Ahwatukee's four golf courses do not shut down for fall overseeding at the same time. Their closures overlap. Foothills Golf Club went first and is already back. Arizona Grand Golf Course followed a couple of weeks later. Ahwatukee Golf Club and The Lakes started on the same Monday, October 26, and they are not handling it the same way.
So the village has golf somewhere all season. The handoff lands in the first half of November. The last three courses come back within about eleven days of each other, and all four should be green before the Light Up Ahwatukee festival on November 21.
The Rotation, in Order
All of the dates below come from the Arizona Golf Association's 2026 overseed schedule, checked against each course's own notices. Where the two disagree, both dates are listed.
- Early October: Foothills Golf Club closes. Its own site lists the overseed as 10/5 through 10/22. The AGA lists October 4 to October 23.
- October 19: Arizona Grand Golf Course closes.
- October 22–23: Foothills reopens.
- October 26: Ahwatukee Golf Club and The Lakes Golf Club both start their overseed.
- Early November: The Lakes returns. The AGA lists November 2 as the reopening date. A GolfNow notice for The Lakes gives the overseed period as "Monday, Oct 26 thru Sunday, Nov 08."
- November 13: Ahwatukee Golf Club finishes its overseed, and Arizona Grand's closure ends. The resort's own golf page lists Arizona Grand's closure as October 19 to November 13. The AGA has it reopening November 15.
The closures also run different lengths. Foothills was out about two and a half weeks. Arizona Grand is out close to four. On the AGA list, The Lakes has the shortest window at one week. Ahwatukee Golf Club's overseed lasts about as long as Foothills', but it is the only course of the four that says it stays open during the work.
Why the Sprinklers Seem to Run All Day
If you live along a fairway, you have probably seen more watering lately, and there is a reason. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension explains that at lower elevations in Arizona, warm-season turf such as bermudagrass goes dormant in winter and loses its green color. Courses keep their color by overseeding it with a cool-season grass, most commonly perennial ryegrass.
The heavy watering comes from the germination stage. The Extension's guidance is to water three to four times a day for the first seven to ten days, until the seedlings come up. Once established, perennial ryegrass stays green from October through May.
That explains why courses stagger their dates, and why each closure runs about as long as it does. A course can't take play while the seed is sprouting. When a course started its overseed tells you roughly when its fairways will look their best. Foothills started first, so its rye has had the longest to grow in.
Foothills Went First, and It's Already Back
Foothills Golf Club, at 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive, is a daily-fee course, so anyone can book a round. It is the only Ahwatukee course fully past its overseed through late October and into early November. Its clubhouse restaurant is Sunset Grill.
Foothills also has a new management company. Ahwatukee Foothills News reported that owner Michael Ennabe brought in Landscapes Golf Management on a multiyear contract, replacing Troon. Ennabe told the paper the new firm's vision lined up with his own.
Ahwatukee Golf Club Turned Its Overseed Into Happy Hour
Ahwatukee Golf Club, at 12432 S. 48th St., is the course the AGA schedule still lists as Ahwatukee Country Club. It is taking a different approach. The AGA schedule lists the course as closed from October 26 to November 13. The club's own notice for the same dates says the course is getting its annual overseed "but we're still open and ready to see you." It then gives Sim Bay and Restaurant hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, plus an all-day happy hour every day. The fairways are being reseeded while the simulators and the restaurant keep running.
The club also has two things that don't depend on the grass:
- Tukee Jr. Clinic. A free golf clinic for ages 5 to 17, held at the indoor simulator every other Saturday at 1 p.m. Clubs, snacks and water are provided.
- Inrange bays, coming soon. The club says its driving range is getting Inrange-powered bays, which let players track every shot and play games on the range.
In the middle of the overseed season, that gives the village two ways to keep playing. Foothills has fresh rye already in play. At Ahwatukee Golf Club, the simulator bays and the restaurant stay open while the course is off-limits.
The Lakes Has the Shortest Closure and the Longest Backstory
The Lakes Golf Club, at 13431 S. 44th St., is the course formerly known as Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Club. Its own site describes an 18-hole, par-60 executive course with a driving range, a chipping and putting area, and a golf academy. On the AGA schedule, its overseed closure is the shortest in the village, and for a long stretch the course didn't operate at all.
Ahwatukee Foothills News reported that the course closed in 2013 and was later ordered rebuilt by a court. According to the paper's follow-up coverage, a 2020 court order required all 18 holes and certain golfer amenities to be operational. The first nine holes reopened ahead of a deadline that was later extended to mid-October 2022, and the full course came back after that deadline.
The work didn't end when the course reopened. A later AFN story, about a town hall on the course, noted(https://www.ahwatukee.com/news/town-hall-called-for-ahwatukee-lakes-golf-course/article_43ccce02-f86c-11ef-91fd-7fb48ee2ce31.html) that the course still had no permanent clubhouse and that the city's review of clubhouse plans was one of the holdups.
For anyone who followed that history, a routine overseed is a sign of how much has come back. The course is now on the same seasonal schedule as every other course in the Valley. Tee times are booked through GolfNow. Since the AGA reopening date and the end of GolfNow's notice are six days apart, check GolfNow before planning a round the week of November 2.
Arizona Grand Comes Back Last
Arizona Grand Golf Course sits inside the resort in ZIP code 85044, and it has the longest closure on the list. The resort's golf page says the course takes tee-time reservations and lists its overseed closure as October 19 to November 13. The AGA lists November 15. If you're booking a mid-November round, go by the resort's date but confirm it before you head over.
Here's how the rotation plays out for the rest of the season:
| Course | Address | Overseed window | Status in the first days of November |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foothills Golf Club | 2201 E. Clubhouse Dr. | Oct. 5–22 per course; Oct. 4–23 per AGA | Back in play |
| Ahwatukee Golf Club | 12432 S. 48th St. | Oct. 26–Nov. 13 | Listed closed by AGA; club says sim bays and restaurant are open, with an all-day happy hour |
| The Lakes Golf Club | 13431 S. 44th St. | Oct. 26–Nov. 2 per AGA; GolfNow notice runs through Nov. 8 | Coming back in early November |
| Arizona Grand Golf Course | Arizona Grand Resort, 85044 | Oct. 19–Nov. 13 per resort; Nov. 15 per AGA | Closed until mid-November |
The Weekend Everything Should Be Green
Once Arizona Grand reopens, every course in Ahwatukee will be past its overseed, with the new rye coming in. The following weekend brings the Light Up Ahwatukee Holiday Festival on Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Desert Foothills Park, 1010 E. Marketplace Way. The organizer lists it as free, with an artisan market, food trucks, live entertainment, Santa, and a beer and cocktail garden. A morning round at whichever course you missed during the rotation, followed by the festival in the afternoon, makes a good Saturday.
If you live along one of these fairways and wonder how course views or seasonal turf changes play into your home's value, I'm happy to talk it through with you. Reach out to Lisa Gatchalian whenever it's convenient. Let's Connect.
