Golf in Sun City, Arizona: Eight Resident-Owned Courses, Plus Three Private Clubs
Eleven courses inside one 55+ community — eight of them owned by the residents themselves, and three private clubs for people who want that instead.
The short version. Sun City has eleven golf courses. Eight are owned and run by the Recreation Centers of Sun City, the residents’ own nonprofit. Three more — Palmbrook, Sun City Country Club, and Union Hills — are private clubs inside the community with their own memberships. Everything sits within a few miles, so no course is a long drive from any home here.
The part buyers get wrong: your annual assessment does not buy you golf. Golf is paid for separately, by the people who play it. We explain exactly how that works below.
Who owns the golf courses in Sun City?
The residents do. All eight courses belong to the Recreation Centers of Sun City, usually shortened to RCSC. It is a nonprofit run for the property owners, and it also owns the eight recreation centers, the bowling centers, and the 33-acre lake. [VERIFY]
That ownership matters more than it sounds. In a lot of Arizona active adult communities, the golf course belongs to a private club or an outside management company. When that owner decides to raise rates, or sell, or close a course and build houses on it, residents find out after the fact. In Sun City the courses are community property, and decisions about them run through the RCSC board that residents elect. [VERIFY]
Founder Jarl Kubat has spent 22+ years selling in Arizona’s 55+ communities, and this is one of the first questions he raises with a buyer looking at a fairway lot: who actually owns the grass out back? In Sun City, the answer is the neighbors.
The eight Sun City golf courses
Five are full regulation length. Two are 18-hole executive courses. One is a 9-hole executive course. That mix is deliberate, and it is one of the community’s quiet advantages: you can play a serious round on Tuesday and a quick, walkable nine on Thursday without leaving Sun City. [VERIFY]
Five regulation courses
Riverview · 6,394 yds · par 72
18-hole regulation on the north end, 6,394 from the blues and 6,053 from the whites. The 534-yard 6th is the number one handicap hole.
North · 6,423 yds · par 72
18-hole regulation in the northern section, with four sets of tees — 6,423 yards from the blues down to 4,962 from the yellows. That spread is why it works for a wide range of games.
South · 6,813 yds · par 72
The longest of the eight resident-owned courses, in the original south end. Five sets of tees, 6,813 from the blacks down to 5,195 from the yellows.
Lakes West · 6,195 yds · par 72
18-hole regulation in the Lakes area near the 33-acre lake, 6,195 from the blues down to 4,696 from the yellows.
Willowcreek · 6,357 yds · par 72
18-hole regulation sharing a clubhouse with Willowbrook — a regulation course and an executive course at the same address, which is a genuinely useful pairing.
Three executive courses
Executive courses are shorter, with more par 3s. They play faster and they are much easier on the body, which is exactly why they stay busy in a 55+ community. Plenty of Sun City residents play these more often than the regulation courses.
Lakes East · 3,310 yds · par 60
18-hole executive in the Lakes area — twelve par 3s and six par 4s. Walkable, and a favorite for a fast morning round.
Willowbrook · 3,791 yds · par 60
18-hole executive paired with Willowcreek — twelve par 3s, three sets of tees down to 2,879.
Quail Run · 4,058 yds · par 62
9-hole executive, 2,029 yards a lap. Six par 3s in nine holes — the quick round when you have an hour.
Plus three private clubs: Union Hills, Palmbrook, and Sun City Country Club
The eight RCSC courses are not the whole picture. Three private country clubs sit inside Sun City, with their own memberships, their own clubhouses, and no connection to your RCSC assessment. Buyers are often surprised to learn they exist — and these are the three longest courses in the community.
Union Hills · 6,909 yds · par 72
The longest card in Sun City at 6,909 from the blacks, with six sets of tees running down to 4,527. Membership required. [VERIFY]
Palmbrook · 6,853 yds · par 72
Seven sets of tees, 6,853 from the golds down to 5,109 — the widest range of any course here. Long without being punishing. Membership required. [VERIFY]
Sun City Country Club · 6,275 yds · par 72
6,275 from the blues and 5,145 from the reds, across four sets of tees. Membership required. [VERIFY]
Whether either is worth it comes down to how you like to play. A private club buys you a tighter tee sheet, a clubhouse culture, and a course that is not shared with the whole community. The RCSC courses buy you eight options for a fraction of the cost. Plenty of Sun City residents play only the RCSC courses for years and never feel they are missing anything.
What we would flag: a private membership is a separate financial commitment on top of everything else Sun City charges, and it does not travel with the house. Ask what the initiation and dues actually run before you assume a golf home comes with golf.
What does golf actually cost in Sun City?
This is where buyers get tripped up, so we will be plain about it.
Every property in Sun City pays an annual RCSC assessment. That assessment covers the recreation centers, the pools, the clubs, the lake, and the rest of the amenities. It does not cover golf. Golf is expected to pay its own operating costs through green fees and golf passes, which means the people who play are the people who fund it. [VERIFY]
If you never touch a club, you are not paying for someone else’s tee time. If you play four times a week, an annual pass is probably the cheaper path. Here are the 2026 numbers to plan around.
| What you pay | 2026 amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| RCSC annual assessment | $680 per property [VERIFY] | Mandatory. Rec centers, pools, clubs, lake. Not golf. |
| Preservation & Improvement Fee (PIF) | $4,000 [VERIFY] | One time, paid at purchase. |
| Capital Improvement Fee (CIF) | $1,500 [VERIFY] | One time, paid at purchase. |
| Transfer & recording fees | $500 + $30 [VERIFY] | One time, paid at purchase. |
| Annual Privilege Card | $340 per person [VERIFY] | For a resident who is not on the deed. |
| Resident annual golf pass | $2,800 [VERIFY] | Optional. Unlimited play, walking. |
| Non-resident annual golf pass | $3,250 [VERIFY] | Optional. Walking; carts not included. |
| Per-round green fees | Varies [VERIFY] | Cardholders and their guests play at a reduced rate. Ask the pro shop for current rates. |
The honest money part
Add the one-time fees up and a Sun City purchase carries roughly $6,030 in RCSC charges at closing, before you have swung a club. [VERIFY] That figure surprises out-of-state buyers, and we would rather you hear it from us in August than from a settlement statement in October.
What you get for it is real: eight courses, eight rec centers, and a lake, in a community where the assessment is still low compared with most Valley golf communities. But it belongs in your math from day one, not as a footnote.
How do you book a tee time in Sun City?
Cardholders can book up to five days ahead, by phone, online through the mySunCity account, or through a lottery draw. Lottery entries open earlier — up to seven days before the draw date. [VERIFY]
Guests are welcome. A cardholder does not have to play alongside an adult guest, but the cardholder must be in good standing and send along a valid card for the guest to sign in with. [VERIFY] In practice, that means your visiting brother-in-law can play even on a morning you would rather sleep in.
Winter is the crush. From roughly January through March the courses fill with residents and winter visitors at once, and the good morning times go early. Summer is the opposite — wide open, and hot enough that most play wraps up before nine in the morning.
What is it like to live on a Sun City golf course?
Better than most people expect, with two caveats worth knowing before you sign.
The good part is the view and the quiet. A fairway lot gives you open space behind the house that nobody can build on, which in a community of 27,100 homes is worth something real. Mornings are the golfers’ hours; by early afternoon most of the traffic behind you has moved on.
The first caveat is the CC&Rs. Sun City’s rules treat golf course lots differently from interior lots. Homes on a golf course carry a 25-foot setback from the course boundary. Rear fencing on those lots has its own rule: within 25 feet of the rear property line, walls top out at six feet, and anything above three feet has to be wrought iron rather than solid block. [VERIFY] That is so the course stays visually open. It also means you cannot simply wall yourself in for privacy the way an interior lot can.
The second caveat is golf balls. Some lots on some holes take hits, and the pattern is specific to the hole, not the course. This is the single most useful thing we do on a fairway showing: stand in the back yard and work out where the tee box is, which way the hole doglegs, and whether you are sitting in the slice zone for a right-handed golfer. It takes five minutes and it has changed buyers’ minds more than once.
Watching for the right home?
Fairway lots in Sun City do not come up in a predictable rhythm, and the good ones on the quiet holes tend to move fast. Tell us the course you want to be on — or the hole, if you already know it — and we will let you know the moment something fits. No pressure, and no obligation to do anything about it.
Is a Sun City golf home right for you?
It is a strong fit if you want to play often without paying country club money, you like the idea of the courses being community property rather than a private operator’s asset, and you want a choice between a serious round and a fast nine on the same day. It also fits the buyer who does not golf at all but wants the open space behind the house — and who now knows they are not subsidizing anyone’s green fees.
Think harder if you want a brand-new home. Sun City finished building in 1978, so every home here has some age on it. The trade-off is price: these are among the most affordable golf course homes in the Valley, and on many of them the roof, air conditioner, and water heater have already been replaced with years of life left. We check that per home rather than guess.
Also think harder if privacy is your top priority. Between the wrought iron fence rule and the open sightlines, a golf lot in Sun City is a social lot. Some buyers love that. Some would rather have a block wall and a quiet interior street, and there is nothing wrong with that answer.
Thinking about a golf home in Sun City?
I’m Jarl Kubat — a licensed Arizona agent with 22+ years in the state’s 55+ communities across the West Valley, East Valley, and surrounding cities. Tell me which course you have your eye on and I’ll walk the back yards with you, ball-flight and all. Call or text me anytime. You’ll always reach me, and there’s never any pressure.
Call or Text: (480) 710-6326 Email Me Watching for the right home? Tell me your must-haves and I’ll reach out the moment one fits.Frequently asked questions
Are the Sun City golf courses open to the public?
Yes, with a rate difference. RCSC cardholders and their invited guests play at a reduced rate, and there is a non-resident annual pass as well. [VERIFY] Booking windows favor cardholders, so residents get first crack at the prime winter tee times.
Do I have to pay for golf if I do not play?
No. Your annual RCSC assessment covers the recreation centers and amenities, not golf. Golf operations are funded by green fees and golf passes — by the people using the courses. [VERIFY]
Which Sun City golf courses are best for a retirement home on the fairway?
It depends on what you want from the lot rather than the course. The executive courses tend to run shorter and quieter behind the homes. The regulation courses give you longer views and more open space. We would rather walk two or three back yards with you than name a favorite from a desk.
How much is the annual assessment in Sun City in 2026?
$680 per property per year, effective January 1, 2026. [VERIFY] There are also one-time fees at purchase: a $4,000 Preservation & Improvement Fee, a $1,500 Capital Improvement Fee, and transfer and recording fees. [VERIFY]
How does Sun City golf compare to Sun City West?
Sun City has eight courses, all owned by the residents through RCSC. Sun City West has nine, seven of them resident-owned and two independent. Sun City’s homes are older and generally less expensive; Sun City West’s are newer. Both are strong. The right answer usually comes down to home style and budget, not the golf.
Can I keep a golf cart at a Sun City home?
Yes. Golf carts may be parked in carports or driveways under the community CC&Rs, and a number of the original Del Webb floor plans were drawn with a dedicated cart bay. [VERIFY] Carts are ordinary transportation here, not a novelty.
Keep exploring Sun City
- Sun City, AZ: the complete 55+ buyer’s guide — fees, floor plans, rec centers, and how the community is governed
- All our Sun City articles — history, age rules, amenities, and more
- Sun City West — the newer Del Webb community next door, for buyers comparing the two
- Recreation Centers of Sun City golf pages — official course info, pro shops, and current rates
Ready to see what is on the fairway?
We will pull current Sun City golf course listings, tell you what they have actually been selling for, and walk the back yards with you.
Get in touchAccuracy: Listing information is provided by the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Homes for sale, prices, and availability change daily.
Fees and rules: RCSC assessments, golf pass prices, green fees, and CC&R provisions are set by the Recreation Centers of Sun City and the Sun City Home Owners Association, not by us, and they change. Figures shown are for 2026 and are approximate. Always verify current fees and restrictions for the specific property with RCSC and SCHOA before you write an offer.