Troon North is the crown jewel of golf clubs in the Valley. It features two courses, the Pinnacle and Monument. The Monument Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish, is an ode to British Open golf with its bump-and-run shots. Troon North’s Pinnacle Course is known for its greens; they’re elevated, tiered significantly, sloped from back to front, and protected by long deep bunkers.

We-Ko-Pa may be the most peaceful first-class experience in the Valley. There are no houses on the course or traffic to distract golfers. Plus, the Cholla Course and Saguaro Course are spectacular. The Saguaro, in particular, is a throwback. It was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to be a walking course. There’s not another top-10 layout in the Valley like it.

It’s a bit of a haul to Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, which is located in Maricopa, about 45 minutes south of downtown Phoenix. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is an Australian links layout that features 129 sand traps and high grasses bordering nearly every fairway. It also can play long from the tips the course has a 76.2 rating, a 141 slope and five par 4s of at least 463 yards.

TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is the site of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, it’s a must-play for golfers who can walk the same holes and play the same shots — well, sort of — that Tiger and Phil hit. No hole in the Valley is more intimidating than the infamous par-3 16th. You can picture the bleachers and almost hear the fans boo as you prepare to hit your shot.

Gold Canyon features two courses at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. The Sidewinder Course is the appetizer with its narrow fairways and lightning-fast, turtle-backed greens. But it’s Dinosaur Mountain that will truly get your attention. It’s one of the valley’s most spectacular courses, both visually and in terms of how it plays with dramatic elevation changes from tee to green.

Grayhawk’s Raptor and Talon golf courses have always been considered two of the finest daily-fee golf courses in Arizona. The Tom Fazio designed Raptor course offers a thrilling challenge that commands a player’s respect through a daring, high-stakes game of risk and reward while the Talon course is one of the most exciting and dramatic tests of golf in the Southwest.

Sunridge Canyon Golf Club, a 6,823-yard par 71 designed by Keith Foster in 1995, is a shot-maker’s delight. Golfers can’t just grip it and rip it from the tees. Washes intersect nine fairways, forcing players to think about their club selection. Sunridge features perhaps the best closing stretch of holes in the valley – 15 through 18 can turn a good-looking scorecard into an ugly one.

Quintero Golf Club, located about 17 miles outside of Wickenburg, was built as a private club but went public to improve its bottom line. Quintero has severe elevation changes on every hole and, indisputably, the best collection of par 3s in the Valley. Just beware: It’s not a course for the high handicapper. The Rees Jones course is meant to challenge the best, and it does just that.

Built into the ancient, native landscape is 36 holes of championship golf designed by renowned architect Gary Panks. A true test of golf, the Cattail and Devil’s Claw courses truly are desert golf, evolved. Whirlwind Golf Club has become one of the premier golf facilities in the Southwest. A round at Whirlwind is quiet, peaceful and feels like a destination golf club.

Tucked in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains in Buckeye, Arizona, Verrado Golf Club will take your breath away. The 7,258-yard course features huge elevation changes and builds to a spectacular finish. Golfers will love the contrast between no. 13, a short par 4 in which the green rises about six feet from the front edge, and no. 14, a 184-yard par 3 that drops 60 feet from tee to green.