Grand Canyon College Golf Course For the old timers in Phoenix, this golf course was the former public city golf course known as Maryvale Golf Course. I played here many times as Maryvale, first time since Grand Canyon University took over the management and maintenance of the golf course. Have to say GCU has made many improvements to the golf course, fairways are thicker with grass, greens are fast and challenging. The off fairway areas are thin to no grass and the old Tamarack Trees are the same as before . The clubhouse is the major difference, new and beautiful with nice banquet area for meeting and lunch for tournaments. Good job GCU read more

See all

I love the course and its super affordable when using the Phoenix City card. The reason I am giving this 3 stars instead of 5 is because the pro shop worker, Kendal, is such an unpleasant person to deal with. Last time I played I checked in 7 minutes before my tee time and he says "You're late, you guys are on the tee box". No im not. No we weren't. There was still a group a head of us waiting to tee off. Its always some kind of rude remark. Its 8am on a Saturday. We pay a lot of money to be here. Were all excited we finally have a day where we can enjoy a round of golf. Its not that hard to put a smile on your face and not try to ruin the fun for others. read more

Cart lady was very snarky when we were returning cart. Course was already in a mid to bad condition and rude costumer service. Blonde hair girl with glasses was extremely rude and gave a lot of attitude even when saying sorry. Rates are way too high for the condition of the course. read more

If I could give a sixth star, I would. This place take golf serious, but not themselves. A++. This place was great, easy parking, easy to find front desk, and beautiful facilities arrangement. Upon entering, they had their varsity golf team on some electronic display . Professional and tasteful, yet "bad-assery" on display . Carts, rentals, fees and a bucket of range balls, and such pleasant desk peeps. They had smiles, genuine greetings and great attitudes. What a fun set up. Golf is golf, yet had a week of rain prior to our day, so everything we needed to play was green and the rough was just that... (a motivator to stay straight.) Marshall was awesome, bev cart peep was gracious, and turning in cart rentals was quick and super smiley. What a great experience. We are trying to rework our schedule to golf there again before we leave town. So awesome . I look forward to that course again! read more

See all

I will start by saying I don't golf but I've attended many work golf tournaments at this course. The staff here is easy to work with and very accommodating. The course works for our groups mix of "skill" level and always nicely maintained. For our events with 150 guests we have plenty of space to set up registration & raffle areas around the clubhouse. Plenty of indoor & outdoor seating for lunch or dinner. The bar is stocked and ready. The food off the menu is good, the buffet style dinners are always a hit with our group. They pro shop has cigars and any golf related items you may need. Lots of GCU swag if you're looking for a gift or souvenir. read more

See all

OK. So I played a few weeks back and the greens had just been aerated and there was quite a bit of dressing on the greens. Now. I TOTALLY understand that this is a necessary process in golf course maintenance. And to be brutally honest, it doesn't affect my game unless I can drag a groove in the sand to guide my ball to the hole! But please. Just a little heads up when booking the round would be appreciated. It won't stop me from playing your course. Ill just wait a week or so and go play another course at this time. I promise ill come back! Anyway. Its Summer in Arizona. High temperatures and low prices. I hope everyone stays hydrated and maybe only play 12-13 holes of golf before you pass out from the heat! Have a great summer! read more

Good pricing, decent fairways and rough that had dormant grass but was not all dirt. So many bunkers and lots of them fairly deep so you won't ever be able to putt out of them. It's a long, long course so make sure your driver is working well. Very nice looking restaurant at the club house. Biggest downside is no restrooms on the course - only in the clubhouse. read more

Since my last review, I have golfed here on many occasions. Even though GCU may not be the best golf course in the valley. It is diffidently one of the better ones in the Phoenix area. GCU has spent a lot of money to improve a course that was once a laughing stock in the area. GCU has done a great job at improving this course. The course is usually in very good condition. Their sand bunkers are hard at times, and their greens are pretty fast. May golfers will walk the course, making the round pretty fast. I really can not complain about this place, but again! I'm not saying it's one of the best course in the valley. read more

The grass. It is a dry year but It seems like it should be in better shape this time of year. The greens were really bad. Some with dead spots. Sand spread on them over dirt. read more

Played this course in the heart of the hottest summer on record because 18 + a cart was only $35, roughly. Bunch of friends and I have played a few times this summer at a few courses throughout the Valley and we decided on this one. It was easy making a reservation but we didn't see/notice how far on the west side this is compared to the actual GCU campus. They take good care of the course (perhaps since this is where the GCU teams play) so I didn't notice anything out of whack with the fairways or greens. Everything very lush and green, even in the heat of summer! The staff were super nice too. I only give them less than a 5-star review because of not having access to water/beverages, to my knowledge. The restaurant closed right before we made the turn and I don't recall seeing a cart girl drive around so if you're not going to have cold water to refill my bottles, how are we not gonna die out on the furthest hole away from the clubhouse?! read more

Golf Course a 3 Star. Restaurant a 4 star. Golf course was nice when we played, had 3 foursomes, but had many places that needed maintenance. Was not busy. On the older side and seemed to be on the longer side for us old guys. Had a good time but better for the younger long ball hitters. Now the on site restaurant. It is run by University students and they do a great job. Prices are very reasonable. If I lived closer I would go just for the meals. read more

It is winter and the course should be in great shape, but to me it looks like it's August out there. It's a city course basically with people spraying balls everywhere as the holes are so close. There are more bunkers and sand than on the beaches at Normandy. We went on a holiday and it was soooo slow. I don't know why courses do that. Is the extra couple thousand dollars you get cramming people on the course who also WALK worth it to give everyone else a poor experience. The staff were all great and helpful which is what I expect. As a GCU alumni I expected more but spend more and play somewhere else. AZ is full of great courses in winter. read more

Great University! Nice campus. Plenty of food choices. Several dorms to choose from if you stay on campus.

Booked a tee time on-line... First time playing the course.. Got to the Course and the woman who set us up with carts was all that you could ask for in Customer Service (she was great). From there I'd give it MAYBE two and a half stars. The gentlemen in the pro shop were luke warm at best. Went back to the young lady who set us up with carts to get range balls and she again was great. The range wasn't bad. The young lady who was the starter was VERY nice and welcoming. Onto the course. It was VERY windy yesterday so there was quite a bit of debris on the course (which is understandable). The Greens were some what soft and rolled well but the CUPS looked like they hadn't been moved in a month. ALL of holes were VERY RAGGED (VERY DISAPPOINTING). The course itself doesn't have a "signature" hole from what I could see.. There was some water to avoid but overall it was a basic back and forth course. Not worth the cost. read more

The course is on a square block, the fairways/ greens intertwine, this makes it difficult to find your direction to the next hole & occasionally you have golfers from another hole in the same bunker or even an errant ball on your green. The greens are hard but not fast, they have a lot of patches of raised "weeds"? But they roll on with minimum altered path. The fairways are in terrific shape. I think this was a municipal course before the college took it over. The carts are little older, retrofitted with tablets for GPS hole location. The kitchen doesn't open until 9am, that's very disappointing when you have a 7:30am tee time & you come early to grab a bite with a couple drinks.. The cafe/ restaurant is nice open seating with a terrific patio view of the 18th driving range & 1st tee, the prices of the food are reasonable for a golf course. The facility overall is very nice the bathroom was a little gross.... read more

See all

I had a 6:06am tee time this morning. We had an extreme storm roll through overnight. I received a call from the course at 5:00am apologizing that they would be closed for the day due to the extreme weather. I appreciate the pro-active communication from the course, thus preventing me from driving to the course to just end up being disappointed. In these days of disappearing customer service and customer retention, I appreciate this thoughtful effort on the part of the course and I hope the course heals quickly as I am looking forward to playing again soon. Above and beyond service here! read more

Course was in good shape. Greens were super fast . Ground was firm and course played shorter . Greens were tough if you are putting down gill there is quite a few holes with water . Carts were electric. Drinks were cheap. But the course price was very high for may. Staff was friendly . Course directions were not helpful . Like the changes read more

GCU has been a great school for our son. They work hard to make a private school affordable and still offer so many fields of study.

Played GCU with two friends for the first time in preparation for a tourney there this weekend. Heard of the major renovations and weren't disappointed! Club house and restaurant are beautiful, smell new, and obviously pride in their golf teams! EVERY staff member - from the gate guard to wait staff - was helpful, courteous and professional, directing us to facilities and first tee, knowing this was our first time playing the course. Merchandise is high quality, stylish and fairly priced. Ladies room is elegant, more like a nice restaurant than a golf course! Unsure of men's or facilities on the course. First noticed how nice the greens are! We all commented that we hoped the greens in the course are as nice, and they didn't disappoint! Approach shots with a good trajectory and even mild spin held really well, even from the sand, which was pristine and well maintained. Tee boxes are in great shape and there's a lot of work being done to improve the fairways, probably the last and biggest part of any renovation! Starter was polite and got us out on time. Pace of play was good on front, then a threesome jumped in at the turn. It wasn't too bad on the back until the last three holes when a guy in the group ahead decided he was playing in a major and took FOREVER on EVERY shot, cursing loudly when things didn't go well, which seemed to be often! Ugh! Even the folks behind us were watching the silly behavior, all of us wishing a ranger was watching with us and getting this man to take his shot and move on! After finishing the round, we enjoyed a DELICIOUS lunch in the beautiful restaurant. Seriously, nice ambiance, excellent service and delicious, fresh made food. No typical municipal-course fare for GCU! Thank goodness! Keep in mind, this rave review is for a municipal course, this isn't Troon, folks! When the fairways get brought up to the quality conditions of the rest of the course, this is going to be one great golf course and will gladly add a fifth star! Oh yeah, the HUGE trees throw shade everywhere! We rarely had to park in full sun - BIG plus in Phoenix! read more

Grand Canyon University Golf Course - Fresh made tuna salad in lettuce wrap with cucumbers, ripe tomatoes and butter lettuce - yum! Are you sure we're at a golf course?! - Golf Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

70 bucks for a round that should have been 35. Fairways very poor with mud patches everywhere. Greens appear recently aerated.

First time playing here and can't wait to go back! Considering it was August, the course was very well cared for. Didn't see any dead spots and the greens were true. Pace of play was steady, only waited on a few holes. It's a very forgiving course, very wide open, so it's great for all skill levels. The course staff is very friendly and attentive. The food/drinks are very reasonably priced! Some courses gouge however not this one. Had a great time at GCU and looking forward to another round! read more

Great course for 8plus handicaps Really nice course with a great staff. The course is well groomed. And there are a lot of great traps. I birdied 18 so I left with some really good thoughts read more

Would give higher rating but.... pace of play is way slow and no player assistants. This is second time this has happened. For the high price it should be better. read more

The course is a nice venue. My complaint is the change to city card tee times. When my friends and I signed up for city card it never stated that tee times would be blocked. I called today and was told that they are now 50% city card and 50% public. Ok is it like every other tee time is a city card or is it the first 50% of tee times that are blocked which leaves all afternoon tee times. Looking at the tee times it appears that they have pushed all city card holders to the afternoon. If I would have known this I probably wouldn't have purchased the card. In the future please be up front about your policy's. Changing in mid stream is a little shady. read more

The course was nice, fairways and greens were in good condition. Lots of bunkers but that added to the challenge. Pricing was a bit high, I wouldn't pay it again. Pro shop guys were great, the course marshal was on our back the entire time claiming we were behind schedule, asking us to speed up our play. There was no one behind us asking to play through or even pushing up on us. I finally had to snap back and explain we were not professional golfers and already playing best ball. For the price I paid I'm going to play at a medium pace and enjoy my time. Other than that guy it was a nice and enjoyable morning round with the kids. read more

I was expecting a lot more from this golf course, I am completely dissatisfied the way I was treated here.WE were getting rushed the entire time and having someone on our back the whole time while playing is very unacceptable while playing and no should ever be treated the way we were especially for 45 dollars!!!!! I will never be going back to this place ever again, I warn you guys do not come to this golf course unless you want to be rushed the whole entire time. Worst golf experience ever. read more

We purchased a Groupon to be used for a reduced cost tee time. We thought the cost was a good deal until we actually played the course on 6/3/21. The course was in the worst shape of any course we have played this year The only part of the course that was in respectable shape were the tee boxes. The fairways were bare and over watered resulting in muddy conditions. What grass there was was in rows as opposed to a nice homogeneous condition. The course was long and difficult due to an overabundance of sand traps and under above average conditions would be a very challenging track. The only reason the course even received 2 stars was due to the friendliness of the staff personnel. It was close to an hour ride from south Chandler and it was not worth the drive. Dave Z read more

Awesome treasure in the heart of the city. Great greens, clean, nice clubhouse and driving range. Nice course to play. I'll be back!!!

Fun course but greens in terrible shape. You can actually see about 20 old pin placements on every green. Some Bunkers have sand, some don't. Course going downhill fast. Play Aguila instead read more

First time playing this golf course and I will be back! Excellent conditions but the biggest thing... The cart girl ShaKoda gave us excellent service! You're only as good as your cart girl and I'm sold, we will be back! Thank you for making our day ShaKoda! Great job GCU!! read more

Just played this goat track today. It's in terrible shape for $70 during prime season. I would expect to maybe pay $25 for a course that looks like this place did today. It was in better shape when I played in August last year. Stay away..do not golf here...hopefully this course gets new management that cares. It's a goat track in a garbage neighborhood....STAY FAR AWAY! read more

Was stunningly surprised at overall shape of this course. Clubhouse and restaurant is what someone would expect at a high end golf course. Golf course layout and play is a class above others in the metro area. Tee boxes is like stepping on a plush carpet. Fairways are in excellent shape with hazards placed to challenge all golfers. Restaurant has a wide variety of goodies that are reasonable priced with generous portions. The entire staff gets 5 Stars!!! I will be back!! read more

I grew up playing Maryvale, from when I was 5 I took John Martin's Summer Swing School. It would be all day on the golf course, kind of a summer camp kinda deal. I probably have played here 200+ times over the past 20 years. There have been a lot of changes both for the good and the bad. This is a classic William Bell design, with elevated tees and greens, mostly bunkered in the front. It's compact in design and everything flows together well, and there are some great risk reward opportunities. Some of the standout holes are: #3, a great 420yd par 4 dogleg right. It is really tempting to try to cut the corner, and if you hit a right side drive high enough, you can carry the mounds and trees and leave yourself a short wedge in. Hit in the trees and its an easy bogey. #5 is a very tempting driving hole. at 302 yards one can put the ball on the green if you hit even a somewhat long ball. If you miss either way, you'll have a tough time saving par. I've probably had less pars here than any other hole on the course, its always birdie or bogey. #13 is very much the same situation as 5, but you have a huge bunker in front of the green. Again, a big shot off the tee can put you in a great birdie position, or a nice cut will put you on the green, but bogie is easy. The place is never in good shape, but the course is fun, it's cheap, and appropriate for the advanced player or a beginner. The course is as tough or as easy as you want it to be. My days of shooting consistent low 70's are over here, but I still have fun. read more

This course, clubhouse and employee force fulfills its intentions. First, the clubhouse is state-of-the-art. It was recently built, modern and attractive. Moreover, it boast a large Pro Shop and a full-sized restaurant and bar. This clubhouse makes for an excellent 19th hole, and brings many great ascetic qualities to the course. Moreover, the employees, both maintenance, pro shop, and cart staff, are polite, experienced and customer-focused. The pro shop has at least three pros that all have PGATs and the cart staff consists of hardworking students that are largely a part of GCU's golf management program. Importantly, the cart staff power washes every cart, cleans it thoroughly and takes your clubs from the bag drop to range without an questions asked. I found that to be quite the nice greeting. Finally, and most importantly, the course itself is great. It's essential to note that the price for 18-holes with a cart on a weekend is right around $50, which is a great price. The course itself is challenging. It is well kept, long, cryptic, bunker heavy and characterized with undulated and elevated greens. Also, for an Arizona course, there is quite a bit of water in play on the course. Even though this course, as it is now, hasn't even been open for a year, the Grand Canyon University Golf Course is quickly finding its stride. read more

Enjoyable course, in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, too many players think it's okay to take time like the tv golfers, just to mess up their shots and putts. Move it, slow poke! Do your practice at the range! read more

I played my first (and probably last) game of golf in life and in Phoenix at this course. The older man at the "club house" gave my friends and I a free club rental and let us borrow golf donated golf balls. All we had to pay was about $25 for the green fees. After a quick warning to "leave before it gets dark," we were off to the links. Maryvale was a perfect course for my friends and I to take about 10-12 shots per hole. Given that the course has seen better days and is pretty ragged, fellow golfers were understanding when we took a long time on various holes. One group even volunteered to skip the hole we were struggling on (cough, cough....second hole) and just move forward to the third hole. If I am ever in the mood to "golf around" in the future, I will consider the Maryvale Golf Course. read more

If you want to waste $250 for a threesome on a terrible course in pretty bad shape with lousy customer service...this is your place! Made our reservation directly with the course for a threesome two days ahead of time and wasn't asked for a credit card to hold it. Arrived to check in an hour before our tee time and nothing was said about what was going to happen next. We hit some balls at the range and went over to the starter when we were told that we would be playing in a 5-some/Fivesome at 1pm in the afternoon and we would need to share a cart with one of the other golfers. I've been playing golf for 30 years, I've NEVER had anyone ask me to play with 5 people. I told the starter there's no way we're playing with 5. She gave me some excuse about being overbooked and a mistake getting made at the front desk. She called the manager over who made similar excuses and claimed he had 200+ people on the golf course and doesn't have enough carts and tee times for everyone. They finally agreed that we wouldn't have to play with 5 but had to play with 4 and they would have to share a cart with our group. As we pulled up to the first tee, I could see the starter and manager telling the group behind us they would be playing with 5...they complained as well but didn't get anywhere and ended up with 5. The gentleman who we were paired with was a nice enough guy, but literally quit after 4 holes of playing triple bogey golf. Now for the course itself, it's in really bad shape and isn't being well kept. The scorecard shows 4 sets of tees to play from and but they really only really have 2-3 depending on the hole. Fairways/greens are just clearly worn from being overplayed and not having anyone repairing divots/ball marks on a regular basis. At the turn onto the back 9, we were asked to pick up our pace of play...an unbelievable request from the same people who knowingly overbooked the golf course, tried to send out 5 players in a group, and didn't bother to collect deposits to cover cancellations. The only redeeming qualities of this golf course are the clubhouse which looks brand new from the inside and out (and frankly looks way too nice for how bad the course is) and a couple of very nice college kids we met who were working on cleaning up the golf carts. Three things that could make this a better golf course: 1. Stop overbooking the course! It will cut down on wear and tear and will keep customers from getting upset. If you are adding a player to a group, tell people in advance and give them an option to move tee times if they prefer. 2. Take deposits with a 24 cancelation fee, so players who show up don't get penalized for those who don't show up. If you take a deposit, it doesn't matter if people no-show because you get paid anyway and the course has less traffic. 3. Double the number of course maintenance workers. read more

Club house is great, food in restaurant is good, greens are awesome like carpet, fairways are dirt they spent all their money on the club house and sand, there is no grass other than tees and greens. Except #8 which was punched and sanded so deep it felt like I was in a sand trap...and your GPS won't work because the map providers use Google maps which doesn't seem to be updated after the renovations. They did move the markers and sprinkler heads so you can go Old School. Don't be mislead by the commercials on TV, they must have been shot in the winter after rye oversees. If the course is maintained to be playable for the students that's fine, but don't try to sell to the public if you are not going to keep it in playable condition. In my experience GCU is still ratty old Maryvale. read more

We just finished our round at this great golf course and what an enjoyment! Great staff all college students and very friendly. Can't wait to play here again!! read more

Definitely not worth $40 to play this course. The clubhouse is new and it looks great, but the course is awful. The green were in good condition, but the rest of the course is dirt and broken tree branches all over the place. If you use GPS for distance, it doesn't work on this course. read more