Thirty-six holes, a lot of lake and Camelback on the skyline.
McCormick Ranch is central Scottsdale’s big public club: two 18-hole courses, the Palm and the Pine, set around lakes in the planned community that grew out of the McCormick family’s cattle and Arabian horse ranch. Desmond Muirhead designed the club, which opened in 1972, and it has been family-owned since Edward Pincus bought it in 1979. It is open to the public every day of the year. For visitors, the appeal is ease: green, water-heavy resort-style golf about ten minutes from Old Town, with views of Camelback and the McDowell Mountains and only pockets of desert.
McCormick Ranch Golf Club (Palm and Pine) green fees and tee times.
Tee times are booked online through the club’s website, which links to its TeeItUp and Quick18 booking pages, or by phone on 480-948-0260. Online prices change through the year and are not published as a fixed card. Twilight rates may start at 2pm and again at 4pm. Groups of 16 to 600 players can request tournament pricing, and the club handles everything from cart signs to catering. If you are in Scottsdale for weeks rather than days, the Ranch Pass takes 25 per cent off the standard rate and includes two US$39 cart-fee-only rounds, but those can be booked no more than three days ahead and the card must be collected in person.
The courses at McCormick Ranch Golf Club (Palm and Pine).
Palm Course (par 72, 7,044 yards)
The better-known of the two. Water is in play on ten holes, and it frames the 9th, the 408-yard par four on Golf Illustrated’s water-hole list and the third-hardest hole on the card. The 7th, a 535-yard par five rated the hardest, bends past more water. Its front nine was regrassed in 2024.
Pine Course (par 72, 7,187 yards)
Slightly longer, with the 599-yard 7th as its biggest par five. Its hardest hole is the 470-yard 15th, a par four played around a large lake, and the club has just rebuilt that green so it tilts towards the fairway for a fairer approach. The front nine was regrassed in 2025.
The round, in perspective.
Both courses are par 72, and both are over 7,000 yards from the Blue tees, longer than their parkland look suggests. Water does most of the work. The club’s signature hole, the 9th on the Palm, has appeared in Golf Illustrated’s list of America’s top 18 water holes, and the Palm has been a Canadian Tour venue, hosting the Scottsdale Swing. In 2024 the club began a multi-year revitalisation, regrassing tees, fairways and greens with a drought-tolerant hybrid Bermuda and rebuilding bunkers and drainage. The front nines of both courses are done, and the Pine’s back nine was being reworked through 2026, including a new green at the 15th.
Know before you go.
Golf shop
480-948-0260
Open
365 days a year
Course and shop hours
6am to 5.30pm
Twilight
May start at 2pm and 4pm
Range balls
US$17 or US$30 a bucket
Groups
16 to 600 players
Make the trip work.
Check the club’s project updates before choosing a course, because each nine is regrassed in turn and the club has said it may use temporary rerouting while the back nines are rebuilt. The practice area has one of the largest putting greens in the Southwest, two chipping greens and a range, with buckets at US$17 or US$30; the range closes at 4.30pm on Mondays. Water fountains and restrooms are at set holes on each course, listed on the golf page. Junior lessons cover ages 7 to 16.
The club is at 7505 East McCormick Parkway, between Scottsdale Road and Hayden Road and about five minutes from the Loop 101. Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is roughly 20 to 25 minutes away by car, depending on traffic. Old Town Scottsdale is about ten minutes south.
The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, also on McCormick Parkway, is the closest hotel to the first tee. Old Town Scottsdale, about ten minutes away, has a wide choice, including Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town and Hyatt House Scottsdale/Old Town, both of which Golfbreaks lists with the club. Groups who want more space often rent a house or condo in central Scottsdale, which also keeps the north Scottsdale courses within half an hour.
Make a trip of it.
Talking Stick, across the Loop 101 in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, is the nearest contrast: firm, open Coore & Crenshaw golf against McCormick’s lakes. TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course and Grayhawk are both within about 20 minutes on the 101. Off the course, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, on land the McCormicks gave to the city in 1967, has train rides and a carousel, and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, which Anne McCormick started, fills WestWorld every February.
Find your season.
McCormick Ranch is open every day of the year. January to April is the peak, when Scottsdale hotel and green-fee prices are highest and the Arabian Horse Show and spring training bring crowds. With both back nines still to finish, expect renovation work on part of the property for the next few seasons.
Which is better at McCormick Ranch, the Palm or the Pine?
The Palm has the higher profile: its 9th is on Golf Illustrated’s list of America’s top water holes, and it hosted the Canadian Tour’s Scottsdale Swing. The Pine is longer at 7,187 yards and has the hardest single hole on the property, the 15th. Check renovation updates before you choose.
Is McCormick Ranch Golf Club public?
Yes. Both courses and the dining rooms have been open to the public since 1972, and the club opens 365 days a year. Annual memberships with no initiation fee, a range membership and the Ranch Pass exist for locals, but visitors book the same tee sheet.
Does McCormick Ranch have twilight rates?
The club says twilight rates may be available from 2pm and again from 4pm, and online prices shift through the year. In midwinter a 4pm start leaves little daylight, so check sunset before you book.
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.
