Raptor at Grayhawk Golf Club

Booked a foursome for 1pm this past weekend. When checking in, they said there was also a 930a time, which I assumed they had cancelled when we discussed it. Paid for the whole foursome and noticed a duplicate charge for $1800 later in the day. Called and the head pro J. Stafford answered. He could not have been more rude and inflexible. Told him that I had called earlier the day before and wasnt told about the duplicate time. That the person checking me in never mentioned that they had to charge for the obviously mistaken 2nd reservation. After being told 5x that they have a 72 hour cancellation policy, and being told that they did nothing wrong and had no reason to even compromise. I asked for a credit for a later, off-peak, date and was told NO. Enjoyed the course, but the customer service was horrible.

have played Talon and was expecting similar conditions on Raptor. i am a Fazio fan but think this track
is a bit over bunkered ( they are deep) and the greens have too many severe undulations( think Weiskoff).
having putted on the pure practice green i was expecting the course to be the same - however, most greens were lumpy and bumpy ( V-cut perhaps) and did not roll true - so that was a disappointment - i play on bent several times a week and don’t think these greens are bent.
would say the front 9 was better then the back and that it is a test of golf so choose your tee box wisely.
it will be interesting to see what the ‘pro’ college ametuers shoot when NCCA plays it in 2020.
all things considered, it is worth playing but bring ear plugs if you like silence while you warm up.
the cart girl was very friendly.

Arrived poorly greeted no direction to drop off
Check Our fourth was sicked charges full price for him not even offered option to ha r a single join us
never notified of policy when booked tee time
Cart path only again not notified
Pace very slow
Coliseum was In very good shape but the outrageous policy and the cart path only basically ruined the entire experience
Would not negotiate any agreement
Asked us how it was going at the end of round we expressed concern and response was I am just the out side guy
Can’t help you
Planed to return with client cancelled and booked some where else
They advertise public course but act like private club

The Raptor is definitely a great design, and I’m sure the Talon is very nice as well...... but like all the overpriced hoity-toity courses in North Scottsdale, they all like to overwater the crap out of their courses during this time of the year so that they look pretty........making most lies in the fairway unplayable.

It was almost like you have to play lift clean and place for the whole length of the fairway and in low spots around the greens. It was really bad.

At the end of the day there are so many other courses around the area like Wildfire (Faldo/Palmer), Ambiente, Boulders etc Where you can play for cheaper and in my opinion play better course design.

I also don’t know why Grayhawk think they’re better than Golfnow or Teeoff, but you can get way better deals at way better courses throughout the valley on those sites.....so if you were debating I hope this helps ya.

I have played the Raptor course at Grayhawk twice and both times I have come away impressed. The course itself is what you would expect from a Resort course in AZ. We played the second tees (Palo Verde), and while there are some narrow fairways, most of them are manageable. The ones that were narrow were that way intentionally, to force you into "target golf" decision making like most of the desert courses (for instance, pulling an iron/3 wood over driver by default). Conditions on the fairway and rough areas were great, especially for the time of the year (June). The greens were rolling a little slower than expected the day we were there, but overall rolled true to their lines and represented a challenge due to undulations and tiered greens on many of the holes. Pace of play was about 4 hours and 15 minutes, which I find to be right on par with expectations. Finally, the atmosphere of the club was great. Between Phil's Grille (a great post-round Men's grille) and top-notch conditions, it felt almost like a private course. Where Grayhawk falls short is value. Even playing in June, which is considered the start of the offseason summer rates, we still paid $100 to play. I am not saying that is unheard of for courses in the area (Troon's pricing was nearly the same), but we played two other courses during our trip that matched the course conditions, but represented better overall values (Verde River and We-Ko-Pa). All of that said, I expect to return to GrayHawk (want to try out Talon) again in the future, but it may not be my first stop along the way. There are many courses in the area that offer similar challenge/conditions at a lesser price.

I vacationed in Scottsdale and played three courses while there, Grayhawk, TPC Stadium and We-Ko-Pa. Grayhawk was my favorite. The course was in excellent condition and beautiful. Fortunately I was paired with three younger guys who were a lot of fun.

Grayhawk's Raptor course is one notch tougher than the other course on site (Talon), but still very playable and enjoyable. Loved the smooth greens - pretty quick, but once you got a feel for them they were just great. Play the slope on the card, not the yardage to get the right tee boxes for your game.

Grayhawk facility is just outstanding and the people are excellent.

I played Talon last year and really wanted to play Raptor, I finally got the chance. I loved this course, we just picked a day where it ended up raining. We were wet for the last 6 holes, sadly. The course was great and well maintained, greens were quick and they stayed pretty fast even after getting soaked. We went cart path only which was a bummer but we understood it. The driving range is awesome, the music is a pretty cool piece. I love the practice putting greens, very cool with the mountains in the back. The club house, Phils grill and the restaurant is incredible. My favorite club house. The outside seating areas are great to have a drink after the round. This course is tough, it is humbling but very, very fun. Tons of sand and if you miss the fairway you are most likely out of a golf ball. Staff was nice, the ranger was bringing towels out to us to dry off and the starter was very welcoming and fun. I think I would play Talon over Raptor if I had to choose but it is still well worth it to play.

Let me start by saying I'm a big fan of the Grayhawk experience. I love Phil's Grill, the music on the range and most of the holes on the Raptor - especially the "Aces&Eights" par 3 at no. 8 and the par 5s at no. 4 and no. 8.
But I'm more of a fan of the amenities than I am of the course, which has a long history of hosting events that attract professional golfers. Like most tournament courses, it's too heavily bunkered with too many popup greens for most amateurs to enjoy, especially snowbirds who haven't played in a month or more when they visit. Maybe next time I'll play the 6,000 yard tees and change my tune.

Greens were rolling great. The layout of this course is very compatible to that of Troon North (one of the best in AZ) in terms of being scenic and different between each hole. There wasn't a single hole that was disappointing or unfair. The views made it difficult to focus on playing good golf!

I will be back!

This is by far the more fun and fair of the two Grayhawk courses. The only hole I didn't like is #10. Miss the green left or even hitting out of the right side green bunker you will be in Quill Creek. Not an easy course, but very enjoyable to play.

Played this course for the first time today, not worth the money they are charging you. Pace of play is ridiculous. Marshall kept apologizing saying he was warning slow groups in front of us but 5+ hours for a round is unacceptable. And for $230 I'll stay away from now on and will not recommend to anyone.

Awesome facility leads to a solid place to practice and play. Course is in good shape with solid greens. Fun layout until number 16. They remodeled numbers 15-17 a year or so ago and really did a poor job. Number 15 is a fine hole. However, number 16 may be one of the worst holes I have ever seen as it is nothing more than a wedge shot and if you happen to miss it left by a foot, you end up in the desert with an impossible shot as the grass does not extend far enough. Number 17 isn't quite as bad but it is by far the easiest hole on the course, it needs some bunkers. All in all a fun place.

Well, this course really ate my lunch the day I played it. I consider myself to be a pretty decent golfer, but I probably should've played from the set of tees in front of the greens. This course was really long, and you can't be wayward with your tee shots. The greens were sandy, and played fairly slow. My guess is that they had been punched about a month before I played there. Overall, the practice facility and clubhouse were nice. I didn't eat there, but the restaurant/bar area looked nice. I feel like I got fairly good value for my money, as I paid $60 to play here at 9:00 a.m. Keep in mind that it's in the middle of the summer in Arizona.

I'm sure the course is nicer during the winter months, but I'm not sure I would be rushing back to play here. Mainly because there are so many other options nearby. Like I said, I'd like to play it during peak season just to have a good comparison.

STAY AWAY! They have basically ruined Raptor with the "redesign" of 15, 16, 17 to allow room for their big new hotel. 15 is a so-so par 4, 16 is a sad crammed-in-there 100-yar par 3, and the teeth have been taken from 17 by shortening it from about 420 to 270 yards. How to take one of the better Phoenix-area courses and make it disappointingly poor at the finish. It is so sad, and I will no longer consider Grayhawk a course of choice.

While Grayhawk might be rated one of the best courses in North Scottsdale, I beg to differ. This course is purely a cash cow. Boasted up with Phil Mickelson's name on it, it's a total bust. The actual reason this course really sucks is the newly re routed holes 15, 16. These two new holes literally look like they belong to the local city course. 15 a down hill easy par 4 that has no appeal what so ever. 16 a really short par 3 that makes you wonder why you spent any money on this course. This course is a wannabe North Scottsdale dream track that doesn't deliver.

I prefer tougher courses that are walk-able. And this one fits the bill perfectly. The greens are fast and undulated and perhaps most challenging, convex. You better bring your A game if you want to play well out here as your approach shots are everything. Miss your target landing zone by a few feet and you're staring a at bogie. Off the tee the course is fair and long enough for even the biggest hitters, the conditions were great as the greens were flawless. Bunkers were in good condition but many were left un tended (where do people play that they dont have to rake their bunkers? Apparently here!). The 15, 16 and 17th are new due to a re-routing and they are not nearly of the caliber of the other 14 holes. Maybe that will change with some time but I felt that they ruined the round as they played differently and were visually less appealing than the other 15 holes. Overall I liked it better than the Talon (except for 15, 16 and 17) and will definitily be back. Expensive but a great course and a fun facility and in my opinion not nearly as nice as Troon in both conditions and layout.

The Raptor - long one of the favorites of Scottsdale - reopened in October after three holes - no. 15, 16 and 17 - were rerouted by original architect Tom Fazio in case of future development. The results are mixed. The new 15th hole starts on an elevated tee. The fairway swings from left to right off of a large fairway bunker. A severe green has several ridges in it. It's a solid hole. The 16th, however, looks like an eyesore. There's no mountain backdrop or desert landscape to give it definition or character. A front bunker protects a green that kicks shots left into a collection area, which doesn't have enough grass to save shots from falling into a terrible lie. The 17th hole isn't bad, but it could be so much more. The short par 4 plays 301 yards from the tees that most players will use. It could use another bunker or two to give the tee shot more of a risk-reward feel. Otherwise, it should be an easy par with potential for birdie. Thankfully, all the other things that make Grayhawk so great - stout par 5s like the no. 5 and no. 18 - and Phil's Grill inside the clubhouse will likely never change.

I have played Grayhawk, Raptor, for many years and loved the design and the challenge. In 2015 they made changes to holes 15, 16 and 17 in order to maximize land for future commercial development. In late October 2015, I played the redesigned course. The new hole 15 is a beautifully designed hole, long, with a well protected green and pleasing to the eye. Hole 16 is now a very short par 3; the day we played, it was 120 yards from the mid tees. It must be one of the ugliest designed par 3 holes for a "championship" course that I have seen in the valley. The old hole 16 was beautiful and challenging. You are better off skipping 16 and going straight to hole 17. The new Hole 17 is the same as the old hole but it has now been shortened from over 400 yards to around 280 yards. That would be ok if they had put a few bunkers around the green(there are no bunkers on this hole) to give the hole some protection and some definition. Someone controlling the costs must have been involved in the design. Hole 17 could have been very nice if the design team had added a few bunkers. I am not sure if I will play Raptor in the future as I think the new design has been poorly planned and executed. It cheapens an otherwise beautiful and challenging course. Too bad!!