The Buzz: Unlike modern developments, this club was created as the final piece, but still the centerpiece, of a charming community in the vibrant portion of a “modern wild-west city.” Designed by British-born Gordon Desmond Muirhead, who created both McCormick courses, it is a throwback by Arizona standards with routing and “feel” more reminiscent of other climes and topographies than you will experience on desert-target layouts.
McCormick Ranch Golf Club - Palms Course
Muirhead sculpted this course in 1972, combining stately palm trees, captivating views of Camelback Mountain, dazzling water hazards and beach-like bunkers to create a tropical setting in the heart of the desert. He wasn’t known as the “Mad Scientist” of golf design simply because of some of his unconventional creations. Muirfield actually played a mad scientist in a movie called The Bees, which was much more forgettable than his golf courses. Unlike the movie, the Palms Course has stood the test of time, albeit with a few tweaks.
Two decades after Muirhead fashioned the layout that was the rage of the Valley, it underwent a multi-million-dollar facelift that included restored bunkers, resurfaced greens, rebuilt bridges to traverse water features, the addition of rock archways and aesthetically enhanced transition areas. The clubhouse and pro shop also were updated and the final product was even more impressive than the original. The facilities serve both the Palms and Pine courses, but this one is the favorite of most golfers, because of its stunning visuals, creative layout and openness.
Use your head, choose your spots to gamble wisely and you’ll be pleased with the numbers on your scorecard. Try to overpower it, and you’ll be adding penalty strokes to the tally. The Palms, which has hosted a Canadian Tour event, features 10 holes with water in play and they are not exactly puddles. McCormick has three lakes that cover about 40 acres each and Muirhead used all of them very strategically.
That water is most prominent on the front nine with hazards lining holes 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9. The ninth, which is the signature hole of the entire complex, has been dubbed one of the best water holes in the world, and with good reason. The par 4 with a dogleg left plays at only 408 yards from the back tee, but length isn’t the issue. You play to an island fairway, and if you catch a drive flush and straight down the middle, it will run through the end of the fairway and into the water. The smart play is a fairway metal or long iron. You can go far right to avoid the water, but that will leave a long iron over two water hazards to a green guarded by water front, right and left. This is a wonderfully strategic and truly memorable golf hole, which typifies the instincts Muirhead displayed in his early designs.
Views of Camelback Mountain around this course and from the clubhouse are as good as any you can find in the Valley. Speaking of that clubhouse, junior golfers from the area come around at night to clean the facilities, alternating days of the week. In exchange, they receive playing privileges and learn the value of caring for their home course. Among the “kids” who have participated is upcoming LPGA Tour player Amanda Blumenherst. Golf director Mike Lindsey, who grew up in the Valley, created the junior program, takes pride in course facilities and places emphasis on customer service. Combine that with a pair of playable, scenic courses, and it’s obvious why McCormick Ranch remains a favorite of public golfers.
