Ken McDonald Golf Course

Overview: Tempe's Ken McDonald Golf Course offers a public 18-hole round with a current back-tees measurement of 6,743 yards and par 72. The official course description presents it as a playable daily-fee layout for a wide range of golfers, and the city places it within Tempe's two-course municipal golf system. Its character is parkland rather than desert golf, with irrigated playing surfaces and a steady sequence of fairways and greens close to the urban core.

History: Ken McDonald's history is documented through Tempe municipal records rather than a single simple opening statement. The Tempe History Museum holds architectural blueprints for the new Tempe Municipal Golf Course from the 1972 to 1975 planning period and also records a 1986 groundbreaking item for the course later named Ken McDonald. Because those records describe planning and construction stages rather than a verified first-play date, the profile does not assign an opening year or architect without stronger evidence.

Did You Know? The Tempe History Museum preserves architectural blueprints for the new Tempe Municipal Golf Course, including plans from the 1972 to 1975 period and a later 1986 groundbreaking record. Those documents give Ken McDonald a rare paper trail among municipal courses. They also show that the property developed through several planning and construction stages before settling into the public course identity used today.