Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: To many locals, Paradise Valley Country Club represents the ultimate country club experience in the Scottsdale – Phoenix locale. Located in the affluent Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley, PV Country Club, as it’s referred to by locals, has long has attracted the state’s rich and famous.
The club’s exacting membership requirements produce a long waiting list of prospective members, a very rare situation these days in the country club world. One former director of golf at the club probably described it best many years ago when he said, “It’s a bit of a contradiction; being so low-key and high-profile, all in the same breath.”
To a large degree, the club tends to its own business, but has hosted several state championship events, including the Arizona Amateur, whose champions include long-time PGA tour pro Tom Purtzer.
The club was formed in 1953 and Lawrence Hughes did the honors as course architect, with input from former tour pro Johnny Bulla, who remains an Arizona golf legend, and Keith Foster, whose specialty was bunkering.
The layout has undergone two renovations over the years under the direction of Geoffrey Cornish and Gary Panks, and course conditions are always immaculate. In the case of Paradise Valley Country Club, immaculate means manicuring the golf course with scissors – that statement is eye-witness testimony. The setting is picturesque with the 180-acre club surrounded by Camelback Mountain, Mummy Mountain and Marshmallow Hill.
Water isn’t a prominent factor on the course, but it isn’t needed on this layout featuring elevated greens, gently rolling fairways and strategic bunkering. The premium is placed on accuracy over length here. Four sets of tees are provided at Paradise Valley CC, stretching to 6,819 yards, with a rating of 72.8 and slope of 133 from the tips. The front tees play at 5,546 yards. The strength of the course is the par-3 holes, highlighted by the 12th, which plays at 191 yards to a postage-stamp size green.
The par-5s serve up enticing birdie opportunities, with the longest playing at 529 yards, but those birds can be quite elusive when it comes to capturing one on your card. The 15th, which plays at just 517 yards and downhill, might be the toughest to bag due to its distracting beauty, resting just below the metro-area’s distinctive landmark Camelback Mountain. The par-4s are difficult and dramatic, particularly at the picturesque three-hole stretch which finishes the front-9.
As you might guess, amenities at this club are elegant and extensive, including formal and casual dining, a cocktail lounge, hair salon, barber, swimming pool, grand ballroom, car wash and detailing service, tennis courts and fitness center. Golf and social memberships are offered and prospective members must be sponsored by existing members.
Paradise Valley rests comfortable atop the ladder of traditional country club experiences, and if you’re fortunate enough to land an invitation, graciously accept – then show up, shut up and keep up. You’ll be glad you did.
Arizona Golf Authority AZGA “Local Hang” for Paradise Valley Country Club includes Z’Tejas, located just north of the club on the northeast corner of Tatum Boulevard and Shea Boulevard, and Ernie’s Inn, located in the retail center on the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard.
Read the Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz for every golf course in the State of Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/ ; it’s the complete Arizona golf course directory.