Best Golf Resorts in the Southwest – Desert Golf Paradise

February 18, 2026 Admin Comments 0 Comment

Let me be straight with you: the American Southwest is the single best region in the country for a dedicated golf trip. I’m not saying that lightly. You’ve got 300+ days of sunshine per year, courses designed by the greatest architects who ever lived, and resort experiences that’ll make you question why you’re paying rent anywhere else. Scottsdale alone has more top-100 courses than most entire states. Throw in Sedona’s red rock drama, Las Vegas’s value-driven scene, Palm Springs’s old-Hollywood charm, and New Mexico’s hidden gems, and you’ve got a lifetime’s worth of golf packed into a five-state region.

Southwest desert golf course at golden hour — The American Southwest — desert golf meets stunning scenery

This guide covers the best golf resorts across the Southwest — where to stay, what to play, what you’ll pay, and how to plan the whole thing without burning through your savings. I’ve broken it down by destination so you can mix and match based on your budget, travel window, and handicap ego.

Why the Southwest Beats Every Other Golf Region

Before we get into the specifics, here’s why this corner of the country is so special for golf:

Weather: Year-round play is legitimately possible. Even summer — brutal as it is in Phoenix — still produces great morning rounds before 9 AM.
Course variety: Target desert golf, parkland-style courses, mountain layouts, links-inspired designs — it’s all here.
Architecture: Tom Weiskopf, Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Jay Morrish — basically a who’s who of golf course design called the Southwest their canvas.
Resort culture: The Southwest invented the modern golf resort. Everything from the spas to the infinity pools to the after-round steakhouses is built around golfers.
Value windows: If you’re willing to play in the heat, summer rates drop by 50–70%. That’s a legitimately good deal.

Before you book, make sure your travel setup is dialed in. A dedicated golf travel bag is non-negotiable for protecting your sticks on the flight — the Southwest’s airport baggage handlers are not delicate people.

Scottsdale, Arizona — The Capital of Desert Golf

If there’s a golf mecca in America that isn’t Augusta or Pebble Beach, it’s Scottsdale. The city has an almost absurd concentration of world-class courses, and the resort infrastructure to match. You could spend two full weeks here and not run out of new pins to chase.

The Phoenician

The Phoenician sits at the base of Camelback Mountain and is one of those resorts that makes you feel like you should be wearing a blazer to breakfast. It’s legitimately luxurious — Five Diamond dining, a world-class spa, and 27 holes of championship golf spread across three distinct 9-hole loops.

The Desert nine gives you that classic Arizona backdrop with Camelback looming in the distance. The Canyon nine has serious elevation changes that will humble your approach shot judgment. The Oasis nine adds water into the mix, which changes the mental calculus entirely out here in the desert. Mix and match any two to build your 18.

Green Fees: $175–$295
Stay Packages: From $450/night (often includes golf credits)
Best For: Couples trips, corporate retreats, anniversary golf weekends

Troon North Golf Club

Here’s my honest opinion: Troon North is the best pure golf experience in Scottsdale, and it’s not particularly close. Tom Weiskopf designed two of his finest courses here — the Monument and the Pinnacle — and both are worth the green fee no matter the time of year.

The Monument Course is the one that gets all the attention, built around a giant boulder formation that anchors the par-4 fourth hole. You’re threading shots through saguaro cactus, playing off slickrock, and making decisions about risk that feel genuinely consequential. The Pinnacle Course is quieter, more nuanced — it rewards good iron play and punishes spray.

Troon North doesn’t have its own resort, but it’s surrounded by options: the Four Seasons Scottsdale is right next door, and several other North Scottsdale properties are within a short drive.

Green Fees: $150–$350 (peak season); $89–$150 (summer)
Best For: Golf-first travelers who want pure course quality
Pro Tip: Book early morning tee times in winter — demand is high and it fills up weeks out

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (Fort McDowell)

We-Ko-Pa doesn’t get the same marketing push as Troon North or TPC Scottsdale, which is genuinely strange because it’s one of the best golf facilities in the state. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed the Cholla Course, and it’s a minimalist masterpiece — wide fairways, natural terrain movement, and zero gimmicks. Walking is not just allowed, it’s encouraged.

The Saguaro Course offers a slightly more manicured challenge, but both tracks share the same core philosophy: golf should feel like it belongs in the land, not imposed on it. The Fort McDowell Casino Resort provides comfortable on-site lodging, and the value proposition here is hard to beat for what you’re getting.

Green Fees: $150–$295
Stay: Fort McDowell Casino Resort from $149/night
Best For: Golfers who want walking-friendly, architecturally honest courses without resort markup

Boulders Resort & Spa

The setting at Boulders is genuinely unlike anywhere else. Twelve-million-year-old granite boulders — some the size of houses — define the property, and Jay Morrish built two courses around them rather than through them. The result is a layout that feels prehistoric in the best possible way.

The North Course plays longer and tests your mental game more; the South Course is more forgiving but still gives you those boulder-framed views on nearly every hole. Casita-style accommodations make this one of the more intimate resort experiences in the region.

Green Fees: $175–$295
Stay Packages: From $400/night
Best For: Travelers who want a resort that feels special, not just expensive

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

If you want to say you played TPC Scottsdale — home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open and one of the loudest, most raucous weeks in professional golf — this is your base. The Fairmont Princess is the official headquarters resort for the tournament, and the buzz around the property even in non-tournament months is palpable.

The TPC Stadium Course is where all the action happens. Pete Dye designed it as a player-testing gauntlet, and hole 16 — a short par-3 surrounded by stadium seating — is one of the most photographed holes in American golf. The adjacent Champions Course is more accessible and still maintains good conditioning.

Green Fees: $225–$395 (TPC Stadium); $120–$225 (Champions)
Stay Packages: From $400/night
Best For: Anyone who watches the Phoenix Open on TV and wants to stand in the same spots

Sedona, Arizona — Red Rock Golf Like Nothing Else

Sedona is only 90 minutes from Scottsdale but feels like a different planet. The red sandstone formations surrounding the valley create a backdrop that no course designer could have invented — it’s just nature being outrageously dramatic. Golf here takes a backseat to scenery in a way that’s perfectly fine, because the scenery is that good.

Sedona Golf Resort

This is the main golf destination in Sedona, and it delivers on the promise. Gary Panks designed the course to work with the terrain rather than flatten it, which means you get elevation changes, canyon views, and red rock formations framing holes throughout the round. It’s not a brutally difficult course — the design is accessible — but the visual stimulation is constant.

Cathedral Rock visible from multiple tees is the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-backswing just to take it in. Don’t feel bad about it. Everyone does it.

Green Fees: $89–$185
Stay: Combine with Sedona hotels like Enchantment Resort or L’Auberge de Sedona
Best For: Adding a day or two to a Scottsdale trip; not a full golf destination on its own

Seven Canyons

Tom Weiskopf’s Sedona work is more private-club oriented, but Seven Canyons allows resort guests (staying at select properties) to arrange access. It’s a more technical challenge than Sedona Golf Resort, with tight canyons and forced carries that demand accuracy. If you can get on, do it.

Green Fees: $195–$285 (with proper resort access)

Sedona Trip Tip: Don’t just play golf here. Spend a morning on a jeep tour through the red rocks, hit Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, and eat at Elote Café if you can get a reservation. The golf is great; the overall trip experience is better.

Las Vegas, Nevada — Golf City Nobody Talks About Enough

Las Vegas gets sold as a gambling and entertainment destination, which undersells it as a golf city. Within 30 minutes of the Strip, you have access to some of the most interesting and well-maintained courses in the country — often at prices that would make Scottsdale golfers weep with jealousy.

TPC Las Vegas

Ray Floyd designed TPC Las Vegas as a desert target course, and it does exactly what you want in that format: generous landing areas off the tee, but firm, fast greens that punish sloppy irons. The course hosted the Las Vegas Invitational for years and still plays in tournament condition. It’s one of the best public-access courses in Nevada.

Green Fees: $85–$175
Best For: Golfers who want serious course conditioning without resort prices

Wynn Golf Club

If you want the full Las Vegas luxury experience on a golf course, the Wynn delivers. Tom Fazio designed this layout to meander through the resort grounds, with waterfalls, floral plantings, and lighting that makes evening play feel like theater. It’s by far the most lush, green course in the region — intentionally contrasting with the desert around it. Access is limited to Wynn hotel guests, which keeps it exclusive.

Green Fees: $500+ (Wynn guests only)
Stay: Wynn Las Vegas from $250/night (resort fees apply)
Best For: Treating yourself to something you’ll tell people about forever

Bear’s Best Las Vegas

Jack Nicklaus assembled his best par-3 and par-4 holes from his signature courses around the world and replicated them here. It’s a genuinely unique concept — you’re essentially playing a greatest hits album of Nicklaus designs in one round. Some holes feel familiar if you’ve played other Nicklaus tracks. All of them are good.

Green Fees: $95–$195
Best For: Golf nerds who love the idea of a design retrospective

Las Vegas Golf Strategy: Tee times here are often easier to get than Scottsdale, and prices are typically lower. Book morning rounds in spring and fall. In summer, Las Vegas heat (115°F+) is even more extreme than Phoenix, so either play before 8 AM or just skip summer entirely.

Palm Springs, California — Old School Desert Golf with Hollywood DNA

Palm Springs has been a golf destination since the 1920s, and the Coachella Valley corridor between Palm Springs and La Quinta contains over 100 golf courses. Frank Sinatra played here. Arnold Palmer played here. The history soaks into everything.

La Quinta Resort & Club

Opened in 1926, La Quinta is one of the grand old resort properties of the American West. Frank Capra wrote It Happened One Night here. Marlene Dietrich was a regular. The golf program — five courses plus access to nearby PGA West — is extensive and well-run.

The Mountain Course is the showstopper: Santa Rosa Mountains as a backdrop, dramatic elevation changes, and enough length to challenge low handicappers. The Dunes Course plays flatter and friendlier. And if you really want to test yourself, PGA West’s Stadium Course (another Pete Dye special) is a short drive away and will remind you that you’re a mere mortal.

Green Fees: $125–$275
Stay Packages: From $299/night
Best For: History lovers, couples, anyone who wants a resort that feels lived-in and storied

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells

Indian Wells is the quieter, more residential end of the Coachella Valley, and the Hyatt Regency here does an excellent job of balancing resort comfort with golf focus. Two championship courses — the Celebrity Course and the Players Course — are well-maintained and offer a challenging-but-fair test for mid-handicappers.

The pricing here is among the most reasonable of any major golf resort in the region, which makes Indian Wells a smart base if you want to explore multiple courses across the valley without overpaying for your hotel bed.

Green Fees: $69–$189
Stay Packages: From $275/night
Best For: Value-conscious golfers; couples where one partner isn’t a golfer (great pool scene)

Desert Willow Golf Resort (Palm Desert)

Desert Willow is a city-owned, public-access resort that consistently ranks among the top public courses in California. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry designed two courses — Firecliff and Mountain View — that embrace native desert plantings and sustainable design. The greens fees are reasonable, the conditions are consistently strong, and there’s zero pretension.

Green Fees: $65–$145
Best For: Budget-conscious rounds that still feel like a proper golf experience

New Mexico — The Southwest’s Best-Kept Golf Secret

New Mexico flies completely under the radar as a golf destination, which is both a shame and a gift. The state has altitude-boosted driving distances (your ball goes farther at 5,000–7,000 feet), stunning high desert terrain, and courses that are substantially less crowded than their Arizona and California counterparts.

Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Club (Albuquerque)

Ken Dye designed Paa-Ko Ridge on the eastern slopes of the Sandia Mountains, and the result is one of the most underrated golf experiences in the entire Southwest. At 6,600 feet of elevation, your drives will carry 10–15% farther than at sea level — bring extra swagger and adjust your irons accordingly. The course plays firm and fast, the views of the Sandia Wilderness are spectacular, and you might get the whole course to yourself on a Tuesday in October.

Green Fees: $65–$115
Best For: Golfers who love discovering places before everyone else does

Towa Golf Resort at Poeh Cultural Center (Pojoaque)

Just north of Santa Fe, Towa Golf Resort is owned and operated by the Pueblo of Pojoaque, and it’s one of the finest high-altitude golf experiences in the Southwest. The course winds through pinon pine and juniper at 6,000 feet, with the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez Mountains visible from nearly every hole. It’s a challenging layout that rewards patience and punishes careless iron play.

Green Fees: $55–$99
Stay: Buffalo Thunder Resort at Poeh (on-site Hilton property)
Best For: Adding golf to a Santa Fe cultural trip

New Mexico Tip: Combine your golf with Santa Fe’s food scene (one of the best in the country), the Meow Wolf arts installation, or a hot air balloon ride over Albuquerque. Golf as part of a bigger Southwest adventure works really well here.

Best Time to Play: A Straight Answer

Everyone asks this. Here’s the real answer, by destination:

Destination	Peak Season	Best Value Window	Avoid
Scottsdale	January–April	October–November	June–August (110°F+)
Sedona	March–May, Sept–Nov	October–November	July–August (monsoons)
Las Vegas	March–May, Oct–Nov	November–February	June–August (115°F+)
Palm Springs	January–April	November–December	June–September
New Mexico	April–October	May, September	January–February (snow possible)

My personal sweet spot: October and November. The summer crowds are gone, the temperatures in Scottsdale and Las Vegas drop to genuinely pleasant levels (75–85°F), and green fee prices haven’t hit their January peak yet. You’ll pay shoulder-season rates while playing in essentially peak-season conditions. It’s the best timing trade in Southwest golf.

Spring (March–April) is spectacular but you’ll pay for it. January and February bring the big tournaments and the snowbirds, which means crowded courses and premium pricing. Summer is for masochists or people on a serious budget who don’t mind a 6 AM tee time and being done before the heat hits.

Planning Your Southwest Golf Trip

Build Around One Hub or Go Multi-Stop?

Most Southwest golf trips fall into two categories: the single-city deep dive or the multi-stop road trip. Both work, but they require different planning approaches.

Single-city (Scottsdale): Fly into Phoenix, rent a car, play 5–7 courses over 5–7 days, go home. This is the highest golf-per-dollar approach and makes sense if your group’s main goal is volume. Scottsdale can absorb a full week of golf without you repeating a course.

Multi-stop road trip: Scottsdale → Sedona (2 hours) → Las Vegas (4.5 hours) is a classic three-city loop. Add Palm Springs by flying into LAX and ending there, or start in Albuquerque and work west. Drive times are long but the roads are beautiful. Rent a big trunk.

Getting Your Clubs There

Flying with clubs adds friction to any golf trip. A quality hard-case golf travel bag protects your investment and gives you confidence checking your sticks. Don’t risk your driver getting bent in an overhead bin — check them properly.

Booking Strategy

Peak season (Jan–April in Scottsdale): Book 60–90 days out minimum. Popular courses like TPC Scottsdale and Troon North fill fast.
Shoulder season: 2–4 weeks is usually fine, sometimes less.
Tee time services: GolfNow, Supreme Golf, and direct resort booking all have deals. Check all three before committing.
Multi-round packages: Many resorts offer 2-for-1 or stay-and-play deals that dramatically reduce per-round cost. Ask specifically about golf packages at check-in if nothing was offered at booking.

Desert Golf Preparation

A few things that separate experienced Southwest golfers from first-timers who limp off the 18th looking like they got hit by a bus:

Hydrate before you’re thirsty. By the time you feel thirst in dry desert air, you’re already mildly dehydrated. Start drinking water before the round and keep a 32 oz bottle in the cart.
Sunscreen isn’t optional. SPF 50+ on face, neck, ears, and arms. Reapply at the turn. The UV index in Arizona in March is higher than you expect.
Early tee times in summer: If you’re playing in June–August, book before 7 AM. Heat becomes dangerous by 10 AM and unbearable by noon.
Leave the rescue club in play. Desert rough is brutal and unforgiving. Take your medicine, punch out, and save the ego for the next fairway.
Adjust for elevation in New Mexico: Add 10–15% to your carry distances in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. It’ll feel weird the first few holes, then you’ll start loving it.

If you’re looking to max out your driving distance before the trip, our driver swing tips guide covers the mechanical adjustments that actually add yards. The desert’s thin air already helps — might as well optimize the swing too.

Budget vs. Luxury: What Your Dollar Actually Buys

Here’s an honest breakdown of what you get at different spend levels for a Southwest golf trip:

Budget Level	Daily Spend (per person)	What You Get	Best Destinations
Budget	$150–$250/day	Value hotel, 1 round/day at mid-tier courses, self-service dining	Las Vegas, New Mexico, Scottsdale summer
Mid-Range	$300–$500/day	3-star resort or hotel, 1–2 rounds/day at good courses, one nice dinner	Indian Wells, We-Ko-Pa, JW Marriott packages
Luxury	$600–$1,000+/day	5-star resort, top-tier courses, spa, premium dining, concierge tee times	Fairmont Princess, The Phoenician, Wynn Las Vegas

Best Value Plays in the Southwest

We-Ko-Pa in Fort McDowell is the clearest value in Scottsdale-area golf. You’re paying $150–$250 for courses that compete with anything at $350+. The Fort McDowell Casino Resort is comfortable, affordable, and the courses are walking-friendly — which saves you cart fees if you’re up for it.

Las Vegas in November offers remarkable value. TPC Las Vegas in pristine condition for under $150, hotel rooms on the Strip for $80–$120/night, and flights from most major cities for under $200 round-trip. Do the math — a weekend golf trip to Vegas in November can cost less than a single round at a top Scottsdale course during peak season.

New Mexico in September is genuinely underpriced. Paa-Ko Ridge at $115 for one of the top 25 public courses in the Southwest is just not a fair price for what you get. The mountain air is crisp, the courses are uncrowded, and you can add cultural experiences (Santa Fe, Taos) that make the whole trip feel more layered.

Where Luxury Spending Actually Pays Off

Spending more isn’t always better, but in a few cases the premium genuinely earns its keep:

TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course: The experience of playing a course you’ve watched on television — walking the 16th hole where 20,000 fans roar for the tournament — justifies the $300+ green fee for certain golfers. You know if you’re one of them.
The Phoenician for couples: When your partner isn’t a golfer, the resort’s spa, pool, and dining give them a full day’s worth of activities while you’re on the course. The premium is partly for the non-golf half of the trip.
Wynn Golf Club for the story: Sometimes you pay for an experience to say you had it. The Wynn is extraordinarily maintained, access is genuinely limited, and playing a private-feel course in the middle of Las Vegas is a story that never gets old at the 19th hole.

Choosing the Right Southwest Course for Your Game

For Golf Purists (Course Quality Over Everything)

Troon North Monument — Weiskopf’s finest public-access desert course
We-Ko-Pa Cholla — Coore/Crenshaw minimalism at its best
Paa-Ko Ridge — New Mexico’s architectural gem

For the Full Luxury Resort Experience

The Phoenician — Complete five-star experience, not just a golf trip
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess — TPC access plus premier resort facilities
Wynn Golf Club — The most exclusive tee sheet in Las Vegas

For Value-Focused Trips

We-Ko-Pa / Fort McDowell — Best quality-to-price ratio in the Southwest
Desert Willow Palm Desert — Outstanding public-access course at a fair price
TPC Las Vegas in November — Top course conditioning at off-peak rates

For First-Time Southwest Golfers

JW Marriott Camelback Inn — Central location, two solid courses, great amenities
La Quinta Resort & Club — Historical charm, five course options, easy to navigate
Sedona Golf Resort — Visual spectacle that makes anyone fall in love with desert golf

Equipment Notes for Desert Golf

Desert courses play differently than what most golfers are used to. The ball rolls much farther on firm, dry fairways. Your irons tend to fly longer in dry air. And if you’ve been meaning to upgrade your driver before the trip, that article on the best golf drivers in 2026 is worth a read before you book — a modern driver with a low spin profile is a serious advantage on the wide, fast desert fairways where keeping the ball in play is rewarded heavily.

Beyond Golf: What to Do with the Other Hours

A Southwest golf trip isn’t just about the rounds. Here’s how to fill the rest of your time intelligently:

Scottsdale

Old Town Scottsdale for galleries, restaurants, and the Friday Art Walk
Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home — a legit architectural pilgrimage)
Hot air ballooning over the Sonoran Desert at sunrise
Spa day at any of the major resorts (even if you’re not staying there)

Sedona

Jeep tours through Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Boynton Canyon
Slide Rock State Park (don’t wear your nice clothes)
Chapel of the Holy Cross — perched in the red rocks, worth the short hike

Las Vegas

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (45 minutes from the Strip) for hiking
The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas
Neon Museum for Vegas history buffs
Dining: the Las Vegas restaurant scene has gotten legitimately great

Palm Springs

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway — ride to 8,500 feet and look down on the courses you played
The Coachella Valley’s mid-century modern architecture tour
Joshua Tree National Park (an hour east — worth it)

New Mexico

Santa Fe’s Canyon Road gallery scene
Meow Wolf in Santa Fe (genuinely strange and worth it)
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (October — book well ahead)
Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site a few hours north

Final Recommendations

If you’ve never done a Southwest golf trip before, stop overthinking it and book Scottsdale. Stay in North Scottsdale, play Troon North and We-Ko-Pa, and add one other course based on your budget. You’ll come back.

If you’ve done Scottsdale and want more, add Sedona for a day trip, explore Las Vegas’s underrated course list, or go rogue and head to New Mexico where the courses are great, the air is thin, and the crowds are nonexistent.

The Southwest delivers golf experiences that reward commitment. Show up with a good bag, the right expectations, and at least one sunrise tee time, and you’ll understand why people organize their entire travel calendar around this corner of the country.

Related reading: Best Golf Travel Bags — protect your clubs on the flight out. Driver Swing Tips — get extra distance on those firm desert fairways. Best Golf Drivers 2026 — is it time to upgrade before the trip?