Gold Canyon Golf Course — Local services in Arizona

Don’t look too close! First impressions may deceive. The lush green grass, the undulating greens, the views, the views, the views and did I mention the views!

It’s beautiful, but you’re paying quite a steep price for golf, and there are a few things I would like to point out.

Many of the tee boxes are not level - not even close. How hard is it to level a tee box, especially considering they close the course twice a year for over seeding. Many, maybe 50%, are not level. I’ve heard of Turtleback greens, but turtleback tees?

And getting from the cart path to the tee box can be a challenge. A lot of the railroad ties used for steps are rotten and disintegrating. And, some of the rebar used to hold them in place are still sticking up. Watch your step.

Stay out of the sand traps because, well, in short, they suck. Poor sand. Inconsistent sand depth. No rakes. Seriously, NO RAKES? (I was told the lawn mower crew didn’t want to get off the tractors and move the rakes.). For $250, I expect more.

First timers on the course will be awed by the views. They are spectacular. Those who play the course regularly will point out the flaws those first timers overlook.

New owners took over about three years ago. GCGR used to be proud of providing a service.. The new owners are only interested in making a buck. Two years ago, a membership cost $6500. That same membership today is $12,000. And calling it “the same membership” is misleading because over $1,000 of extra benefits were removed from that membership. When the members questioned the price increases, the standard answers were, 1) “We have a waiting list”. And 2) There ‘s been inflation”. By saying “We have a waiting list, you’re saying you don’t care about the people who kept you afloat during the Covid years. And inflation wasn’t 100%...

The dinosaur course is excellent. Truly a hidden jewel in the west of Phoenix. Carved out of a mountain region, the layout of this course is fantastic. If not for the slightly better greens at we-ko-pa, I would rank these courses exactly the same.

Given my opinion of the course itself, this would surely be a 4 or 5 star rating, but, unfortunately I have to give it 2 stars because of my golf experience. I played a round from 9am to 1pm on a Tuesday afternoon. On no less than 10 occasions throught the round, my round was held up or disturbed by maintenance workers. While this is typically not a big deal, and expected early on weekdays, these workers didn't seem to have a great understanding of the game of golf, nor the danger they were in, which makes it very frustrating for a golfer.

When you're 180 yds out and there is someone working in the green side bunker, or you're teeing off on a par 4 and there are workers 150 yds out in the middle of the fairway, it is very difficult to play golf. When you're about to hit these shots and they refuse to even stop and watch, it is very frustrating. A mishit ball, in these situations, has the potential to hit someone in the head and kill them if they are not looking. I'm not, by any means, a scratch golfer. I'm already nervous standing over shots, the repeated potential to kill someone with a mishit ball simply made the round unenjoyable. And, as I said, 1 or 2 of these instances wouldn't have bothered me, but have to deal with this on 8 or 9 seperate occasions really hindered...

Gold canyon cost 239 to play after taxes. They refused to seat a 5 man scramble, despite not affecting pace of play for the course.

They also rejected a 4-ball alternating shot fifth person between two of the golfers and refused to allow a 5th golfer into the group. They required our fifth to join a separate tee time if they wanted to play.

Pace of play is the only issue with allowing a 5th man into a group. If pace of play was not going to be affected, zero reason to reject someone from playing golf with their friends.

Driving range balls which are reloaded periodically was also running empty because a staff member did not show up to work. Instead of having someone else load balls, they let the bins run empty instead.

Driving range mats have no tee stubs or inserts for tees, making it impossible to warm up a driver without retrieving your tee from the range every shot.

The concession stand also overloaded a hotdog with ketchup making my hotdog more liquid than solid.

Course only has two water jugs on holes 5 and 10. Really smart locations for Arizona, reaching temps of 100+ frequently. Comparison, Rancho Manana has jugs every other hole throughout the course for $139.

Carts were nice and cost 53$ for a ride along. Course has no problem with a ride along in a group of 4, but he’s in forbid someone alternate shots or play a scramble.

Course is pretty and well maintained. Which is the absolute minimum for a...