Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club

Few cities in America have embraced golf as thoroughly as Phoenix, where the sport is practically a civic religion. Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club sits in the Ahwatukee Foothills, the southernmost neighborhood of Phoenix, pressed against the slopes of South Mountain Park — one of the largest municipal parks in the country. The surrounding landscape is pure Sonoran Desert: saguaro-studded hillsides, rocky ridgelines, and the kind of wide-open sky that makes even a short round feel expansive.

The "Lakes" in the name signals what to expect: water features woven through the layout, which is a common and welcome design choice in this corner of the Valley of the Sun, where the contrast of shimmering water against desert terrain gives courses both visual drama and a genuine strategic test. It's the sort of layout that draws neighborhood regulars and visiting players alike who want a relaxed but engaging round without the formality of a private club.

Phoenix golf runs nearly year-round, though the summer months are strictly for the committed — or the heat-tolerant. From fall through spring, conditions here are about as good as public golf gets anywhere in the country.