Spend enough time out at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, and sooner or later, you’ll catch a glimpse of one.
Loping silently across a fairway. Paused in the shade behind a palo verde. Ears alert. Eyes sharp. A coyote, curious as ever, surveying the scene like it already knows what you’re about to do next.
This is no ordinary course mascot. On the lands of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the coyote is more than just wildlife – it’s myth, symbol, and storyteller all in one. Across Yavapai and other Indigenous traditions of the Southwest, the coyote holds a complex role: mischievous trickster, unpredictable teacher, cosmic counterweight. Sometimes foolish. Sometimes wise. Always watching.
And yes – sometimes interested in your hot dog.
Guests at We-Ko-Pa have been known to encounter these noble opportunists, especially near the turn. Like any creature with a sharp nose and sharper instincts, a coyote knows where the good snacks are. One whiff of that grilled brat you left unguarded on the patio table, and suddenly there’s a new foursome in town.
It’s tempting to treat these sightings like a photo op – or worse, an invitation to get closer. Don’t. For the love of all things sacred and sanitary, do not feed, approach, or try to pet the coyote. It’s not a Disney character. It’s not a rescue dog. It’s a wild animal. A clever, calculating, fiercely independent one at that.
And in its own way, part of what makes We-Ko-Pa such a rare golf experience.
Unlike resort courses hemmed in by houses, highways, and noise, We-Ko-Pa sits on open, sovereign desert. The kind of land where nature still gets a say in the rhythm of things. Where the game unfolds against a backdrop of rock, sun, wind – and occasionally, padded paws on crushed granite.
So the next time a coyote appears near the green or lingers in the arroyo just off 10 tee, see it for what it is: a reminder. Of where you are. Of the land on which you’re standing. And of how the oldest stories still roam, wild and unscripted, just like the animal itself.
Let the coyote be.
And for your own sake – guard the hot dog.
