Category: Scottsdale

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Central Arizona Scottsdale

Desert Mountain – Apache Course

The Buzz: Now here’s a challenge for you: Try playing a hole with a “disappearing green.” That’s what you’ll see, or perhaps not see, when you tee it up at Apache. Of the five original courses Jack Nicklaus designed (another was added off-site years later) this one is the most traditional and considered by many to be the most player-friendly. Unlike the desert style of the others, there are more opportunities here to run shots up to greens, but that doesn’t necessarily make Apache a pushover. It features gently rolling fairways, ample green complexes with deceptive slopes and subtle, grassy catch areas.

Built in the Scottish tradition in which the entire putting surface isn’t visible, Apache provides a challenge for all skill levels and can stretch as long as 7,211 yards with a rating of 73.8 and slope of 135. Elevation changes keep things interesting and members say it will test your ability to play uphill and downhill shots.

The front nine starts downhill, then climbs, and the back nine has a more rambling feel with significant elevation changes. Memorable holes include the third, a 150-yard par 3 with some of the best views of the Valley of the Sun you can imagine. The back nine features three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s, highlighted by the 17th and 18th holes. No. 17 is a blind par 3 at 226 yards that plays uphill and No. 18 is a 551-yard par 5 with two separate greens. One is easily reached with a well-struck approach and the other has an appetite for golf balls and overly aggressive golfers. Apache’s clubhouse is one of the newer ones at Desert Mountain and is highlighted by fireplaces throughout and a large patio with excellent views of the nearby Apache Peak.

Desert Mountain Complex: This private club, which opened in 1986, is the only one of its kind in the country to feature six courses and the only one in the world to feature six Jack Nicklaus signature courses. It has been recognized by the Robb Report as “Best Golf Community” in the country and has been referred to as the “Pinehurst of the West.” Nicklaus called it, “One of the highlights of my career as a golf course designer. I believe it will always be recognized as one of the greatest golf clubs in the world.” In January of 2011 it officially became a member-owned club, and play on its golf courses is restricted to members and their guests. Desert Mountain also sells social memberships, which include privileges to its other facilities, such as restaurants, fitness centers, swimming pools, spas and tennis courts. Due to a sagging economy, golf membership fees dropped dramatically in 2011 to $140,000 from a one-time peak of $325,000. The property sets among the McDowell and Continental Mountains, skirting the 2.9-million-acre Tonto National Forest. Homes are spread among 32 separate, double-gated villages, with prices ranging from $500,000 to $5 million.

To read our take on the other Desert Mountain courses, click on the links below:

Link to Cochise

Link to Geronimo

Link to Renegade

Link to Chiricahua

Link to Outlaw

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Central Arizona Scottsdale

Desert Highlands Golf Club

Desert Highlands - 350-yard Par-4 1st Tee

Desert Highlands - 350-yard Par-4 1st Tee

The Buzz: If you’ve ever wondered where desert golf began, look no further. It happened right here in north Scottsdale at this private club, where developer Lyle Anderson hired Jack Nicklaus to design the Golden Bear’s first signature course, launching a building boom that turned the Phoenix area into a golf Mecca.

Anderson had the vision and Nicklaus the creative instincts, along with a couple formidable assistants in Jay Morrish and Bob Cupp, who went on to become formidable architects in their own right. What emerged was a new type of course design that was environmentally friendly by preserving much of the native desert land and using far less water than traditional courses require. It made for more rugged transition areas, but the concept flourished like wildflowers.

That, of course, had a lot to do with the quality of the design, but also with the course hosting the first-ever Skins Game in 1983 with a made-for-TV exhibition that featured Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson, who happened to be the top four players in the world.

The event, which was the brainchild of legendary TV producer Don Ohlmeyer, drew millions of viewers around the world, and for many of those fans it was the first look at desert golf and the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. On the 25-year anniversary of that event, Desert Highlands dedicated a bronze plaque with the likenesses of all four men in what amounts to its own Mount Rushmore of golf.

Along with the native desert flora and fauna, Highlands is defined by its true but severely undulating greens, often-deep bunkers, and superb conditioning. It’s little wonder that this place has a list of awards as long as Nicklaus’ victories, including being named one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Courses” since 1984 by Golf Digest.

There are seven sets of tees on the par-72 layout, ranging from 5,008 to 7,066 yards. The course has five par-3 holes and five par 5s, with a rating of 73.8 and slope of 149 from the back tees. Highlands doesn’t have a weak golf hole, but each nine has a stretch of standouts.

On the front, Nos. 5-8 are a wonderful and tenacious mixture of split fairways, multi-tiered greens, massive bunkers and grassy hollows. The eighth, a 444-yard par 4, plays uphill and offers two routes to the green, which is guarded front and left by deep natural hazards.

On the back, every hole from 13 to the clubhouse is a treat. No. 14 is the signature hole, a dramatic dogleg left par 4 at 418 yards with a fairway that narrows to a terraced green, and plays straight at Pinnacle Peak, which provides a stunning backdrop. Up next is a pair of memorable par 3s at 146 and 242 yards, with the 16th providing the course’s most beautiful view of the Valley of the Sun.

Highlands also has what is billed as the first 18-hole putting course in America, which Nicklaus patterned after the one at St. Andrews, the home of golf in Scotland. It covers 60,000 square feet and plays to par 41. The golf alone is a fulfilling experience, but Highland members enjoy many more features and amenities, including a clubhouse regarded as one of the best in the world.

The club also boasts one of the Valley’s top chefs and fine cuisine at The Ventana Room. There is casual dining available at The Grille and the Highlands bar is a great place to relax on a patio and take in the surrounding desert vistas. Members assumed ownership of the club in 1994 and, with 560 home sites across 850 acres, Highlands has maintained a sterling reputation for luxury desert living. Landing an invitation to play here is a challenge, but well worth whatever it takes to do so.

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Central Arizona Scottsdale

The Country Club at DC Ranch

The Buzz: Course design and membership have changed dramatically since this private club opened in Scottsdale in 1997 but the evolution hasn’t done anything to diminish the reputation of The Country Club at DC Ranch as one of the best private clubs in the golf-rich Phoenix area. Originally created by Scott Miller, who also designed some of Arizona’s top public courses, it underwent a re-design by Tom Lehman and John Fought in 2002 with a primary goal of making it more player-friendly.

The focus of the $2 million project was changing greens and bunkers in a way that would make green complexes more appealing to low handicappers but make the hazards less penal to high handicappers. The result was greens that were about 30 percent smaller but offered more pin placements and bunkers that had less sand but came into play more.

“What we did was re-strategize the course through the greens and bunkers,” said Lehman, who also lives on the course and does most of his practicing here. “John and I are fans of the traditional aspects of golf course design. Now, we have the low handicappers thinking more about their shots and the high-handicappers enjoying the game a little more, because the course is not quite as penal. That’s really what it’s all about.”

The course sets near the base of the McDowell Mountains, offering wonderful views of the Valley of the Sun from several holes and taking advantage of dramatic elevation changes. There are four sets of tees on the par-71 layout at 6,890, 6,398, 5,929 and 5,114 yards, with a rating of 73 and slope of 135 from the tips.

The back nine climbs dramatically into the mountains with the most memorable stretch being holes 12-14. No. 12 is a classic risk-reward par 4 that is just 273 yards from the back tees but plays straight uphill to a green encompassed by desert and bunkers. The 13th, billed as the signature hole, plays at 128 yards and offers a glamour tee shot over a ravine with awesome views within a steep mountain canyon. The memorable trio is capped by a 447-yard par 4 with a drop of 150 feet to the green below.

Members assumed ownership of this course late in 2009, and soon made three significant changes: It offered memberships to non-residents, cut initiation fees by about 40 percent (putting them at $75,000) and introduced innovative market-based pricing. That allows members to set the selling price of their own membership, which means it is determined by what a member is willing to sell for and what a buyer is willing to pay. Along with golf, social and clubhouse memberships also are available.

The course is part of the master-planned DC Ranch community, which includes shopping, boutiques and nightlife. The club also features six tennis courts, a state-of-the-art fitness facility and recreational pool. At the center of it all, a 35,000-square foot hacienda-style clubhouse offers an active grill and bar and plays host to weekly member events from happy hours and wine dinners to brunches and fashion shows.

Dick Hyland, who was the longtime golf director at famed Desert Mountain, now serves in that role at The Country Club at DC Ranch. Former PGA Tour pro Danny Edwards is director of instruction and former ATP tour coach Craig Purcell heads up the tennis staff. It’s an excellent golf experience, but taken as a whole, this entire community all about living in style and enjoying world-class facilities and amenities.

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Central Arizona Scottsdale

Coronado Golf Course

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Maybe you didn’t think there was any golf on the cheap in this high-rent district, but that’s what you get at Coronado Golf Course, which bills itself as “Scottsdale’s oldest and most affordable golf.”

The 9-hole course, which opened in 1966, might be the Chicago Cubs of Arizona golf – an ugly duckling that comes up short in many ways and yet remains beloved by public golfers to the point they fought tooth-and-nail to save it from bulldozers twice in recent years.

Coronado is an unpretentious, no-frills golf experience, devoid of the amenities and carpet-like conditions you will find at the area’s upscale resort courses. Don’t expect to see any signs that say “Proper golf attire required” or holes back-dropped by beautiful man-made waterfalls.

Do expect to find some bare spots and green fees as low as 10-bucks during certain times of the year. Milt Coggins, who played a big role in shaping Arizona golf, designed this course, which was later renovated by professional designers Greg Nash and Jeff Hardin.

Coronado golf course has just one set of tees at 1,850 yards and plays to par 31 with a rating of 28.4 and slope of 75. Relatively flat and wide open, the test is comprised of four par-4 holes and five par 3s, which range from 111 to 160 yards; the longest hole on the course is the par-4 third at 362 yards.

All told, this layout translates to plenty of birdie opportunities but you must pass the “less than perfect” test to bag them. While there is ample room to hit your drives, finding your tee shot resting on a good lie isn’t routine here, so treat the situation as good practice for hitting shots from less-than-ideal conditions; it’s a skill that will sharpen your game.

Perhaps the best feature at Coronado is their popular night-lighted driving range; a putting green, practice chipping area and a snack bar round out the facilities.

Although much of Coronado’s original luster is gone, it remains a diamond in the rough to its loyal customers; a gem worth fighting for.

Back in 2004, government wonks at the City of Scottsdale proposed building a new spring training stadium for the San Francisco Giants on the golf course site and the local citizens “pitched a fit”. The proposal ultimately died when Mr. Henry Galbraith, the gentleman who originally donated the land in 1979, quietly pointed out the deed restriction on his gift stating the property must be used as a “golf course or public park” for at least 45 years. Thank you, Mr. Galbraith, again.

A later attempt to convert the golf course into a park met with another groundswell of objection from the public that killed the proposal. Coronado remains a modestly charming facility that features a pleasant golf course you can play in less than two hours. And if recent history is any indication, the deep affection its players harbor for this course located near the heart of downtown Scottsdale is not to be trifled with.

Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

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Central Arizona Scottsdale

Continental Golf Course

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: If you think there is no affordable golf in Scottsdale, then you probably haven’t discovered this place. OK, admittedly Continental Golf Club doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Scottsdale’s private clubs and high-end resorts, but if all you want is basic golf that you can play in about three hours with good conditions, a friendly atmosphere and green fees that won’t flatten your wallet, Continental is a sure fit.

Continental, which opened in 1978, is an 18-hole executive course that was designed by Greg Nash and Jeff Hardin, whose work is well known around the State. It features a traditional design and plays to par 60 with a combination of six par-4 holes and 12 par 3s – the 3-shotters range from 113 to 182 yards.

Continental provides two sets of tee boxes with the longest at 3,766 yards, a rating of 58.4 and slope of 85. Forward tees are set at 3,374 yards with a rating of 59.7 and slope of 83.

Water comes into play on four holes, including a tee shot over a pond on the fifth hole, a 141-yard par 3. The highlights of the round occur at the last three holes, where a larger lake comes into play. The 16th, which is the No. 3 handicap hole, is a 329-yard par 4 with water guarding the green.

Next up is a 156-yard par 3, and at the 18th, you finish on the No. 1 handicapper, a 340-yard par 4 with the lake wrapping around the front and right side of the green.

Continental is known for providing a variety of programs, including night golf with glow balls and a player development program that offers discounted prices. It is managed by Eagle Golf and is part of its frequent-player rewards program.

Continental has a driving range, practice bunker and putting green and is home of the Urry Golf Academy headed by Susie Urry. There is no restaurant, but Continental has a snack bar and food service to fuel you during and after the round.

If you’re looking for complete food and beverage options – not a problem, it’s located just down the street from Old Town Scottsdale which is full of places to wine, dine and relax.

Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.