The Birth of Desert Golf Fever
In 1983, the Skins Game’s debut at Desert Highlands—featuring Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, and Watson—put Scottsdale desert golf on the world stage, launching an entire genre of target-style layouts across the Southwest.
Golf Course Review & Scouting Report
Desert Highlands Golf Club
Scottsdale, Arizona
Renovated 2025Established
1983
Architect
Jack Nicklaus (Original), Nicklaus Design (2025 Restoration, Chad Goetz)
Access
Private
Par
Par 72
Length
5,390 – 7,066 yds
Recent Renovation
This course recently completed a major renovation. During this transition, course data may reflect a mix of pre- and post-renovation yardages, hole configurations, or routing. The Caddie Report monitors these changes and periodically reassesses the course as a reliable new baseline is established.
The verdict
Scottsdale’s Desert Golf Pioneer
Desert Highlands is where Arizona’s modern desert golf era was born, fusing dramatic Sonoran scenery with an iconic Nicklaus layout at Pinnacle Peak’s base. The 2025 Nicklaus Design restoration revived not just the course’s brilliance, but its spirit—delivering lightning-fast greens, true risk-reward shotmaking, and a private club feel where every hole has a story.
Course DNA
Difficulty
86
Scenery92
Conditioning95
Shot Variety79
Walkability60
Green Complexity87
Wow Factor82
Design Quality83
At a glance
Quick facts
Elevation
Nearly 2,600 feet above sea level
Setting
Base of iconic Pinnacle Peak in the Sonoran Desert
Notable Event
Hosted the first two televised Skins Games, 1983-84
Recent Recognition
Named a top modern private restoration in 2025
Signature Amenity
Famed mountain-top roundhouse clubhouse
Course Regrassing
Full greens, tees, and fairways regrassed in 2025
Grass Types
Bent grass greens, Bermuda fairways
Ownership
Private member-owned club
The design
The architecture
Desert Highlands captures the heart of dramatic desert golf, weaving through the Sonoran foothills in a style that set the template for modern Scottsdale championship experiences. Jack Nicklaus masterfully routed the course with strategic angles, bold green sites, and panoramic views of Pinnacle Peak, amplifying both beauty and tension with each swing. The 2025 Nicklaus Design restoration honed this spirit—revitalizing fairway corridors, fully rebuilding greens, restoring bunkers, and blending de- and re-vegetation to improve both playability and sustainability. The result is a classic risk-reward layout with demanding shot placement, punishing native surrounds, and lightning-fast, multi-tiered greens where approach angles and miss management separate the good from the great.
Desert Highlands is pure Nicklaus—aesthetically powerful, strategically layered, and modernized for the next generation by Nicklaus Design and Chad Goetz’s 2025 restoration.
Defining features
- True desert target golf—lush fairways bordered by natural Sonoran vegetation
- Signature Nicklaus wide-to-narrow landing areas testing precision over brawn
- Elevated, rebuilt greens—fast, bold, require approaching from the correct angles
- Restored bunkers and native areas shape forced carries and strategy
- Distinctive split-fairway and risk-reward par 4s provide decision points
- Iconic mountain-top roundhouse clubhouse anchors the routing and arrival
Hole by hole
Signature holes
Hole 2
The Bold Opening Gamble
PAR
5
YARDAGE
580
The early power par 5 asks players to weigh control versus ambition: a generous opening but with desert always lurking beyond the safe zone. Its length entices a bold attack, but prudent play down the left sets up the best angle for reaching in three.
Play it smart
Lay up short of trouble for the best approach, or drive deep and flirt with the desert for eagle chance.
Where it bites
Stray left or right off the tee and approach, and you risk desert penalty and a scramble just to save par.
Course management
Shots to think about
Approaching from the desert rough
Take your medicine—punch back to safety rather than gambling for heroic recovery.
15-30 mph desert wind gusts
Club up on exposed holes and don’t fight the crosswind—use it for shot-shaping into greens.
Tricky pin on a multi-tiered green
Aim for the heart of green, not the tucked edge. Two-putt and take your par.
Split-fairway decisions (No. 13)
Choose the wider, safer side unless you’re swinging confidently and need to chase a number.
Long par 3 (No. 16) late in the round
Stay below the hole—bogey is no disgrace, so avoid jail left or long.
Club selection off short par 4 tee
Position beats power—leave yourself a full swing and best approach angle even on shorter holes.
Final approach on 18
Favor the left side for a safer pitch and avoid missing in the desert right—easy to compound mistakes when chasing a closing birdie.
On the day
What to expect
Conditions
Immaculate fairways and some of Arizona’s quickest, most pristine bent-grass greens, rebuilt and refined in 2025. Expect fast, true putting and impressively manicured surrounds year-round.
Pace
Private-club pace—steady, relaxed, and unhurried thanks to membership access and careful tee time spacing.
Vibe
Upscale private atmosphere, understated luxury, and storied with Skins Game nostalgia. Calm service and a strong sense of occasion define the entire experience.
Dress code
Traditional private-club standard: collared shirts, tailored shorts or pants, soft spikes.
Before you tee off
Your game plan
01
Sharpen Your Short Game
Work on tight-lie chipping and fast, breaking putts—precision around desert greens is non-negotiable for scoring.
02
Master Target-Golf Tee Shots
Rehearse positioning drives to tight corridors and forced desert carries—accuracy counts far more than length on this test.
03
Hydrate and Acclimate Early
Desert elevation and dry heat mean water, sunblock, and relaxed pacing are crucial for peak performance over 18.
04
Study the Green Complexes
Familiarize yourself with double-tiers and major breaks—approaching the wrong section is a recipe for three-putts.
The lore
How it came to be
- 1983
Desert Highlands opens as Jack Nicklaus’s first solo Arizona design and a new standard-bearer for desert golf.
- 1983
Hosts the inaugural, nationally televised PGA Skins Game starring Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, and Watson.
- 1984
Hosts the second Skins Game, solidifying its place in golf pop culture.
- 1991
Hosts the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, won by Sarah LeBrun Ingram.
- 2019
Completes $7 million renovation restoring bunkers and the original vision for No. 13.
- 2025
Major Nicklaus Design restoration modernizes playing surfaces, bunkers, and course strategy; reopens in November.
- 2025
Recognized among the top modern private restorations in America.
Stories & legends
What makes it special
Nicklaus’s Vision, Reborn
When the 2025 restoration was unveiled, club leaders and Nicklaus Design described it as a return to Jack’s founding intent: bold corridors, strategic landing areas, and breathtaking green sites that seem to float above the desert.
Mountain-Top Clubhouse Mystique
Desert Highlands’ unique roundhouse clubhouse perched high above the course is a Scottsdale icon—offering panoramic views and a commanding sense of arrival found nowhere else in Arizona.
From Barren Land to Living Legend
Transforming raw desert foothills into a playable, world-class landscape, the course’s creation marked the beginning of a private club community model that soon spread across the Valley.
For the group chat
Fun facts
1
Desert Highlands hosted the first two legendary Skins Games, launching a made-for-TV golf era.
2
Its round, mountain-top clubhouse is one of Arizona’s most photographed golf landmarks.
3
The 2025 restoration prioritized native desert sustainability and won major industry acclaim.
4
Desert Highlands was Jack Nicklaus’s first solo Arizona design project.
5
The course’s elevation and cool desert air provide both challenge and year-round playability.
Build the trip
If you’re making a Scottsdale golf trip out of it
CourseAccessWhy it's on the listTrip
Troon North Golf Club (Monument & Pinnacle)
Public/Resort Guest
Scottsdale’s best-known public-access desert golf, with creative routings and stunning geology.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (Saguaro & Cholla)
Public
Unmatched pure desert golf—no homes, wide vistas, challenging but welcoming to all skill levels.
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course)
Public/Resort Guest
Home of the WM Phoenix Open, experience a tour-caliber test and the iconic 16th.
Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor & Talon)
Public
Elite daily-fee designs, great conditions, easily accessible for visitors.
The Boulders Golf Club
Resort
Stunning rock formations and classic Arizona scenery meet laid-back luxury.
North Scottsdale—easy access to Desert Highlands, Troon North, and We-Ko-Pa, with top hotels and dining in Kierland/Scottsdale Quarter.
Course DNA
If You Like Desert Highlands Golf Club
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Strong DNA Match8.6
The Estancia Club
Scottsdale, ArizonaConditioning
Why it matches: The Estancia Club is a natural next stop after Desert Highlands Golf Club: it offers similarly polished playing surfaces.
Strong DNA Match8.2
Pronghorn Club at Juniper Preserve (Nicklaus Course)
Bend, OregonConditioning
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Pronghorn Club at Juniper Preserve (Nicklaus Course) offers similarly polished playing surfaces, making it a compelling counterpart to Desert Highlands Golf Club.
Strong DNA Match8.5
Black Desert Resort
Ivins, UtahScenery
Why it matches: Black Desert Resort is a natural next stop after Desert Highlands Golf Club: it shares a memorable sense of place.
Community Sentiment
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