Gold Canyon Golf Resort (Dinosaur)

Gold Canyon, AZ

ALERT: Aeration
Will be aerating the greens on the Dinosaur Course 7/23 – 7/26, reopening 7/27.
* Although Greenskeeper.org researches all alerts before posting, we ask that you please contact the golf course for confirmation.

Reviewed by: sixpez, Rancho Mirage, CA

Played here yesterday morning. Took the chance (despite UNCLEDDBOY’s best efforts to talk me out of it : ) and got lucky with a break in the active monsoon weather this week. Had a 6:40 tee time and was paired with a twosome. We were second off. Lead group played very quickly and we never pushed them thanks to the nicely spaced 10-minute tee times here. Good overall pace of about 3:15. Price was $55 (plus AZ tax, so $58 and change).

The course was in solid summer condition, looking pretty lush and green throughout (sure all that rain has helped). The tee boxes were good. Just a few of the blues on the back nine could use some leveling out. The fairways were generally good with a few thin spots here and there and a couple that had some aerated sections. The rough was good, cut low and easy to play from. Bunkers not pebbly and well-maintained, but a very coarse desert sand that doesn’t provide much cushion. The greens were just okay. Not very fast and a bit bumpy in places. The practice green was really ugly, but the ones on the course were better. They were pretty receptive as summer desert greens go and I think they will benefit from the upcoming aeration on 7/23.

The facilities here aren’t too impressive at first glance. The driving range is stocked with rock hard yellow balls. The parking is kind of weirdly laid out and things don’t look like a “resort” course facility like what you expect from the top courses in this area. However, once you are on the course, all is good. This is a really fun layout with lots of elevation changes and a great overall look. There’s a flatter stretch in the middle that isn’t super exciting, but everything in the hills is a blast. Depending on the tees you play, it’s not a terribly long course. The fairways are forgiving and the greens are reasonably big without a ton of protection. A lot of mounding around them that is often helpful. The starter warned us that the greens were the main defense here, but I found them fairly easy to read and our group was dropping putts left and right. Definitely seems like a place you can post a great score as long as you stay out of the desert. I can definitely see why this is one of the best-rated public courses in the valley. Recommended.