The Boulders sits at the northern end of the Valley, in Carefree, where the resort’s casitas sit among stacks of granite boulders around 12 million years old. Both of its courses were designed by Jay Morrish and wind between those rock piles. The arrangement has changed in recent years. The South Course is the one visitors book. The North Course has been set aside for Boulders Club members and their guests since 2023, according to course-listing sources. Come here for the setting and a resort stay as much as for the golf.
The Boulders Resort (South Course) green fees and tee times.
Non-member tee times are booked through the resort’s online booking engine, linked from its golf page, or through the golf team on 480-488-9028 or by email at PHXRS_Golf@Hilton.com. Room reservations are a separate call, on 1-888-579-2631. The resort does not publish a green fee, so rates appear only when you search a date or ask the golf team. The Boulders sells golf packages through its special-offers page, and tour operators sell South Course stay-and-play deals. If you are staying, ask for tee times when you book the room, as resort guests and outside players share one course. If you have a member contact, that is the only route onto the North.
The courses at The Boulders Resort (South Course).
South Course (Jay Morrish)
The course that resort guests and the public can book. Its most talked-about stretch is six to eight, where the tee boxes sit up in the granite. Listed at 6,917 yards from the back tees. It is the course Golfbreaks and other operators build Boulders packages around, and resort guests and outside players share its tee sheet.
North Course (Jay Morrish)
Par 72 and 6,959 yards from the back tees. Course-listing sites report that since 2023 the North has been the private course of The Boulders Club, so visitors and hotel guests play it only when a member hosts them. Older reviews describe a daily rotation between the two courses; treat those as out of date and confirm with the golf team.
The round, in perspective.
Morrish routed both courses through high desert broken by enormous rounded boulders, and the rock is part of the play as well as the view. On the South Course the resort points to holes six, seven and eight, where the tees are built into the prehistoric rock itself, so you tee off from a ledge above the fairway. The resort describes multi-million-dollar work on new greens, bunkers and cart paths in recent years, though it does not give dates. Course listings give the South 6,917 yards from the back tees, though they disagree on whether par is 71 or 72. The North, a par 72 of 6,959 yards, has the same designer and terrain. You will only see it if a member invites you. On both, the granite outcrops frame the landing areas, so the rock shapes your line from the tee as much as the desert does.
Know before you go.
Visitors play
South Course; North is for members and their guests
Golf team
480-488-9028
Resort reservations
1-888-579-2631
Caddies
Caddiemaster programme
Rentals
Carts and equipment at both pro shops
Make the trip work.
Carefree is a quiet town. The resort is where most visitors eat, unwind and sleep, so plan on spending real time there rather than treating it as a quick day trip. The Boulders Golf Academy offers lessons from PGA and LPGA professionals, including Donald Crawley, whom Golf Magazine has named one of America’s top 100 teachers. That makes a lesson on arrival worthwhile if you have not played desert golf before. The golf team is led by David Benham, Director of Club Operations, who is the contact for group requests.
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is about 32 miles south; allow 45 to 60 minutes by car via the Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road or Pima Road. From Scottsdale Airport it is about 14 miles. The resort is at 34631 North Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree. A hire car makes the most sense, as the nearest towns are spread out.
The Boulders Resort & Spa, now part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, is the obvious place to stay. Rooms are adobe-style casitas spread among the rocks, plus Pueblo-style villas of one to three bedrooms that suit groups. The resort’s spa covers 33,000 square feet. If you want a livelier base, Cave Creek, next door, has Western saloons and restaurants. North Scottsdale’s resorts are about 25 minutes south.
Make a trip of it.
Troon North’s Monument and Pinnacle courses are about 20 minutes south-east via Pima Road. Grayhawk’s Raptor and Talon are about half an hour south. Between rounds, the Carefree Sundial, a large solar landmark from 1959, is in the town centre. Cave Creek’s main street has Western bars and shops, and trails on Black Mountain look down over the town.
Find your season.
Carefree sits higher than central Phoenix, so it can be a little cooler, but summer days still regularly pass 100°F. The main golf season runs from late autumn to spring, and resort rates climb from January to April. The resort does not publish overseed dates. Ask the golf team before booking an October trip.
Yes, on the South Course. Resort guests and outside players can book it online or through the golf team on 480-488-9028. Course-listing sites report that the North Course has been reserved for Boulders Club members and their guests since 2023.
Who designed The Boulders courses?
Jay Morrish designed both the North and South courses. He is also known for co-designing Troon North with Tom Weiskopf. At The Boulders he routed holes around huge granite outcrops, and on the South several tees sit within the rock.
How much does it cost to play The Boulders?
The resort does not publish green fees. Rates appear when you search the online tee sheet or call the golf team, and they change by season and demand. Stay-and-play packages bundle the South Course with a casita.
What is the nearest airport to The Boulders?
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), about 32 miles south, is the main gateway. Allow 45 to 60 minutes by car depending on traffic. Private flights can use Scottsdale Airport, about 14 miles away.
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.
