ASU Karsten Golf Course serves as the home course for Arizona State University's golf programs and occupies a compact site in Tempe. Designed by Pete Dye with his son Perry Dye and opened in 1989, the course reflects the Dye family's characteristic approach to strategic design within the constraints of a relatively flat desert property. The layout measures just over 7,000 yards from the championship tees and incorporates railroad ties, pot bunkers, and mounding to create visual interest and strategic challenges on terrain that lacks significant natural elevation change.
The course functions as both a competitive collegiate venue and a public facility, hosting ASU's men's and women's teams for practice and home matches. The Sun Devils have used Karsten as their primary home course for decades, and the facility includes practice areas that support one of the nation's prominent college golf programs. The design emphasizes accuracy and course management rather than overwhelming length, with water hazards coming into play on several holes and the Dye-style bunkering requiring precise iron play.
Located near the university campus, the course sits in an urban setting with views of the surrounding valley and distant mountain ranges. The desert climate allows for year-round play, and the bermudagrass surfaces are overseeded in winter months. While not among the Dyes' most celebrated designs, Karsten provides a functional and strategically sound test of golf that serves its dual purpose as a competitive collegiate venue and accessible public course.
Reviews
FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
ASU Karsten at ASU Karsten Golf Course has a Course Vaults score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 8 explicit golfer ratings.
ASU Karsten was designed by Perry Dye and Pete Dye.
Yes. ASU Karsten at ASU Karsten Golf Course is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at ASU Karsten is 70.
ASU Karsten plays 7,002 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at ASU Karsten is 131.