I spent a few days in Phoenix with a friend and we played two rounds of golf. We tried to keep the green fees reasonable, which is tough to do this time of year around here. The Foothills Golf Club was convenient to where we were staying and the green fees weren’t too crazy. So, we decided to give it a try.

Foothills is located within the Phoenix city limits, about a half hour from the airport. If you are familiar with the area the course is close to South Mountain Park, just off the newer section of Loop 202. So, not far from all the popular spots.

The main thing that interested us about Foothills was the green fee. It cost about $140 per golfer to play here on a weekend. Expensive, but still a deal compared to the long list of nearby courses with $225+ green fees. Sadly, even at the price we paid, I’d say Foothills is a good value course.

Your cash gets you quite a bit at Foothills. The design is solid. The course is playable. The conditions were more than acceptable. The backdrop is neat. I walked away impressed with the course, although I’ll say I didn’t set my expectations too high before the round. We played with a couple locals – who play out here frequently – and they said they normally enjoy their rounds here.

Foothills is a Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish design that opened in 1988. Weiskopf and Morrish are famous for the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale along with some of their other work. Foothills certainly isn’t on the level of the Stadium Course, but it has enough risk/reward to keep the round interesting. Water comes into play on four holes, including on the par-5 8th. The 8th plays downhill and water guards the green to the right. So, if going for the green in two, then that water needs to be respected. The 8th also shares a double green with the 1st. Cool.

We played the blue tees which are 70.0/121/6415. Overall, Foothills shouldn’t be overly difficult – at least compared to a desert golf course with lots of target golf. There are a couple tighter tee shots on the back nine, but most of the fairways are generous. There isn’t a lot of lost ball trouble. The greens have some challenging slopes and small sections. The bunkers are deep and are probably the most difficult part about playing here. Much of that risk/reward is found on the approach shots. For example, the pin on the short par-3 4th was tucked in the back left when we played. Hard to access, even with a short iron.

I don’t have any complaints about the conditions. The overseeded fairways had good coverage. The greens rolled well and at a medium pace. The greens were recently re-done so they were firm. It was tough to have iron shots hold, but that will change as the greens age and become receptive. The sand was typical desert sand – lots of rocks.

I’d certainly recommend Foothills to the right golfer. It wouldn’t be a bad course for a warm up round on a winter golf trip. Foothills won’t compete with the higher tier courses in the area, but it is a fraction of the cost. The only thing I didn’t care for about playing here were all the homes. Homes line both sides of almost every hole.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):