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Few courses in the American Southwest carry the architectural pedigree of Desert Highlands. Jack Nicklaus designed the layout, which opened in 1983 and immediately set a new standard for desert golf — one that embraced the Sonoran landscape rather than fighting it. The course was among the first to pioneer the "desert style" that would come to define so much of Arizona's high-end private golf, letting native vegetation and rock come into play as genuine hazards rather than background decoration. It hosted the inaugural Skins Game in 1983, with Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Gary Player teeing it up in what became one of golf's most-watched made-for-television events.
Desert Highlands sits at the base of Pinnacle Peak in north Scottsdale, where the McDowell Sonoran Preserve begins to give way to boulder-studded hillsides and saguaro-dense terrain. The elevation changes are real, the desert carries are demanding, and the views across the valley are expansive.
As a private club, Desert Highlands rewards its members with one of the most distinctive and historically significant club experiences in a region that has no shortage of strong options. The course plays as a genuine test, but the sense of place is what stays with you.
| Tee | Yards | Rating | Slope | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicklaus · men | 7,105 | 73.7 | 149 | 72 |
| Highlands · men | 6,957 | 73.1 | 145 | 72 |
| Palmer · men | 6,737 | 72.1 | 142 | 72 |
| Member · men | 6,512 | 71.1 | 135 | 72 |
| Player(F) Palmer(B) · men | 6,509 | 70.9 | 136 | 72 |
| Player · men | 6,288 | 70.3 | 131 | 72 |
| Gentlemen · men | 5,981 | 68.9 | 127 | 72 |
| Back (W) · women | 5,797 | 74 | 141 | 72 |
| Watson · men | 5,772 | 67.8 | 125 | 72 |
| Back Combo · women | 5,565 | 72.2 | 136 | 72 |
| Red · men | 5,387 | 66 | 122 | 72 |
| Middle (W) · women | 5,387 | 71.5 | 130 | 72 |
| Front Combo · women | 5,214 | 70.4 | 127 | 72 |
| Forward (W) · women | 5,025 | 69.3 | 120 | 72 |
| Green · men | 5,008 | 64.2 | 119 | 72 |
| Short Course · men | 3,878 | 60.5 | 108 | 72 |
| Short Course · women | 3,878 | 63.1 | 110 | 72 |
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