
The 500 Course
The 500 Club
About this course
The 500 Club in Glendale, Arizona, is a private golf facility designed by Brian Whitcomb, a Phoenix-area architect known for his work on desert and Southwest courses. Whitcomb's design approach typically emphasizes strategic shot-making and integration with the natural Sonoran Desert landscape. The course occupies terrain characteristic of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, where desert vegetation, elevation changes, and views of surrounding mountain ranges provide the setting for golf. The routing likely takes advantage of the property's natural contours and desert washes, features common to courses in this region. Whitcomb's designs generally incorporate wide fairway corridors with strategic bunkering and native desert areas that frame holes and define playing angles. Water features, when present in Arizona desert courses, tend to be limited and purposeful given the arid climate. The greens are typically built to accept well-struck approach shots while presenting challenges in speed and contour. As a private club in the Glendale area, The 500 Club serves members from the northwest Phoenix suburbs. The club's name suggests a possible connection to membership structure or historical reference, though specific details about its founding or membership traditions are not widely documented. The facility operates within the competitive private club market of the Phoenix metropolitan area, where golf is played year-round with peak season running from late fall through early spring when temperatures are most favorable.
Rankings
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Best in USA
Best in AZ
Quick facts
- Location
- Glendale, AZ, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1989
- Holes
- 18
- Designer
- Brian Whitcomb
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,803 yards
- Difficulty
- 71.3/125
- Course Vaults score
- 7.8
Getting there
The 500 Club, nestled in the Sonoran Desert west of Phoenix, is most readily accessed via Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), approximately 30 minutes east by car through the sprawling metropolitan landscape before the terrain opens into the arid, sculptural beauty of greater Glendale. Private aviation guests will find Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) as viable alternatives for a more direct approach to the West Valley. The drive west from Sky Harbor carries you through the urban transition zone and into the high desert proper, where the landscape gradually surrenders to saguaro-studded vistas and the distant ridgelines that frame this exclusive golf enclave. Arrival at The 500 Club marks the culmination of a swift desert crossing - a fitting prelude to one of Arizona's most coveted private courses.

FAQ
Common questions about The 500
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
The 500 has a Course Vaults score of 7.8 out of 10 based on 25 logged golfers.
The 500 was designed by Brian Whitcomb.
Yes. The 500 is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at The 500 is 72.
The 500 plays 6,803 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at The 500 is 125.





