Whisper Rock Golf Club: Lower Course
Scottsdale, AZ • Private
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - 10th hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fd72fa4575949207cda_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%2010th%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.386.suffix/1573162852906.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - sixth hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fd9468c17579c7c731f_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%20sixth%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.386.suffix/1573162843830.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - fourth hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fd8bc9d282d38b3688b_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%20fourth%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.386.suffix/1573162862857.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - eighth hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fd8bb5e322cd0481a07_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%20eighth%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.386.suffix/1573162891700.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - 15th hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fd7bb5e322cd0481a05_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%2015th%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.386.suffix/1573162871468.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - 11th hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fd7468c17579c7c731d_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%2011th%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.773.suffix/1573162851090.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
![200 - Whisper Rock GC (Lower) - seventh hole - courtesy of the club.jpg](http://golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2019/01/09/5c359fda47886f2d34f6ed87_200%20-%20Whisper%20Rock%20GC%20(Lower)%20-%20seventh%20hole%20-%20courtesy%20of%20the%20club.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1573162879614.jpeg)
Courtesy of the club
Overview
Phil Mickelson wanted his course design debut to be something different than the typical Scottsdale desert layout, so he had some fairways recessed into the landscape to create elevation change, kept tee boxes flush with the ground and built mostly long, narrow greens edged by chipping hollows. Mickelson calls them “Pinehurst greens.” Bunkers are surprisingly shallow and fairways are uniformly wide, because he dislikes holes that bottleneck down for big hitters. There’s plenty of grass in which to play, and a surprising number of trees on the layout, including palo verde, juniper and mesquite. Phil considers his design to be a second-shot course, “and we don’t have the same second shot two times in a row,” he says. One second shot, on the par-5 third, must contend with a “ha ha wall,” a three-foot-high ledge of stacked rock that edges the putting surface. That’s definitely different than anything in Scottsdale.
About
Awards
![100 Greatest the Second 100](/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/awards/100Greatest_Second100FINAL.png)
![Best Courses in Every State](/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/awards/BestCoursesInEveryState_FINAL.png)
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked from 2013-'22, 2023-'24.
2023-'24 ranking: No. 174.
Highest ranking: No. 167, 2013-'14.
Best in State: Ranked fourth, 2023-'24. Ranked fifth, 2017-'22. Ranked sixth, 2013-'16. Ranked inside the top 10, 2003-'05. Ranked 12th, 2011-'12. Ranked inside the top 15, 2007-'10.
2023-'24 ranking: 4th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“This is the Phil Mickelson designed course at this venue. An excellent test of golf with almost every shot needing to be accurate. The course is in excellent condition, including very nice attended sand traps. This is a private club and requires a member to get you on this course. If the opportunity presents, play this course."
Read More2022
Review
“Short game will be tested. conditioning was exceptional, and there is definitely an advantage to have played the course a number of times."
Read More2021
Review
“An excellent Gary Stephenson effort that plays through the low ground near the clubhouse. The detail work around the greens is superb, and it's easy to see Phil Mickelson's influence. For a course that lacks an excitement in the terrain, each hole presents its own unique challenges, and no two holes are remotely similar. It's easy to see why the members, especially the litany of tour pros who are members here, prefer the Lower to the Upper—it's more fun, more interesting, and more varied."
Read More2021
Review
“The greens are spectacular at the Lower, just like the Upper. Impressive that Phil helped designed putting surfaces, in his first attempt, that rival those of Tom Fazio, who is one of the best in that category."
Read More2021
Review
“If Nicklaus builds courses designed for his game, then Phil might do that, too. By the end of my round, I was calling this a third-shot course. Your first two shots really determine if you even have a chance on your third—and sometimes that included the par 3s."
Read More2018
Review
“a lot of hype for this club. This facility has a very high end feel. Ive played it several times and nothing defines this layout from several other desert tracks. Great Locker room and Men's grill. A very nice day, but tee to green could be more exciti ng. Not a blade of grass out of place on the entire facility"
Read More2018
Readers
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