Stripe Show: Affordable Mesa golf course to close in July

Mesa golf club to close in months

Stripe Show Golf Club in Mesa is closing on July 31. The affordable 9-hole course was a favorite for families and beginners, and golfers are reacting to news of the closure. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen reports.

MESA, Ariz. - A Mesa 9-hole golf course is about to close for good.

"There's something about bringing a kid, and he can be a kid and not feel like he's in the way or causing issues, and that's where we've found a nice niche in the market," said Justin Spray.

The backstory:

Spray took over the Stripe Show Golf Club with his partner in 2019 with the hope of growing the game, especially for kids.

"It's an expensive game," Spray said. "It costs a lot of money to enter, and it costs a lot of money to play, and for golf, that's going to run into an issue," Spray said.

While no one would confuse this place with Augusta National or Pebble Beach, that's kind of the whole point: everyone at the soon-to-close golf club feels welcome, and it's that that makes this place stand out. People age 5 and under play free. Kids are $7. Adults just $14.

"We're definitely the cheapest in town," Spray said.

"I could actually afford it being a senior on fixed income," Pam Bliss said.

"Families, you see all kinds of people out here that you'd see less of on a big course and I think it's great people not as comfortable doing that can come here and play," Asa Barnes said.

But now, their lease is up, and they've been told to leave, ending yet another affordable golf course.

Local perspective:

Shalimar in Tempe closed in 2025 for a housing development project, and it's unclear what the future holds for the land after Stripe Show leaves.

"We brought a lot of people over from Shalimar, and now it's like ‘where can I go?’" Spray said.

"It'll be a bummer, you know. I felt Shalimar closing, and I'm sure I'll feel this as well," Barnes said.

"What are you going to do when this place closes? That's the question," Jacob Hill said.

What's next:

The final day of golf at Stripe Show is July 31. Meanwhile, Stripe Show will move to the digital world, promoting their mobile golf simulator that people can rent for events.