If you like championship golf courses with affordable green fees, consider making a tee time to play Grand Canyon University Golf Course the next time you are in Phoenix. The course, which rambles on a square site that is free of course-side housing, is a partnership between the city of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University. The city owns the facility and the university manages and funds it. William F. Bell, best known for designing Torrey Pines, laid out the original course back in 1961. Formerly known as Maryvale Municipal Golf Course, the playing field was redesigned by John Fought in 2015 when Grand Canyon University decided to make the course a high profile university asset as well as a source of pride for the Maryvale neighborhood in West Phoenix. Fought added 600 yards to the playing distance, elevated the greens, added movement to the fairways, and rebuilt and relocated the layout s 80 bunkers. Grand Canyon University Golf Course is a bonafide championship course that has hosted many qualifiers over the years for the PGA Tour s Phoenix Open. The golf grounds are mostly flat and wonderful to walk. With five sets of tee markers plus a hybrid teeing option, players of all skill levels can find an appropriate distance to take on the challenge between 5,104 yards and 7,239 yards. Golfers who utilize the back sets of tee markers will confront forced-carry tee shots over desert waste areas, but Grand Canyon University Golf Course is a traditional layout with wide, long unbroken swatches of green fairway. Mature trees loosely line the fairways and provide much-welcome shade in spots. Grand Canyon University Golf Course boasts a full array of memorable and formidable holes. Both nines start with a strong par 5 and a long par 3. There s no let up on the 3rd hole on the front nine either topping out at 642 yards from the tips, it s by far the longest hole on the course. Water comes into play for the first time on the 5th hole. One of the beauty winners during the round at Grand Canyon University Golf Course is the 13th hole, a par 3 that requires a carry over a pond and a bunker when taking direct aim at the green. Practice facilities include a full driving range and a putting and chipping green. The clubhouse includes a pro shop and a restaurant and bar with an outdoor patio. Don t miss out on a tee time at Grand Canyon University Course. You ll be hard pressed to find a better course for the money in the Phoenix/Scottsdale golf mecca.
