When people ask me about golf in Scottsdale, they usually expect a short answer. The truth is that Scottsdale has more distinct golf communities than almost anywhere I know, and they are not interchangeable. A home on a private Jack Nicklaus course in the high desert is a completely different life from a townhome on a 27-hole club ten minutes from Paradise Valley. I have been selling luxury homes across the Valley since 2004, and I grew up as the daughter of a custom home builder, so I tend to look at these communities through two lenses: how the club actually feels day to day, and how the homes themselves were built and will hold their value. Here is how I think about the best golf communities in Scottsdale right now.
The Private Club Powerhouses of North Scottsdale
If golf is the center of your life, the conversation starts in North Scottsdale, and it usually starts with Desert Mountain. The community covers roughly 8,300 acres of high Sonoran Desert and has seven golf courses: six Jack Nicklaus championship designs plus a par 3 short course at Seven that opened in 2019. What I love about Desert Mountain is that it functions almost like its own town, with enough variety that a member could play a different course nearly every day of the week. Recent reporting put the club’s membership waitlist at roughly one to two years, which is why I always tell buyers to pay close attention to homes that come with a transferable membership. At the end of 2025, those homes ranged from about $2 million for lock-and-leave casitas to roughly $25 million for large mountain estates.
Estancia is the one I describe as quiet and deliberate. It sits just north of Pinnacle Peak on about 640 acres, built around a single Tom Fazio course, and golf membership is capped at roughly 325 members. Homeownership and membership are separate there, so you can own without joining and join without owning. Sales in 2025 ranged from about $2.2 million to $8.4 million. In my opinion, Estancia is the most underrated private club in the area for buyers who want a smaller, more personal membership rather than a big resort-scale operation.
Desert Highlands, just next door, has real history. Its Nicklaus course hosted the very first Skins Game over Thanksgiving weekend in 1983, and the community was built around 560 lots that have long since sold out. Club membership is tied to owning a home there. Many homes date to the 1980s and 1990s, so this is where my builder background kicks in: the lots are often wonderful, but I would budget for updates and look closely at roofs and mechanical systems.
My take: if you want the deepest golf menu in Arizona, Desert Mountain is hard to beat. If you want a smaller club where people know your name, I would look at Estancia first.
Meredith Lane
Golf Course Living Without a Private Club Commitment
Not every golfer wants initiation fees and monthly dues, and I think that is a perfectly smart position. Some of my favorite Scottsdale golf communities are built around daily-fee courses, which means you can live on the fairway and simply book a tee time.
Troon North is my first suggestion for buyers who want that dramatic high-desert setting without a private club. The Monument and Pinnacle courses wind through boulder fields beneath Pinnacle Peak, and Monument, designed by Tom Weiskopf, is regularly ranked among the best public courses in the state. In my experience, the views here compete with communities priced well above them.
Grayhawk is the more social, closer-in option. Its two public courses are Raptor, a Tom Fazio design that opened in 1994, and Talon, designed by David Graham with Gary Panks. Grayhawk feels like a neighborhood first and a golf community second, which is why I often show it to relocating families. Then there is TPC Scottsdale, home of the Stadium Course designed by Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and the site of the WM Phoenix Open. Living near it is a lot of fun, but here is where I would be cautious: tournament week brings enormous crowds and traffic, so I want buyers to understand exactly how close they are to the action.
Who this suits: golfers who play a few times a month and would rather pay green fees than dues. I think buyers often overpay for private memberships they rarely use.
Meredith Lane
Closer-In Golf: Gainey Ranch and the Paradise Valley Edge
For clients who want golf but also want to be near restaurants, resorts, and the airport, I steer the conversation south. Gainey Ranch is a master-planned community in central Scottsdale built around a private 27-hole club, with three nines called the Dunes, the Arroyo, and the Lakes. The housing mix runs from townhomes and condominiums to single-family estates from roughly 2,000 to more than 7,000 square feet, which makes it one of the more flexible golf communities for downsizers and seasonal residents. You are minutes from Paradise Valley.
If you are weighing two of the most talked-about North Scottsdale communities with a single club each, I wrote a full comparison of Silverleaf vs. DC Ranch that goes deeper than I can here. And if your heart is really set on central Phoenix with a historic club, the Phoenix Country Club and Arcadia offer a very different, older-neighborhood version of club life. I shared my candid view on whether Arcadia is worth the price earlier this week.
My favorite part of Gainey Ranch is that you can play nine holes after work and still make a dinner reservation in Old Town without feeling like you drove across the state.
Meredith Lane
How to Choose the Right Scottsdale Golf Community
I always start with one honest question: how often will you actually play? If the answer is four or five times a week, a deep private club like Desert Mountain or a close-knit one like Estancia earns its cost. If it is twice a month, I would rather see you on a beautiful daily-fee course at Troon North or Grayhawk and put the difference into the house itself. Next, think about distance. The far north communities sit noticeably higher and feel cooler and quieter, but you will drive farther for groceries, school, and Sky Harbor. Finally, look at how memberships transfer. Every club handles initiation, waitlists, and resale differently, and those details change the true cost of a home.
My take: choose the club life you will use, not the one that looks best on paper. The right golf community should make your week easier, not just your weekends.
Meredith Lane
Frequently Asked Questions About Scottsdale Golf Communities
What is the best golf community in Scottsdale?
My short answer is that it depends on how much you play. For the most golf, Desert Mountain offers seven courses, six designed by Jack Nicklaus. For a smaller private club, Estancia has a single Tom Fazio course with membership capped around 325 golfers. For public golf at your doorstep, Troon North and Grayhawk are my top picks.
How much does a home in a Scottsdale golf community cost?
Prices vary widely. At the end of 2025, Desert Mountain homes with a transferable membership ranged from about $2 million to $25 million, and Estancia sales in 2025 ran from about $2.2 million to $8.4 million. Closer-in communities like Gainey Ranch include townhomes and condominiums at lower entry points.
Do you have to join the golf club if you buy a home in Scottsdale?
Not always. At Estancia, homeownership and club membership are separate. At Desert Highlands, membership is tied to owning a home. Public communities such as Troon North, Grayhawk, and the area around TPC Scottsdale require no membership at all.
Is there a waitlist to join Desert Mountain?
In my experience, yes. Recent reporting put the Desert Mountain membership waitlist at roughly one to two years. Buying a home that includes a transferable membership is the most common way buyers avoid the wait.
Which Scottsdale golf courses are open to the public?
Troon North (Monument and Pinnacle), Grayhawk (Raptor and Talon), and the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, home of the WM Phoenix Open, are all daily-fee courses. Many of the area’s most desirable homes sit right along them.
What school districts serve Scottsdale golf communities?
Much of far North Scottsdale is served by Cave Creek Unified School District, whose high school is Cactus Shadows. Grayhawk is generally within Paradise Valley Unified, and central communities like Gainey Ranch fall within Scottsdale Unified. Boundaries vary by address, so I always have clients confirm with the district.
If you are dreaming about a home on the fairway, I would love to help you sort through which Scottsdale golf community fits the way you actually live. Reach out to me here and we can talk through your options, from North Scottsdale to Paradise Valley.
Many thanks,
Meredith
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