Desert Highlands re-opens after incredible and extensive restoration

The Scottsdale area is rocking and rolling once more.

Desert Highlands, the luxurious enclave in North Scottsdale, has announced its re-opening of its championship course following an almost $10M restoration.

Nicklaus Design Senior Designer Chad Goetz oversaw the project that included enhancements to several holes, reconstruction to greens, tees, and bunkers, desert de- and re-vegetation, plus restoration of the turf found on tees, fairways, and rough. Needless to say it is in immaculate condition.

Tees: Every teeing surface was enlarged to the fullest extent within the same footprint and re-sodded with new turf. Most tee boxes were also lowered, with the notable exception of those at No. 13, which were raised to help improve the visibility of the landing areas.

Fairways: The fairways were aggressively conditioned to remove organic matter, and the soil make-up was improved through top dressing and fairway fraise-mowing. The mounds lining the fairways were also reconditioned at a capable level based on the slopes.

Greens: Perhaps the largest part of the restoration project, all 18 putting surfaces on the golf course were shaped, sodded with 007 XL Creeping Bentgrass, and seeded. In addition, the greens’ cores (internal drainage components, gravel and engineered growing medium) were excavated and replaced, and the green elevations were reset and adjusted to the surrounding moguls and bowls. On average, each green was enlarged by about 500-600 square feet.

Bunkers: The bunker shapes and elevations were all reclaimed and reset appropriately. Rather than enlarging bunkers, many were actually reduced in size to reduce maintenance and enhance playability. Each bunker on the course was excavated, and the sub-surface drainage and erosion / contamination liners were replaced. In addition, the bunker floors were lined with Flexxscape, and Caltega bunker sand was used to fill each hazard. The look of the bunkers was also enhanced. Most of the bunkering was originally an extension of the desert landscape; now, those bunkers that touched the desert are enclosed with turf. This helped to create a more natural transition to the desert and ease maintenance.

Recently the club also modified its clubhouse and racquet club lounge. Given the views all around, it makes for an incredible time for golf and other activities.