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.
