Desert Forest Golf Club, Arizona
The Arizona golf scene does not become what it is without Desert Forest.
The genesis of desert golf in America can be traced to the early 1960s, when a nearly 70-year-old course architect named Robert Lawrence—affectionally called Red—made his way to Carefree, Arizona. Lawrence set on a quest to build the first purely desert golf course in the country. Thus, Desert Forest was conceived. Some argue it is in fact the oldest of its kind in the world, not just the United States.
Desert Forest Golf Club is regarded by many as a top-tier course in Arizona. GolfWeek ranks the track second in the state and 51st in the United States among courses built after 1960, ahead of noteworthy private giants like Quail Hollow, Valhalla, and Hazeltine National. Golf Digest slates the club in the seventh slot in the state. I was astounded by how easy it is to enter the property. There is no excluding gate, and other than a tiny marker on Mule Train Road there is no signage directing the guest. Desert Forest is but a simple clubhouse, serviceable putting green, standard short game facility, and a modest driving range. That’s it. This place is about one thing and one thing only: golf. According to their website, the course went through a renovation 10 years ago: “[We] added tee boxes, improved sightlines from tee boxes, brought Desert Forest’s greens up to modern standards and updated bunkering to provide additional strategic challenge and visual tie-ins to the surrounding desert.” Please excuse the club’s lack of the Oxford comma; the course more than makes up for it.
As part of a golf society, I was lucky enough to play Desert Forest in February 2023. Divided into two groups were six guests and two accommodating members who showed us the way. “It’s particularly tough your first time out,” my host explained, “Good luck around the greens.” Aside from our affable member, rounding out my foursome was a generous fellow from Nashville and an Arizona locale curious to see the fuss about Desert Forest.
First things first: the turf at Desert Forest was beyond superb. Every fairway was striped and manicured to perfection; I felt the need to beg for forgiveness every time my divot flew into the bright blue desert sky. The bentgrass greens have very subtle movements to them and are well conditioned. Desert Forest is the antithesis of new, tricked-out mock links courses across the United States. That’s not to say the Landmands, Sand Valleys, Bandon Dunes, and Whistling Straits of the world don’t have a place in American golf. They do. It’s just refreshing to see a club like Desert Forest that doesn’t feel the need to beat you over the head with crazy undulating greens, fairways, and fescue. “Fair” is a good word to describe this club. Incredibly difficult, yes, but fair. Every bad shot I hit, I deserved to be in danger. Nearly every great shot, I was rewarded for my effort.
There are so many good holes on the front nine, none better than the par five seventh. A classic example of a “bite off as much as you can chew” offering, this beauty offers a safe fairway to the left—ensuring it’ll be a three-shot journey to the green—and a sliver down the right side where a 275-yard carry is needed. If you can get it there, bombs away. As is the case with most of Desert Forest’s green complexes, seven is tough around the putting surface. The par three third is an attractive mid-iron into a green surrounded by penal sand traps. Aesthetically, three reminds me a lot of Southern Hills’ 11th hole for its bunkering. The renovation has been an astounding success. Nine is a straightforward par five; at 533 yards, it is the shortest on the scorecard. I was advised that laying up right is the smart choice if you don’t want to challenge the gargantuan bunker on the left. I heeded to the advice and carded my first birdie of the day, a six-footer on the back of the forward-sloping green.
On one of the trickier holes of the back nine, the par four 15th, my host—following a 300-yard bomb down the middle—holed out from 125 yards for an eagle. I hit my pitching wedge 25 feet over the flagstick and had an unlikely downhill look for birdie. Feeling left out of the under-par train for the hole, I stepped up and sank the longest putt of my day. The member and I engaged in a pathetic high five attempt. Desert Forest is a tough track, so take these victories while you can. The next hole, 16, is my favorite on the latter half of the course. Playing a gettable 535 yards from the tips, it is not without difficulty. A tree in the middle of the fairway greets most straight tee balls; luckily for a mediocre ball striker like me, it was February and there were no leaves. The 18th is a stellar finisher that encapsulates Desert Forest: wide fairways, high-risk-reward shots, and bunker contouring to make or break your hole. Again, incredibly difficult but fair. Word to the wise: stay out of the sand traps surrounding this hole.
As far as the scenery is concerned, the preserve to the west takes center stage. There are also views of the McDowell Mountains and faraway buttes, but Desert Forest is not entirely about vistas. I am a golfer who does not need a course to behold breathtaking views around every corner; I respect when golf is front and center. That being said, Desert Forest is very pretty in its own way: the striped fairways, the absence of cart paths (a really neat feature that gives the land a more natural look). To this day, the course is the most walkable I’ve ever come across in the state; the club is meant to enjoyed sans cart.
The term “player’s course” resonates perhaps more on Desert Forest than any other. While we were playing the front nine, I was informed that a current DP World Tour member was on the property. The Scottsdale area is a mecca for pros, but usually Whisper Rock or Silverleaf garner the most press in this regard. Don’t forget about Desert Forest. After all, desert golf does not exist the same without it.