PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Grayhawk — Raptor

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Grayhawk — Raptor in Scottsdale, AZ.

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Grayhawk — Raptor golf course

Grayhawk — Raptor

Scottsdale, AZ
Raptor tees · 7,221 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Grayhawk — Raptor

Designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1995, the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a premier Sonoran Desert layout known for hosting PGA Tour events and NCAA Championships. Unlike traditional target-style desert tracks, Raptor features broad, rolling fairways framed by native saguaros, mesquites, and arroyos, with relatively few forced carries. Its primary defense lies in sweeping multi-tiered greens, deep steep-faced bunkers, shaved collection areas, and strategic water hazards on holes 10 and 18.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Grayhawk — Raptor

Off the tee

Generous fairways offer plenty of landing room, but strategically placed fairway bunkers and desert margins punish inaccurate drives. Most holes give golfers clear tactical choices, favoring aggressive lines over bunkers or conservative positioning to wide fairway sectors.

Elevation & terrain

Terrain across the Sonoran Desert gentle hills features occasional elevated tees, cresting hills, and raised plateau greens rather than extreme mountain elevation changes. Uphill holes like the 13th par 3 and cresting fairway on 12 require extra club and careful distance adjustments.

Approach play

Approach shots demand distance control and precision to navigate large, multi-tiered greens guarded by deep, steep-faced bunkers and grass collection areas. Several greens feature steep drop-offs or false fronts that punish short or mishit iron shots.

Around the greens

Surrounding green complexes feature deep bunkers, shaved collection banks, and severe green undulations designed by Tom Fazio. Scrambling requires good touch from deep sand and precise chipping to avoid running past pin locations on crowned surfaces.

Best way to play it

Play conservatively off the tee to avoid deep fairway bunkers and avoid trying to cut every corner over desert or sand. Target the safe centers of these large greens to manage the sweeping slopes and stay away from deep greenside hazards.

Key takeaways

  • Generous fairways framed by deep fairway bunkers that require clear tee-shot planning.
  • Sweeping multi-tiered greens with deep sand and shaved runoff areas demanding high approach precision.
  • Water comes into play on holes 10 and 18, while desert washes and terrain contouring protect the rest of the course.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
4
430
10
Favor a tee shot short of the right fairway bunker using a fairway wood or hybrid. Target the elevated green's upper tier to avoid the lower left tier protected by a deep bunker.
Your 240 yd driver · ~190 yards remaining by raw distance.
2
4
395
16
Aim tee shots left-center to the generous fairway away from the right bunker. Approach to a back-to-front sloped green guarded by bunkers left and front-right.
Your 240 yd driver · ~155 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
4
478
4
Favor the left side of the fairway off the tee to avoid the right bunker. Aim approaches toward the center of the large green to avoid short-right bunkers and left grass collection areas.
Your 240 yd driver · ~238 yards remaining by raw distance.
4
5
562
2
Drive to the open fairway, then lay up toward the right side just past the low wash area around 130 yards out. Hit extra club on the approach to clear steep drop-offs and deep bunkers surrounding the elevated plateau green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~322 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
5
3
205
14
Take sufficient club to reach the middle or back of the green when the pin is in front, putting back down the slope. Avoid overshooting back pin locations to prevent difficult downhill chips.
6
4
345
12
Choose between driving aggressive toward the green or laying up with a fairway wood/hybrid. Apply spin on the approach shot to hold the green and prevent the ball from running over the back edge.
Your 240 yd driver · ~105 yards remaining by raw distance.
7
5
502
8
Hit drive into the wide fairway, then control second shot into the narrowing fairway corridor. Lay up to leave a short approach to a severely elevated green where distance control is mandatory.
Your 240 yd driver · ~262 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
8
3
192
18
Select enough club to clear the large front bunker complex across the desert canyon. Aim for the middle of the double-tiered green where slopes funnel shots toward central pin positions.
9
4
464
6
Play tee shot to the left-center fairway rather than trying to cut the dogleg over the right fairway bunkers. Approach an elevated green backed by a protective ridge that prevents long shots from leaving the green area.
Your 240 yd driver · ~224 yards remaining by raw distance.
10
4
390
9
Drive toward the wide left fairway landing area away from Quill Creek on the right. Second shot must carry or clear the creek to reach a green guarded by surrounding bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~150 yards remaining by raw distance.
11
5
650
1
Drive to the fairway avoiding reachable right fairway bunkers. Lay up with a fairway wood or hybrid, then hit approach to a green sloped right-to-left, balancing between right-side bunkers and deep left bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~410 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
12
4
468
5
Drive over the crest of the hill into a very generous fairway, avoiding missing far left. Approach with a mid-to-long iron to a green situated in a subtle swale/valley complex.
Your 240 yd driver · ~228 yards remaining by raw distance.
13
3
230
7
Take extra club to account for the uphill elevation change. Focus on landing on the green surface, as short shots will catch slopes and roll backward off the front edge.
14
4
429
13
Hit drive freely into the broad fairway. Approach shot requires precision to carry the front greenside bunker while avoiding bunkers guarding the right and back.
Your 240 yd driver · ~189 yards remaining by raw distance.
15
4
450
11
Execute tee shot over the natural desert wash, favoring the right side of the fairway to avoid reachable left fairway bunkers. Approach shot requires careful distance control to a guarded green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~210 yards remaining by raw distance.
16
3
179
17
Use a short wedge or pitch shot to land precisely on the crowned green surface. Avoid missing long or wide where steep slopes run off the putting surface.
17
4
331
15
Choose between attempting a driver to reach or get near the green or placing a fairway wood/hybrid in the fairway. Approach is to one of the largest multi-tiered greens on the course.
Your 240 yd driver · ~91 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
18
5
521
3
Hit drive down the wide fairway avoiding left fairway bunkers. On the second shot, lay up toward the left-center fairway to avoid the water hazard on the right. Approach over or along the water into an elevated green guarded by left bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~281 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.

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.