PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, AZ.

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Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club golf course

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club

Maricopa, AZ
Tips tees · 7,440 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club

Designed by Schmidt-Curley and Fred Couples, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona, is an Australian Sandbelt-inspired layout featuring vast sprawling fairways, expansive native desert areas, over 100 deep sand traps, and large, fast-rolling green complexes.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club

Off the tee

Fairways are remarkably wide and forgiving, allowing golfers to hit driver freely on most holes. However, tee shots must be positioned carefully to avoid massive fairway bunker complexes and native desert scrub flanking the landing areas.

Elevation & terrain

The terrain is generally flat with low rolling contours, meaning elevation plays a minimal role in distance calculations. Wind and firm conditions are the primary environmental factors impacting ball flight and roll.

Approach play

Approach shots demand precise distance and direction control into sprawling, firm green complexes. Visual illusions are common, with deceptive cross-bunkers placed well short of putting surfaces to trick golfer perception.

Around the greens

Green complexes feature sweeping, consistent slopes rather than heavy undulations, making speed control critical. Bunkering around the greens is extremely deep and penal, requiring confident sand play to save par.

Best way to play it

Take advantage of wide fairways by playing to preferred angles that open up approach lines while steering clear of deep sand traps. Conservative target selection into green centers is rewarded over aggressive pin hunting.

Key takeaways

  • Australian Sandbelt-style design with expansive bunkering and broad fairways rather than traditional target-desert golf.
  • Over 100 large, deep sand traps shape fairways and guard green complexes throughout the property.
  • Only one major water hazard exists on the course, coming into play on the 10th and 18th holes.
  • Greens feature sweeping, true-rolling slopes that punish misjudged approach distance and poor speed control.
  • Short par 4s like the 2nd and 14th offer classic risk-reward decisions where iron layups are often the smartest play.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
4
449
9
Favor the left-center side of the generous fairway off the tee to keep clear of the right sand trap and create a clean sightline for the approach shot.
Your 240 yd driver · ~209 yards remaining by raw distance.
2
4
358
15
Lay up short of the fairway sand traps with a long iron or hybrid to leave a controllable wedge shot into the well-guarded green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~118 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
5
552
1
Drive the ball toward the right side of the fairway to stay away from the deep bunker and tall grass on the left, then lay up cautiously to avoid long greenside sand.
Your 240 yd driver · ~312 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
4
3
162
17
Select an accurate club aimed directly for the middle of the green to avoid the extensive sand ring and severe putting surface slopes.
5
4
455
7
Aim for the wide central landing area off the tee box without trying to cut too much off the dogleg corner over the sand.
Your 240 yd driver · ~215 yards remaining by raw distance.
6
3
243
13
Use plenty of club to clear the front sand and native desert terrain, targeting the central section of the sloped green.
7
5
577
3
Tee shots should favor the left half of the fairway, followed by a smart layup shot to set up a short wedge approach into the compact green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~337 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
8
4
476
5
Drive the ball strongly down the fairway center, taking care on the approach to disregard the right bunker that sits well short of the putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~236 yards remaining by raw distance.
9
4
481
11
Position your drive down the middle of the bowl fairway, then hit a precise second shot over the front bunker buffer into a narrow green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~241 yards remaining by raw distance.
10
4
400
14
Aim your tee shot over the left edge of the fairway bunker to keep far away from the pond and native waste on the right.
Your 240 yd driver · ~160 yards remaining by raw distance.
11
3
189
18
Select enough club to clear the front desert floor completely, playing for the center of the sloped putting surface.
12
4
463
8
Hit a strong drive into the open fairway, then shape your approach with a soft left-to-right ball flight into the center of the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~223 yards remaining by raw distance.
13
5
602
2
Keep tee shots to the left fairway corridor to avoid the right-side desert sweep, taking advantage of the open green front on approach or layups.
Your 240 yd driver · ~362 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
14
4
317
12
Play conservative off the tee with a long iron or hybrid to the center fairway landing spot, leaving a short wedge into the small, heavily bunkered green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~77 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
15
4
476
6
Play a left-to-right draw off the tee into the fairways, taking advantage of open ground in front of the elevated green to run the approach shot up if needed.
Your 240 yd driver · ~236 yards remaining by raw distance.
16
5
578
4
Find the fairway off the tee, then execute your second-shot layup out to the left side of the fairway to preserve a clean angle to the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~338 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
17
3
203
16
Hit a controlled left-to-right shot toward the middle of the green to clear the front sand traps safely.
18
4
459
10
Hit a long drive to the fairway turn, then hit a high, precise approach carrying the fronting pond to hit the giant final putting surface.
Your 240 yd driver · ~219 yards remaining by raw distance.

Course information and strategy are provided for planning purposes. Yardages, course setup, hazards and playing conditions can change. Always confirm current course information before your round.