The hardest golf courses in Maricopa, Arizona
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Maricopa, Arizona, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 14 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Southern Dunes Golf Club
Maricopa, AZ, USASlope rating 142, 76.4 course rating, Tips tees, 7,546 yds
PublicLee Schmidt & Brian Curley
- 3.8Conditions
- 4.1Layout
- 3.9Value
- 3.8Scenery
- 3.6Facilities
Probably the best public in Arizona, wide enough, interesting green complexes and surroundings, lots of runoffs and myriads of ways to play shots. Definitely not as punishing as most desert golf, so it’s a great change of pace from just about everything else.
Written by
@Kirkeide1
- Challenging
- Must play
- Driving range
Cattail
Whirlwind Golf Club
Chandler, AZ, USASlope rating 133, 73.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,334 yds
PublicGary Panks
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 1.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 1.0Facilities
- Driving range
The Raven
Raven Golf Club
Phoenix, AZ, USASlope rating 132, 73.2 course rating, Raven tees, 7,078 yds
PrivateDavid Graham & Gary Panks
- 3.8Conditions
- 3.1Layout
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Pristine
Kokopelli Golf Course
Gilbert, AZ, USASlope rating 132, 72.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,716 yds
PublicBill Phillips
- Views
- Dog track
Championship
Aguila Golf Club
Laveen, AZ, USASlope rating 129, 72.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,962 yds
PublicGary Panks
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Hidden gem
The Foothills Golf Club
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Slope rating 128, 72.6 course rating, Championship tees, 6,968 yds
(Devil's Claw) Whirlwind Golf Club
Chandler, AZ, USA
Slope rating 127, 72.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,029 yds
The Legacy Golf Resort
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Slope rating 127, 72.0 course rating, Copper tees, 6,946 yds
Ken McDonald Golf Course
Tempe, AZ, USA
Slope rating 125, 71.5 course rating, Back tees, 6,743 yds
San Marcos Golf & Resort
Chandler, AZ, USA
Slope rating 124, 71.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,640 yds
Arizona Grand Golf Course
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Slope rating 124, 68.5 course rating, Black tees, 6,288 yds
Lone Tree Golf Club
Chandler, AZ, USA
Slope rating 123, 71.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,984 yds
Dobson Ranch Golf Course
Mesa, AZ, USA
Slope rating 123, 71.1 course rating, Back tees, 6,593 yds
Bear Creek Golf Complex
Chandler, AZ, USA
Slope rating 122, 71.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,825 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Maricopa, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Southern Dunes Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Maricopa, Arizona at Slope 142 (76.4 course rating · Tips tees · 7,546 yds). 14 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Maricopa, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Maricopa, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:16 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
