The Boulders Golf Club (South) – Played Fall 2024
- Rankings: Golf Magazine Public #93
- Location: 34636 N Tom Darlington, Carefree, Arizona
- Year: 1984
- Architect: Jay Moorish
- Course Access: Resort
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Black: 6,917 yards, Par 71/72, 72.6 Rating/144 Slope
- Blue: 6,726 yards, Par 71/72, 71.8 Rating/142 Slope
- Blue/White: 6,246 yards, Par 71/72, 70.8 Rating/137 Slope
- White: 6,356 yards, Par 71/72, 69.9 Rating/135 Slope (Men’s), 75.3 Rating/138 Slope (Women’s)
- White/Copper: 5,863 yards, Par 71/72, 68.7 Rating/125 Slope
- Copper: 5,642 yards, Par 71/72, 67.6 Rating/120 Slope (Men’s), 73.1 Rating/130 Slope
- Gold: 5,119 yards, Par 71/72, 70.1 Rating/122 Slope
- Gold/Red: 4,768 yards, Par 71/72, 68.4 Rating/117 Slope
- Red: 4,684 yards, Par 71/72, 67.7 Rating/116 Slope
While I was out in Arizona for a golf event, I thought it would be a good idea to add one of my quest courses to the itinerary. Enter The Boulders Golf Club and its South course. The Boulders is a full-service resort that has two golf courses.
The South course is the resort/public option, so it was a breeze to get a tee time. The North course is reserved for the members. There wasn’t much else on the history of the golf course, so we will get right into the tour.
Hole 1 – 381 yards – Par 4
You can see why this place has boulders in the name right from the opening hole. Desert golf is about finding the green stuff more so than almost any other style of golf. This hole bends slightly left with the fairway running away to the right.
Keep your eyes open for the magnificent boulder formations all around this course. They will provide a wonderful backdrop to the golf holes.
Hole 2 – 135 yards – Par 3
The goal here is to avoid the left side dropoff. With a short club in your hand, this is a green light opportunity.
Hole 3 – 360 yards – Par 4
Consult your yardage book for this dogleg right. You’ll want to know the placement of all the bunkers so you can set up a good approach shot.
If you find the fairway, the approach shot doesn’t feel demanding with a large green.
Hole 4 – 384 yards – Par 4
The small hazard on the left side will demand your attention on this tee shot. This par four plays straightaway to a raised green.
Hole 5 – 525 yards – Par 5
The tee shot on this par five can be a bit awkward because the fairway is angled to the tee. Bunkers dot the rest of the hole as you progress to the green.
The green is absolutely dwarfed by the rock formation. It can be a bit disorienting.
Hole 6 – 345 yards – Par 4
Be careful with the tee shot on this short bender to the right. The bunker on the right is certainly in play.
After the tee shot, the approach plays to a wide-open green that calls for you to go pin seeking.
Hole 7 – 155 yards – Par 3
This medium-length par three features a large bunker on the right and a ridge that bisects the green.
Hole 8 – 435 yards – Par 4
While this hole is on the longer side compared to what we’ve seen so far from The Boulders Golf Club, the fairway and green are big targets. You can swing freely here, make par, and move on.
Hole 9 – 384 yards – Par 4
I missed the tee shot on this par four, but your goal is to split or carry the fairway bunkers on each side of the hole. If you do that, you can attack another two-tiered green.
Hole 10 – 198 yards – Par 3
My round actually started on this hole. Beginning the round with a longer par three is no picnic. The green shape and angle call for a fade, but you need to avoid the bunkers on all sides.
Hole 11 – 557 yards – Par 5
This hole bends to the right and is littered with bunkers. Almost all players will need three solid shots to get to the green here. The putting surface is flatter than some that we’ve seen, so putts can be made.
Hole 12 – 294 yards – Par 4
The fairway is pinched by the desert on the right and bunkers on the left. Unless you are very accurate or long enough to get to the green, hitting less than driver makes sense for this tee shot.
The approach shot opens up and gives you the chance to stick one close and make birdie.
This green is one of the more interesting ones at The Boulders Golf Club.
Hole 13 – 369 yards – Par 4
There is a fairway despite what your eyes are telling you. A waste area cuts through the fairway closer to the green. The green itself is on the smaller side and has a different shape than most of the others.
Hole 14 – 511 yards – Par 5
This hole bends slightly left, but you are best served staying in the wider part of the fairway. Trees on the left can block your view depending on your driving distance.
I know of what I speak!
Hole 15 – 143 yards – Par 3
Playing uphill to an angled and shallow green, this shot should not be missed to the right. The slope, rough, and bunkers make for difficult recoveries on that side.
Hole 16 – 176 yards – Par 3
We’ve got back-to-back par threes here, but this one is asking a different question. It’s longer, but it has less severe contouring.
Hole 17 – 380 yards – Par 4
The waste area dominates this hole as it encroaches from the right side and moves across the fairway. If you can fit your tee shot into the left side of the fairway, the green will open up for your approach shot.
Take note of just how small this green is.
Hole 18 – 514 yards – Par 5
The finishing hole at The Boulders Golf Club has the most prominent water hazard. You don’t necessarily have to take it on because the fairway continues all the way to the green.
Pins in the back right section are very difficult to get to in two unless you can play a fade. If you’re on the proper section of the green, you will have a great shot to make a putt.
The South Course at The Boulders Golf Club is quintessential desert golf. It’s a style that doesn’t always work for me, but I found this one to be quite playable with generous fairways. Now that the North Course is private, the South is your best bet to see what The Boulders has to offer.