Yuma Golf Courses & Tee Times

Who runs public golf in Yuma

Local government runs most of the public golf. Desert Hills and its par-3 course work under the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department, and both are open every day of the year. Desert Hills rewards summer regulars. Play 12 rounds between June 1 and September 30 and pay $20, and the Beat the Heat card gets you the next rate down all year plus 8-day advance booking. The Town of Wellton owns Coyote Wash, a daily-fee 18 that plays 4,775 to 6,089 yards and lets anyone 18 and under play free. It sells season passes for October through April 30. Wellton also runs Butterfield, an 18-hole par-3 course open to the public.

Public courses worth knowing in Yuma

• Desert Hills Golf Course: City of Yuma course, par 72 and about 6,800 yards. Former host of Ben Hogan Tour, Nike Tour and Sunbelt Senior Tour events; open every day of the year.
• Coyote Wash Golf Course: Town of Wellton daily-fee 18 on the east slopes of the Gila Mountains, 29 miles east of Yuma. Juniors 18 and under play free.
• Butterfield Golf Course: Town of Wellton course with 18 par-3 holes, open to the public, with a range and putting green.

Booking tee times in Yuma: the local rules

Desert Hills takes tee times by phone at (928) 373-5220, with the shop booking from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beat the Heat cardholders can book 8 days ahead. The first tee time is sunrise or 6 a.m., whichever is later. Coyote Wash books by phone up to 7 days ahead, according to its 2025-26 brochure. From January through March, Desert Hills sells a 10-play cart card for $650.

Why tee times in Yuma are hard to get

Golf in Yuma peaks in winter, when seasonal residents and visitors arrive. From roughly November through April, weekend mornings are the hardest times on the sheet to get, and even weekdays fill up.

Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.

When tee time cancellations happen

Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.

How to get a tee time in Yuma

Doing it by hand? Here's what works.

1. Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
2. Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
3. Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
4. Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.

Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked