Ak-Chin Southern Dunes sits on 320 acres of the Ak-Chin Indian Community, beside the Maricopa Road about 35 miles south of central Phoenix, and it is the furthest south of the Valley’s well-known daily-fee courses. It was developed as a private club and opened in 2002. In 2010 the Community bought it, recovering land that had been part of its original May 1912 reservation, and it now runs as a daily-fee course for anyone, managed by Troon. Expect a long test: it is an annual U.S. Open qualifying site.
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club green fees and tee times.
Book online through the tee-time page on the club’s website, which runs on GolfNow, or call the golf shop on 520-426-6827. Green fees are not printed on the site; the price appears when you search a date, and the club runs seasonal specials, including a summer offer it calls The Summer Steal. Troon’s Access Premium programme applies here, which helps if you are playing several Troon-managed courses in the Valley. Stay-and-play packages are sold with two partner hotels. A forecaddie or walking caddie must be booked at least 24 hours ahead. Callaway Elyte rental sets cost US$75 plus tax for 18 holes and include six balls; men’s right- and left-handed and women’s right-handed sets are stocked.
The round, in perspective.
Brian Curley and Lee Schmidt of Schmidt-Curley Design laid out the course, with Fred Couples consulting, and the club calls it an Australian Sand Belt-style layout. You see that in the bunkering: deep, steep-edged traps cut close to the greens, which are multi-tiered, so the approach matters as much as the drive. The back tees stretch to 7,546 yards, par 72, with a 142 slope as listed by GolfPass, and sets of 6,902 and 6,138 yards suit most visitors. It staged the Southwest Section PGA Championship from 2016 to 2018 and first-stage Korn Ferry Tour qualifying from 2013 to 2021. A 2014 renovation made it more player-friendly, and the same year #miniDunes opened: six short holes of 60 to 115 yards laid out on the practice range.
Know before you go.
Golf shop
520-426-6827
Forecaddie
US$40 + tax per golfer, two-golfer minimum
Walking caddie
US$60 double bag, US$100 single bag, plus tax
Caddie booking
At least 24 hours ahead
Rental clubs
Callaway, US$75 + tax for 18 holes
Make the trip work.
Plan the day around the drive. The course is roughly an hour south of Old Town Scottsdale, so a morning tee time from a Scottsdale base means an early start, and the Maricopa Road can be slow at commuting hours. The clubhouse is being replaced: construction of a 24,000-square-foot building was set to begin in March 2026, and the club expects it to open in spring 2027 with a larger Arroyo Grille, a food hall, a GOLFZON simulator room and a halfway house between the 9th green and 10th tee. Until then, ask what food is running when you book; the club also operates a food trailer.
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is the airport. Take I-10 south-east, then the Maricopa Road (State Route 347) south through the Gila River Indian Community towards Maricopa; the club is at 48456 AZ-238. Allow at least 40 minutes from the airport, more at rush hour. Chandler, Tempe and the Wild Horse Pass resorts are all much closer than Scottsdale.
The club’s main stay-and-play partner is Harrah’s Ak-Chin, the Community’s casino hotel near Maricopa, with 300 rooms, a cactus garden, a pool with a swim-up bar and live bands in The Lounge. The second partner is the paired Courtyard and Fairfield Inn & Suites at Chandler Fashion Center, near the junction of the 202 and 101, which suits a trip mixing golf with Phoenix evenings. For a full resort on the way north, look at Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass or the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass.
Make a trip of it.
Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass, with Gary Panks’s Cattail and Devil’s Claw courses, is the obvious second round in the south Valley. For a change of style, Talking Stick’s O’odham Course, a flat and firm Coore & Crenshaw design, pairs well on the Scottsdale side, and TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course adds a tour venue. Off the course, the club notes that the Chandler mall and the Gila River outlet mall are both within 20 minutes, and it lists Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park among the attractions near the Chandler hotel.
Find your season.
Arizona golf peaks from January to April, when tee sheets fill and prices climb. Demand drops in the summer heat, which is when the club runs its specials, so book dawn starts from June onwards. The caddie programme has run on request through the high season into mid-April. The new clubhouse is due in spring 2027, so construction will be visible around it until then.
Yes. It began as a private club, but since the Ak-Chin Indian Community bought it in 2010 it has run as a true daily-fee course open to everyone. Book through the club’s website or the golf shop. Troon’s Access Premium programme gives regulars discounts but is not needed for a tee time.
How long is Ak-Chin Southern Dunes?
From the back tees it plays 7,546 yards, par 72, rated 76.5 with a 142 slope, as listed by GolfPass. Intermediate sets run 7,330, 6,902 and 6,138 yards, and the shortest is about 5,055 yards, so mixed groups can find a sensible length.
How far is Southern Dunes from Scottsdale?
Roughly an hour by car from Old Town Scottsdale, and longer at rush hour. It lies south of the Gila River Indian Community near Maricopa, so a base in Chandler, at Wild Horse Pass or at Harrah’s Ak-Chin cuts the drive considerably.
What is #miniDunes?
A six-hole short course on the practice range, opened in 2014, with holes of 60 to 115 yards. It is floodlit, opens Wednesday to Sunday from the afternoon into the night, and one fee buys unlimited holes: US$25 on Wednesdays and US$35 Friday to Sunday. Juniors 15 and under play free in the week.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
