
Orange Tree Course
Orange Tree Golf Club
Public: #2552
Public: #2323
Public: #83
About this course
Orange Tree Golf Club occupies a mature desert setting in north-central Scottsdale, where the course was designed by Lawrence Hughes and Johnny Bulla and opened in 1957. The layout represents an early example of desert golf architecture, predating the more dramatic target-style courses that would later define the region. The design works with relatively gentle terrain compared to many modern Scottsdale courses, incorporating native vegetation and desert washes into a routing that remains walkable by Arizona standards. The course features tree-lined fairways—including the orange trees that give the property its name—alongside the characteristic saguaro cacti and desert scrub of the Sonoran landscape. The routing moves through established residential areas that developed around the golf course over subsequent decades. Hughes and Bulla created a layout that emphasizes strategic positioning over forced carries, with generous landing areas and greens that reward accurate approach play. Orange Tree operates as a semi-private facility and has served as a venue for various regional amateur competitions and qualifying events over the years. The club maintains a reputation as a neighborhood course with an accessible character, appealing to both members and daily-fee players. The mature landscaping and established tree canopy provide definition and shade that distinguish it from many newer desert courses built on more rugged terrain. The design reflects the architectural sensibilities of 1950s desert golf, when courses integrated more closely with their surroundings rather than imposing dramatic artificial features on the landscape.
Quick facts
- Location
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1957
- Holes
- 18
- Designer(s)
- Lawrence Hughes, Johnny Bulla
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,740 yards
- Difficulty
- 71.1/124
- Course Vaults score
- 5.8
Getting there
The journey to Orange Tree Golf Club begins at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), roughly forty minutes north of Scottsdale, where the desert landscape unfolds in broad, sun-bleached vistas as you drive toward the McDowell Mountains. For those arriving by private aircraft, Scottsdale Airport (SDL) sits just minutes away, offering a more discreet entry into the valley's exclusive golf community. The final approach winds through Scottsdale's northern reaches, where the urban sprawl gradually yields to the raw, sculptural beauty of the Sonoran Desert - saguaro sentinels rising against rust-colored ridges - before arriving at Orange Tree's gates, a sanctuary of manicured fairways set against the raw drama of the Arizona wilderness.

FAQ
Common questions about Orange Tree
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Orange Tree has a Course Vaults score of 5.8 out of 10 based on 40 logged golfers.
Orange Tree was designed by Lawrence Hughes and Johnny Bulla.
Yes. Orange Tree is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Orange Tree is 72.
Orange Tree plays 6,740 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Orange Tree is 124.




