Everything You Need to Know

No. There is no annual membership fee to join the AZ Summer Tour. You just need a valid USGA handicap index through the Arizona Golf Association (AGA/GHIN), which runs about $35 per year — paid directly to the AGA, not to us.

Yes. All events are played under USGA handicap rules, so an active GHIN handicap index is required. If you don't have one yet, sign up through the Arizona Golf Association at azgolf.org. It typically takes a few rounds to establish.

We welcome players with handicaps from 0 to 18. If your index is higher than 18, you are absolutely welcome to play — you will simply be capped at receiving 18 strokes for competition purposes.

Head to the Contact Us page and fill out the New Member form. One of our officers will reach out with everything you need to get started.

Unknown Golf is the live scoring platform we use for all events. You do not need a paid membership to enter scores or view results — that's free. The optional $50/year membership gives you access to the full app experience, unlimited side games inside and outside of tournaments, and saves you $2 per event in service fees (since the league pays that portion for non-members when they participate).

Yes. There is an optional $25 one-time buy-in to join the Hole-in-One fund — and for the remainder of 2026 that's all you pay. Starting in 2027, an additional $1 per player per week will grow the pot throughout the season. Make a hole-in-one and you take the whole thing.

Yes. The Desert Cup Points Fund collects $5 from each player each week and is paid out at season's end to the top 10 finishers in the Desert Cup Points Race. The more you play, the more you earn toward the standings — and the bigger the pot.

Weekly events are individual stroke play under USGA handicap rules. We also run an optional 2-man season-long match play competition, four major championships throughout the season, and Troon priority points events. The top 16 players in the Desert Cup standings qualify for the Individual Match Play bracket — played across the final 5 regular scheduled events in August, with the top 4 finishers earning bonus points toward the season standings.

We typically play courses set up between 6,400 and 6,700 yards. Currently everyone plays from the same tee boxes, though we are considering allowing players a choice in the future.

Every event awards points based on your net finish. Points accumulate all season. The top 10 earners at season's end share the Desert Cup prize fund. The top 16 qualify for the Individual Match Play bracket, which runs across the final 5 events of the season starting August 2nd at We-Ko-Pa.

It's an optional season-long team competition run alongside the weekly stroke play events. Teams of two compete in match play format throughout the regular season, followed by a Wild Card round and Championship Series playoff.

We hold four major championships during the season — typically played at premium courses with bonus points on the line. The first three majors award 1.5× points; the season finale (4th major) awards double points. Majors are highlighted on the schedule and carry extra prestige within the tour.

Yes. All events are played under the Rules of Golf as published by the USGA, with a few local rules specific to our tour and the courses we play.

Yes. On desert courses we allow a point-of-entry drop with a one-stroke penalty. This keeps pace of play moving and is a common local rule for Arizona desert golf.

No. We do not use the optional fairway drop for out of bounds. Out of bounds must be played as stroke and distance — meaning you replay from the same spot and add a penalty stroke. We strongly encourage hitting a provisional ball any time you think you might be out of bounds to keep pace of play moving for everyone.

You are more than welcome to play. Players with a handicap index above 18 are capped at receiving 18 strokes for competition purposes. It's a great way to get competitive rounds in and work your index down.

Pace of play is important to us. We encourage provisionals on any shot that might be out of bounds or lost, and we ask all players to be ready to play when it's their turn. Groups are expected to keep up with the group ahead.

We use the Unknown Golf platform for all live scoring. Scores are entered during the round and are visible in real time on the leaderboard. You can follow along at the Unknown Golf clubhouse link even without a paid membership.

One player per group is designated as the scorekeeper and enters scores via the Unknown Golf app. If you don't have the app, you can still play — just make sure someone in your group does.