Phoenix’s Finest: We-Ko-Pa
Arizona may be one of the best states in the continental United States when it comes to variety of outdoor activities. The state’s vast topographical changes provide incredible options for any outdoor enthusiast from hiking to rafting, biking to golfing. Visitors can spend time scavenging through the impressive red rock formations of Sedona or trekking through the depths of the Grand Canyon carved out over years by the Colorado River.
The sun-drenched valley of Phoenix is an integral part of the outdoor culture of this state. Phoenix is a large sprawling valley surrounded by the McDowell Mountain Range. Phoenix has earned the nickname over the years of ‘ Valley of the Sun’. According to move.org Phoenix is the sunniest city in the United States with over 85% of its annual days offering a nice source of vitamin D. Phoenix is in the heart of the desert, making its summers quite warm with its dry heat; temperatures can peak well over 100 degrees in the hottest part of the day. Outdoor activities are likely limited in peak summer during the day, but there are plenty of other seasons to take advantage of Phoenix's dry sunny climate. Comfortable clear winter weather makes Phoenix one of the most sought-after winter golf destinations.
The state of Arizona has no shortage of golf courses: there are over 300 from corner to corner. In the Phoenix and Scottsdale area, you can usually find a course within a few minutes of wherever you find yourself at any particular point in time. Desert golf has a widely similar setup in nature from course to course and is the most prevalent type of golf in Arizona (though other style courses can be found). In general, fairways and roughs are typically bordered on both sides by natural desert landscape. There is typically not much green grass outside of tee boxes, fairways, and greens. Course difficulty can be determined by a number of factors, the big one in desert golf is generally the width of the fairway. Of the three courses I played during my time in Arizona, all were desert courses.
Phoenix provides limitless golf course options; pictured above is the Nick Faldo-designed Wildfire Golf Club
I opened my trip with a nine-hole warm-up at Papago Golf Club, a city course just a few miles from the Phoenix airport. I followed that up with a round at the Nick Faldo-designed Wild Fire Golf Club. My winter golf in Arizona wrapped up with the best of the three courses I played: the Saguaro course at We-Ko-Pa. The property sits east of the Phoenix proper area bordering the McDowell Mountain Range. We-Ko-Pa is a golf club that sits on site of an Indian Casino and is home to two great golf courses: the Saguaro course and the Cholla course. The Saguaro course comes with very high in-state accolades. Golf Week calls the Saguaro course the number one course you can play in Arizona. Golf.com has Saguaro at number five of the 15 best Arizona courses in 2022/2023. There is no shortage of high rankings for this course. Greens fees can be booked online up to 90 days in advance; rates are non-dynamic and are stable based off the time of year the round is played. During peak winter months greens fees will be around $300 all-in. Expensive, yes, but a few hundred dollars less than you would pay for a course such as The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale.
Coore and Cresnshaw designed the Saguaro course in its purest form; par 5 fourth pictured above
The Saguaro has five sets of tees. Playing 6,966 yards from its longest tee box, ‘The Saguaro tees’, and has a slope rating of 137. It was designed by the legendary Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2006. The duo have designed other noteworthy courses such as Streamsong Red, Sand Valley and Bandon trails, just to name a few. Coore and Crenshaw are known for creating courses that fit seamlessly into their environments, and that is exactly the case here. One thing I noticed right away that I really enjoyed about this course is that it seemed like golf in its purist form. There are no houses or other man-made structures on the course; no streets to pass over between holes. From the opening hole, this made for such a great experience, especially after two previous rounds I had played in the Phoenix area. The course is very walkable and push carts are also available at no additional cost.
The course was in excellent condition. The fairways were green and lush, making for very comfortable approach shots. The desert conditions and well-kept fairways help provide for some extra roll for tee shots. The greens and bunkers were both well tended to and in formidable shape. The fairways for the most part are relatively open, though as the case with desert golf, if you stay off the fairway, it could make for a long round. I thought the holes got more difficult on the back nine, but also had more character than the front nine overall.
Hole Profile
Hole 1: Par 4, 443 Yards
The opening hole at The Saguaro Course is a long slight dog left par 4. The tee boxes are slightly elevated and provide an expansive view of the first hole and the surrounding desert landscape and mountain ranges, both of which can be seen for much of the round. Depending on where you aim your tee shot, forced desert carry may be required. The approach shot here will require another forced carry over a waste area. A challenging but fair opening hole etched with remarkable desert landscape and beauty.
The opening hole at We-Ko-Po is a long par 4 with tranquil desert beauty and mountains the first view on the course for the golfer
Hole 10: Par 4, 322 Yards
Number 10 is a fun hole to start the back on what is a great but challenging back nine at Saguaro. The second shortest par 4 on the course plays only 322 yards from the purple tees. The hole bends slightly to the right. Big hitters may be going for the green with their tee shot. Other players (i.e. myself) should be left with a short approach shot less than 100 yards. A large bunker that no golfer wants a piece of sits in front of the green and there is a large slope off the back of the green; important to find a green in regulation here.
Number 10 is a very short par four with a reachable green for bit hitters
Hole 14: Par 5, 527 Yard
The par 5 14th was my favorite hole on the course. It is a spectacle of a hole to look at when you first step on the box. Two separate fairways line either side of the hole. The middle section between the two fairways is covered with natural desert landscape. Both fairways are narrow in nature. Coore and Crenshaw force the golfer to make some decisions on this tee box: left or right? Hopefully not the middle. The hole plays shorter up the right side, but requires a more narrow passageway to entry. The second shot requires carry over a sizeable waste area and carries up to an elevated green. The 14th comes in at the second hardest handicap hole on the course and plays to that ranking.
The 14th is one of the signature holes in this Coore and Crenshaw design
Hole 15: Par 3, 233 yards
The 15th is a long par 3, playing over 230 yards from the purple tees. Tee shot requires carry over desert landscape to a large green. A miss right is going to be better suited than a miss left here, which likely will take you out of bounds. The green here is probably one of the largest on the course. The hole plays slightly shorter than the scorecard reads with a downhill slope. Even with the downhill slope, most players will be looking at a long iron or greater from the tee box here.
The length of the par 3 15th make this a difficult golf hole, though the green is large and forgiving if reached on the tee shot
Hole 18: Par 4, 490 Yards
The finishing hole at Saguaro is a long and challenging par four, making for a very difficult finishing hole to the round. The 18th dogs to the left and provides the golfer with picturesque desert and landscape views that are prevalent throughout this Coore and Crenshaw masterpiece. Even with a good drive the golfer could still be left to a mid to long iron on your final approach shot for the day, which plays to a slightly uphill sloped green.
Mountains, Sky and clouds paint the background for a challenging closing hole
Course Rating: A-
Course Rating Analysis: The Saguaro course We-Ko-Pa lives up to its high accolades. I really appreciated that there were no houses or man-made structures on the course. It created a peaceful and tranquil feel to the round. The desert landscape and views were as good as I have experienced in playing this type of golf. The course is challenging (don’t miss the fairways for a less stressful day). The fairways and greens were both in great shape. The greens fees were steep (over $300 for the day) but it felt justified for the experience and condition of the course. There is a reason the Saguaro course is near the top of most course ranking list in Arizona. Check it out next time you are in this great state.