There are a handful of states in America that can claim that golf is an institution for residents. California and Florida are certainly at the top of the list but Arizona, with its warm year-round climate, has undoubtedly become a haven for golf lovers.
This love for the great game has spilled over to the colleges in the state as Arizona is home to some of the most accomplished golf programs in the country. Primarily, the state features two NCAA golfing powerhouses in Arizona State University, with ten combined national championships, and the University of Arizona’s women’s program that has won three all-time titles including one in 2018.
There are tons of schools in Arizona that offer golf scholarships, and with roughly 300 golf courses in the state, you can see why the sport is so popular at the collegiate level. Here’s our list of five of the best golf schools in Arizona and the characteristics that make them so special.
1. Arizona State University
Located in Tempe, Arizona State University has the best golf program in the state with a rich history that has seen the men’s and women’s programs bring home ten NCAA national championships.
The women’s program is the real star at the college with eight team titles and a whopping ten individual champions in school history. The women’s team has won two NCAA championships in the last ten years with their last coming in 2017.
Famous players such as Grace Park and Monica Vaughn have won individual titles for the school since 1999.
Recently the program built a new practice facility at their home course, the Papago Golf Course in Phoenix. The practice complex has locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s team, a kitchen area for meals and snacks, and a media room for video analysis. On the practice side, the facility boasts two indoor hitting bays outfitted with TrackMan machines.
Legendary golfer and Arizona State alum Phil Mickelson helped design the practice area for the teams, making sure that the facility would feature state of the art technology for present and future golfers at the university. Mickelson won three individual NCAA titles while at Arizona State in 1989, 1990 and 1992.
Arizona State’s home course, the Papago Golf Course, is widely considered one of the most beautiful public golf courses in the southwest United States. The University’s participation with the course is one of the big reasons why it remains a popular spot for students from the university to get a round in during the school year.
2. University of Arizona
Another successful program in the state can be found at the University of Arizona. Boasting a team title in 1992, the men’s program has a long and storied history that features golfers such as longtime PGA pro Jim Furyk. The men’s team can also claim three Pac-12 conference titles with the last coming in 2004.
The women’s team is currently one of the best in the nation as they won the NCAA Division I title in the spring of 2018. Famous alumni that played for the women’s team include Golf Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa, who won the NCAA Player of the Year crown in both 2001 and 2002 before turning professional. Another Hall of Famer to play for the university is Annika Sörenstam who won an individual NCAA title for the school in 1991.
The Arizona teams call the local Tucson course, Sewailo Golf Club, as their home practice facility. Both teams host tournaments at Sewailo, with the men’s tournament coming in January and the women’s coming in March.
On campus, students interested in the great game can take classes through the Arizona Campus Recreation program. The classes cover the fundamentals of the game and last roughly six weeks in length.
3. Grand Canyon University
Another Division I school in the state that takes advantage of all that Arizona has to offer golf programs is Grand Canyon University. With a men’s and women’s team competing in the highly-competitive Western Athletic Conference, the school believed that their golfing facilities needed to meet the demand of a Division I program.
So, the university took over Maryvale Golf Course in 2014 from the city of Phoenix and redesigned the facility over the next two years. In 2016, the course was rebranded GCU Golf Course and featured several amenities tailored in helping the golf program succeed in Division I. Both teams and their coaching staffs have an entire floor at the golfing facility that accommodates locker rooms, video analysis and private areas for the team to meet.
4. South Mountain Community College
One of the hottest colleges for golf in the state is at South Mountain Community College. Located in Phoenix, the men’s team won the NJCAA D2 National Championship in 2019 powered by the low scores of the back-to-back individual champion, Leon D’Souza.
Both the men's and women’s team practice at the nearby Legacy Golf Course, one of the best public courses in the Phoenix area. The teams take advantage of the nearby Legacy Golf Performance Center sponsored by the Golf Channel. With indoor bays and sophisticated equipment to tackle any swing issue, the teams at South Mountain have access to facilities that most Division I programs struggle to secure.
5. Northern Arizona University
Although the school doesn’t have a men’s team, the women’s team at Northern Arizona University holds its own at the NCAA Division I level. Routinely ranked in the top 125, Northern Arizona’s women’s team boasts several players each season that are awarded Big Sky All-Conference honors.
Located in Flagstaff, NAU golf makes their practice home among the stunning red rocks of Sedona and every year the team hosts a popular golf tournament in nearby Cornville at the Agave Highlands Course.
The women’s team plays a year-round schedule that concludes in late April with the Big Sky Championships.
Conclusion
As you can see by this list, the options for college-level golfers in Arizona are numerous and plentiful. With hundreds of golf courses available, teams have never been more capable of taking advantage of the latest technologies to improve their game at any one of these fantastic golf courses.
