PLAYROUND COURSE GUIDE

How to Play Papago Golf Course

Course strategy, tee-specific yardages and a hole-by-hole game plan for Papago Golf Course in Phoenix, AZ.

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Papago Golf Course golf course

Papago Golf Course

Phoenix, AZ
Black tees · 7,380 yards
COURSE OVERVIEW

About Papago Golf Course

Papago Golf Course is a historic municipal championship golf course in Phoenix, Arizona, set in Papago Park with backdrop views of the Papago Buttes, Camelback Mountain, and the downtown Phoenix skyline. Originally designed in 1963 by William F. (Billy) Bell and restored by Billy Fuller, the course now serves as the home facility for the Arizona State University Sun Devil golf teams. The layout features wide fairways framed by native Sonoran Desert transition areas, mature trees, strategic fairway bunkering, elevated green complexes, and subtle mounding.

COURSE STRATEGY

How to play Papago Golf Course

Off the tee

Fairways are generally wide and inviting, but tee shots must be placed accurately to avoid desert transition zones and fairway bunkers. Position on the proper side of the fairway is key to securing clear approach angles around mature trees and doglegs.

Elevation & terrain

Set on gently rolling Sonoran Desert terrain, elevation changes are subtle but influential across the round. Elevated tee boxes like the drop on hole 10 provide scenic downhill drives, while uphill approaches on holes 5, 11, 14, and 18 require an extra club.

Approach play

Approach play is tested by raised or elevated greens featuring false fronts and cavernous bunkering. The course's four par-3 holes play exceptionally long, demanding long irons or hybrids to carry surrounding hazards.

Around the greens

Greens complexes are expansive, firm, and undulating with Bermuda Mini-Verde putting surfaces. Subtle slope breaks and multi-tier surfaces demand precise lag putting, while deep greenside bunkers punish missed approach shots.

Best way to play it

Play aggressively off the tee where fairways open up, but manage risk around long par 3s and cross-bunkering on par 4s. Club up on elevated green approaches and aim for the center of green surfaces to avoid deep greenside bunkers.

Key takeaways

  • Designed by William F. Bell and restored by Billy Fuller, serving as the home course for ASU Sun Devil Golf.
  • Features exceptionally long and demanding par-3 holes that test long irons and hybrids.
  • Elevated green complexes guarded by deep bunkers and false fronts require distance control.
  • Framed by natural Sonoran Desert transition areas with views of Papago Buttes and the Phoenix skyline.
YOUR GAME PLAN

Hole-by-hole game plan

Hole
Par
Yards
HCP
Strategy
1
5
544
15
Drive down the fairway center to avoid flanking desert transition areas, then lay up clear of fairway bunkering to set up a clean wedge approach into the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~304 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
2
4
386
17
Favor the left-center side of the fairway off the tee to clear the trees on the right, providing a clear angle into the elevated green while avoiding water right.
Your 240 yd driver · ~146 yards remaining by raw distance.
3
4
467
3
Take driver off the tee to maximize distance on this long hole, aiming down the wide fairway center and hitting a solid long approach to avoid the deep green bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~227 yards remaining by raw distance.
4
3
233
13
Select enough club to clear the front hazards and aim for the center of the green, taking advantage of open safe areas short or left to salvage par.
5
4
383
11
Target the middle of the fairway off the tee to handle the upward slope, then club up on the approach shot into the elevated green complex.
Your 240 yd driver · ~143 yards remaining by raw distance.
6
4
495
1
Hit a straight drive down the fairway center to leave a manageable approach, then play for the middle of the elevated green to clear front bunkering.
Your 240 yd driver · ~255 yards remaining by raw distance.
7
4
454
7
Focus on accuracy off the tee to stay in the short grass, then fire toward the center of the deep green to avoid greenside bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~214 yards remaining by raw distance.
8
3
253
9
Play a long iron or wood toward the front-left portion of the green, as missing left or short leaves a far simpler up-and-down than the deep right bunker.
9
5
551
5
Tee off between the dual fairway bunkers, then favor the left side on the second shot to stay clear of the water hazard guarding the right approach.
Your 240 yd driver · ~311 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
10
5
525
18
Take advantage of the elevation drop off the tee with an aggressive drive, then lay up to a preferred wedge distance while avoiding fairway bunkers to set up an easy third shot.
Your 240 yd driver · ~285 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
11
3
187
12
Take an extra club to account for the slight uphill slope and wind, making sure to clear the water hazard guarding the entire front of the green.
12
4
322
16
Lay up short of the green complex with a fairway wood or hybrid to avoid the narrow funnel near the green, leaving a full wedge shot onto the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~82 yards remaining by raw distance. Favor position and approach angle over extra tee-shot distance.
13
4
402
10
Position your tee shot to leave a full wedge distance short of the large fairway bunker, allowing a controlled shot over the trap onto the green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~162 yards remaining by raw distance.
14
4
442
8
Drive down the center of the fairway to secure a clean lie, then play your approach to the middle of the green to clear greenside bunkering.
Your 240 yd driver · ~202 yards remaining by raw distance.
15
5
585
14
Execute a drive into the wide fairway, lay up short of the fairway sand traps, and use a short iron to target the center of the deep green.
Your 240 yd driver · ~345 yards remaining by raw distance. Plan this primarily as a three-shot hole.
16
4
442
4
Aim for the center-left of the fairway to open up the best entry angle into the green, taking enough club on the approach to clear front bunkers.
Your 240 yd driver · ~202 yards remaining by raw distance.
17
3
243
6
Select a long iron or hybrid club to reach the center of the putting surface, avoiding the deep bunkers that frame the front, left, and rear.
18
4
466
2
Hit a drive favoring the left-center of the fairway to navigate the dogleg right, then hit one extra club on the uphill approach to reach the deep green safely.
Your 240 yd driver · ~226 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.