Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club

Overview: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes is a public course on the Ak-Chin Indian Community's land near Maricopa, Arizona. Brian Curley and Lee Schmidt shaped the layout with input from Fred Couples, using broad desert ground, native vegetation, deep bunkers and the surrounding mountain horizon to create a large-scale strategic test. With no housing lining the fairways, the land remains the dominant visual feature.

History: The 18-hole course debuted in 2002 as a private club and later became part of the Ak-Chin community's public golf offering. The course's development was tied to the community's reclamation and economic work, which brought a high-desert golf facility to the reservation south of Phoenix.

Did You Know? Southern Dunes is known for its unusually large bunker count and expansive playing corridors. The open setting lets players see the natural desert and distant mountains from many holes, while the scale makes club selection important even when the fairway appears generous.