were, and there are a lot of them around this track.

The course presents itself as a tough stern championship worthy test, as it should being the home of a prestigious golf team in ASU. You must be able to drive your driver with accuracy and with distance to shoot a score out here. The bunkers are all placed in JUST the right spot making you sweat if the weather doesn't do that already. The greens have enough room to hit them if you do miss the fairway, however the amount of blind shots and multiple tiers in them make hitting the right spot a key. The golf and service is great, the price at this time of year around the $25-$40 range is doable, but I must say...for a prestigious course to have below average signage to navigate the course, no GPS on carts and a surprising lack of cart paths, more must be done. I understand how this may come off but if they want to tout being a Phoenix hidden gem and a championship worthy layout, the small things need to be accounted for.

All in all , a great course and viable challenge with an incredible amount of views of the adjacent cities and natural landscape but there are some views on the course that could use a touch up.

Played here at twilight with KC Leonard again Went off at 4:30 finished under 3 hours.

I loved watching the Cartbarnguys and wanted to play here. They recently finished the massive renovation of t... Continue »

Played here at twilight with KC Leonard again Went off at 4:30 finished under 3 hours.

I loved watching the Cartbarnguys and wanted to play here. They recently finished the massive renovation of the clubhouse, ASU practice facility, and driving range. The amenities are awesome. Top notch club house, amazing staff, great open aired bar. While I didn't want to hit balls in 102 heat the driving range looks world class now.

The conditions were rough today, I was let down. The greens were scorched. Mowed way too short and firm and brown. Appeared some greens had some burrowing bugs leaving small dirt hills. They weren't fast but the ball won't stop on a downslope. Just keeps trickling. It appears they may have punched the greens earlier in the month which may help explain the condition. The greens were not good. Let's leave it at that.

Bunkers were consistent, consistently low on sand. The sand is dirty clumpy sand as well.

The fairways were nice. Firm conditions today so it helped the course play much shorter. We never felt the distance today from the tips except the par 3's . Papago has big boy par 3's from the tips 3 are 240+.

Aside from the damaged greens the main problem was the through the greens area of the course. Outside of the fairways there is a lot of bare dirt and patchy grass.

The course is a good layout and I bet in better shape it is a nice golf course. It's a full size championship course. You will have to hit driver on the par 4's and be able to play the doglegs. If I lived closer this would be a fun weekday knock around golf. But it is definitely over-hyped and pales in comparison to the other offerings if you are out of town.

We played 10/7, the last day before closing for overseeding. As has been the case all summer, the course was in excellent condition, the only real room for improvement is some of the bunkers need wor... Continue »

We played 10/7, the last day before closing for overseeding. As has been the case all summer, the course was in excellent condition, the only real room for improvement is some of the bunkers need work. The new restaurant/pro shop had very recently opened and is one of the nicest facilities anywhere in the Phoenix Metro area. The restaurant has an excellent menu and beer selection, Along with having one of the very best views and setting in town, there are already non-golfers that are showing up just for the food and ambience.

The practice facility is ready to open and will be one of the best as well. It is fair to say that this is now perhaps the premier public golf facility anywhere in AZ. Between the old school William Bell layout, the conditioning, and the facilities, it can't be beat.

Played early morning round 7:20 tee time. The practice range "under construction" and club house complete but not open. Attendants in the temporary trailer were attentive and professional and courteou... Continue »

Played early morning round 7:20 tee time. The practice range "under construction" and club house complete but not open. Attendants in the temporary trailer were attentive and professional and courteous. The parking lot while not ideal allowed for a good flow as a result of good club attendants. The course played well for this time of year greens were receptive and rolled fair although they showed normal wear and tear of summer stress. Tee boxes and fairways were also well groomed for this time of year. Some fairways showed some stress and inconsistency but I would also attribute that to normal July conditions. Worst thing about the course right now is the cart paths, pretty native/dirt trails. I would assume that would get an upgrade when they finish other construction. Played quickly although we waited on a number of holes but finished in less than four hours which is always good. Enjoyed the layout and the service staff was above average. Need to invest some money in tightening fairway areas, less stray rocks and more desert. Bunkers were average but fair for this time of year.

I played Papago as the second 18 on 6/29. Rate was $36. They are doing a lot of construction to get the course ready to be the new home of ASU. The practice area is currently closed and the clubhouse ... Continue »

I played Papago as the second 18 on 6/29. Rate was $36. They are doing a lot of construction to get the course ready to be the new home of ASU. The practice area is currently closed and the clubhouse is a temporary trailer. I think when they complete the renovations Papago will be a great place to play. The clubhouse looks amazing.
I thought Papago was the best conditioned course I’ve played this summer from tee to green. Tee boxes were nice as were the greens and fairways. The normal summer bare spots but nothing to really affect play. Greens were receptive and consistent.
The course is on the long side and definitely challenging. Lots of elevated greens and sand traps. Par fives are a nice challenge as are the variety of par 4s. I can’t imagine playing this course from the tips. One par 3 was 250+ yards!!
They provide numerous water stations as well as an ice machine you see twice. A small amenity but nice to have especially this time of year.
Papago is a place to play now based on the conditions I had today.

Called into the pro shop on a Wednesday for the Saturday April 7th, booked 2 players for $29 at 2:45 pm. The course is tucked away in the Papago (fitting name for the course) Mountains near the Phoeni... Continue »

Called into the pro shop on a Wednesday for the Saturday April 7th, booked 2 players for $29 at 2:45 pm. The course is tucked away in the Papago (fitting name for the course) Mountains near the Phoenix Zoo and military base. When pulling into the sparsely marked parking lot, you'll see a lot of construction mid-process due to the transition of ASU Golf coming over and making this course its home. New clubhouse, large practice facility and further details to be unveiled are in the works. The cart barn guys are quick to welcome you and grab your bags. Go into temporary clubhouse and you'll be on your way. One of the employees guided us from the lot to the first hole and ran through a few rules of the course. Clubhouse to greenskeepers were courteous and present.

The tee boxes are large with a wide choice of tees to choose from (4 men's tees and 2 women's tees) all level and lush. The fairways were cut consistently and rolled out a few yards when landing. The rough was consistently an inch or so, with anything 20 yards away from fairways became desert and became thin. The bunkers from fairway to green side were perfect, with exception of a few with too many rocks, and texture lightly packed. The greens. THE GREENS. Large and pristine, rolled true as a billiards table (almost the speed too) and accepted spin from long irons as well. They were perfect. Everyone in group mentioned they were the star of the show, which doesn't take away from the rest of the course but just shows the strength of the greens.

This course is stringent on your ability to drive it consistently long however in the fairways in order to be able to attack the ever slightly tucked pins. Every green is in perfect shape; and with a good line and decent speed the putts will go where you put em. The fairways rolled out and never had divots in the way of your approach shots. The strategy on this course wears on your mental, 4 par 5's that are stretched out among the scorecard that seem to be placed right when you're coming off a grinding par 4 or crazy long par 3. The par 3's are all strong and only one is considered "short" (187 from Tips, 145 from Men's Front).

While you may not agree with ASU leaving Pete Dye's Karsten's Course, play here and you'll quickly realize this a strong course with great design, immaculate conditions and views that stretch from Tempe to Downtown Phoenix. Get out here and play 18!!

I met up with my old Vegas work buddy for some golf. He was in town from the Sacramento area to play in a club volleyball tournament. We had played a lot of golf together while working in Sin City, an... Continue »

I met up with my old Vegas work buddy for some golf. He was in town from the Sacramento area to play in a club volleyball tournament. We had played a lot of golf together while working in Sin City, and since then we’ve tried to get together once a year for a golf getaway. We previously hit Mesquite/St. George, SoCal, Bend (OR), Paso Robles, and the Central Valley.

Papago was our Round 2 at 7:40am on Wednesday, 2/28/18. We added this morning round late in our planning, and after seeing some of the big $$$ numbers for morning rounds at better-known venues, we opted for a more reasonable $69 each at what is regarded by many as the best muni in Phoenix. We were joined by local GKer dcoachl on a cool cloudy and breezy morning that saw some sunshine later in the day.

Papago is meat and potatoes golf – there are no big homes on the course, no fancy landscaping, no upscale touches. The course is draped over a sloping shelf below the Papago Peaks and facing downtown Phoenix. At this time of year you see green fairways and greens, straw-colored very short rough that is tight and patchy, and then you are in bare desert with packed sand and pebbles or a shallow erosion gully that begs for a rock iron or an unplayable drop. There are scattered large trees that only come into play on a few holes, or if you stray well off the intended lines. Many holes are doglegs with sand in the elbow and large bunkers guarding greens. A couple of water hazards.

Greens and surrounds were lush and perfect. I think these were the best greens we had on the trip. The course is obviously putting resources into the greens. Some are fairly flat, some pretty sloped, a few have some distinct tiering. All rolled great at medium and then increasing speed as they dried out from showers the night before. They were firm and most shots released – we saw very few ballmarks. Tees were flat and in good condition. Very good sand in all the bunkers – again, probably the best we encountered on the trip.

Fairways were also overseeded and provided good lies. Rough was a short dormant grass that gave a tight lie but could be patchy or near-bare. If you get outside the dormant rough it’s hard-packed sand desert with lots of little rocks. The rough was so short and firm that offline shots could quickly get out into the desert areas.

Even from the White tees here the par-5s play short and the par-3s play very long. Three of the par-3s are 195+ from the white markers – two of the three are on the same downhill line. Several of the par-4s look similar, playing across the slope and doglegging around sand in the elbow. Cart paths are very informal – most are simple dirt, a few short areas are paved, and in some cases you are just driving across rough/desert.

GIVEN ALL THAT – things may be changing in the near future. The ASU golf team is moving to Papago next year, as their current venue (the Karsten Course at ASU) is scheduled to be bulldozed for university expansion. The parking area and small trailer clubhouse were a zoo of activity the morning we played as a new clubhouse is being built and the practice area will soon more than double in size. A lot of money in a City/private venture is being put into the course, so in the near future you might see more landscaping, actual cart paths, some design tweaks, facilities to accommodate spectators, and a restaurant where you can get more than a hot dog or breakfast egg muffin.

Altogether a fun, relaxed play with good muni conditions. Recommended.

Many thanks to several GKers in the Phoenix area who provided suggestions on where to play, given our restrictive geographic and cost criteria. We tried to get a mix of course types so we weren’t playing the same type of course over and over again. Thanks to chilipalmer99, dcoachl, bmcnicoll, sbarajasjr, and UNCLEDDBOY23 for suggesting great venues.