An Arizona Desert Golf Experience Unlike Any Other at We-Ko-Pa

Whether playing Cholla or Saguaro, the award-winning courses encourage you to relax and enjoy the Sonoran Desert.

Whether playing Cholla or Saguaro, golfers are treated to an Arizona desert golf experience unlike any other at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club. The lack of development encroaching on the award-winning courses encourages you to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sonoran Desert.  

We-Ko-Pa begins where the city ends at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Open landscapes, vibrant colors, and incredible mountains views perfectly complement an extraordinary day on the golf course.  The surrounding Sonoran Desert is alive with a wide variety of plants and animals. Coveys of quail scurry along one by one. Hawks and owls swoop from perches atop of ancient Saguaros while coyotes trot down shady arroyos with their noses to the ground.  Thick stands of Mesquite, Palo Verde and Ironwood trees, at the same time, create hazards for golfers and homes for critters.

Award-Winning Golf
The two golf courses, Cholla and Saguaro, have much in common.  Both are meticulously maintained, received high praise from media and guests alike and offer tranquil golf experiences. Cholla features desert-style challenges, while Saguaro was designed with a traditional look and feel in mind. Both have been honored by several industry-leading publication such as Golf Digest, Golfweek and Golf Magazine. The courses also offer a 36-hole package if playing both courses within 72 hours of each other and can accomodate a wide-variety of tournaments or group outings.

The Clubhouse features “desert vernacular” styling with unique details such as the sloped walls and wood-beam canopy that creates a canyon-like feel in the entryway.  A few steps further and the patio opens to desert views as well as the eye-catching water/fire feature that symbolizes the importance of woven baskets to the Yavapai culture. It is also oriented to take advantage of the many spectacular views of the McDowell Mountains, Red Mountain, Four Peaks and the Superstition Mountains.

Luxurious Lodging, Desert Exploration and Casino Action
We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center features 246 guestrooms and suites, Southwestern-inspired cuisine, luxurious spa and salon services, and heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzis. Fort McDowell Adventures offers Wild-West-style activities from cowboy cookouts to Pink Jeep Tours, while Fort McDowell Casino offers slots, bingo, keno, and black jack, along with live entertainment.

Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Located on the eastern edge of Scottsdale, proudly owned and operated by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, We-Ko-Pa offers premium accommodations, award-winning golf, action-packed gaming, Southwestern entertainment and unique shopping. From outdoor adventures to relaxing spa retreats, this wonderful desert place was created to serve as your Arizona vacation destination as well as a great venue for corporate retreats and conferences. Fort McDowell Destination includes:

  • We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center: AAA Four Diamond resort and spa.
  • Fort McDowell Adventures: Individuals and groups can experience Pink Jeep tours, horseback riding and cowboy cookouts on a spacious 25,000-acre desert location.
  • We-Ko-Pa Golf Club: Two championship 18-hole golf courses with a 10,000-square-foot desert-themed clubhouse.
  • Fort McDowell Casino: Live bingo, slot machines, live keno, and six restaurants, lounges and much more. 
  • Eagle View RV Resort: Offering 150 sites with 24-hour security on-site, free shuttles, complimentary continental breakfast and more.
  • Poco Diablo Resort: Full-service resort in Sedona ideal for couples and families.

For more information about Fort McDowell as destination, visit http://www.fortmcdowelldestination.com/
To learn more on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, http://www.fmyn.org/

Cholla
The Cholla course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club offers a dramatic test of golf that plays through shady arroyos, over desert ridges and amid some of the most picturesque Sonoran Desert on the planet. For this reason, Cholla is widely considered as one of the most pristine desert golf experiences in the Southwest with no homes or other development to spoil the sweeping views of the nearby river valleysand mountains. The 7,225-yard layout was even named by Sports Illustrated as one of the “10 best new public courses in the world” shortly after its debutin December 2001.

Scott Miller boasts more than 25 years of golf course design experience with more than 75 golf courses to his credit. “Dramatic on-site features including a variety of lush vegetation, natural drainage corridors and unique topographic conditions make the site ideally suited for a spectacular golf venue,” said Miller.  “The site’s location offers pristine panoramic vistas, including the McDowell Mountains, Red Mountain, the Verde River and the Matazal Mountains, which are highlighted by the prominence of the often snow-capped Four Peaks formation, further enhancing the natural beauty of the site.”

Saguaro
The Saguaro course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club combines distinctive desert-golf traits with the timeless traditions of golf course design. For example, it’s built for walking with greens situated near to the next tee. It follows the natural movement of the land; they didn’t move much dirt.  And the playing corridors are wider when compared to a target-golf design. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw teamed up to design and build Saguaro, as they did with many other highly touted courses such as Bandon Trails, Sand Hills, Friar’s Head, The Golf Club at Cuscowilla and Barnbougle Lost Farm.

“This piece of land has some very interesting natural movement to it,” said Crenshaw. “I think this golf course will be pretty unique for the desert. People will be induced to play different shots and find solutions to new challenges when playing this course.”

Stay and Play
Conveniently located 20 minutes from the airport, the new We-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center features 246 contemporary guestrooms and suites designed with Native American traditions, bold Southwestern cuisine at Ahnala Restaurant, luxurious spa treatments and salon services at the Amethyst Spa and a spacious heated outdoor pool with two whirlpools. The resort’s proximity to the award-winning courses at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, gaming and entertainment at Fort McDowell Casino, and the numerous outdoor activities at Fort McDowell Adventures make it the ideal destination for a vacation, business function or special event. All starting-at rates are per night, plus tax and based on double occupancy:

  • August 28 – October 11, 2015 — $255
  • October 23 – December 24, 2015 — $414
  • December 26, 2015 – April 3, 2016 — $527

To book a Stay & Play Package or receive additional information, please contact David Keller at 480.789.5307, [email protected].

Awards and Accolades

  • 10 most admired golf developments – Golf Inc., 2015
  • Golf World's 100 Best Golf Shops – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009
  • Saguaro
  • 2015-2016, No. 21, Best in State Rankings: Arizona – Golf Digest
  • 2015, No. 4, Best Casino Courses – Golfweek
  • 2015, No. 30, Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses – Golfweek
  • 2015, No. 2, Best Courses You Can Play State-by-State – Golfweek
  • 2014, No. 41, Top 100 You Can Play – Golf Magazine
  • 2013-2014, No. 24, Best in State Rankings: Arizona – Golf Digest
  • Cholla
  • 2014, No. 45, Top 100 You Can Play – Golf Magazine
  • 2015, No. 13, Best Casino Courses – Golfweek
  • 2015, No. 4, Best Courses You Can Play State-by-State – Golfweek
  • 2015, No. 70, Golfweek’s Best Resort Courses – Golfweek

For more info, visit WeKoPa.com.

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