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A departure from the traditional target-golf desert designs our region is famous for, Encanterra’s 140 acres of turf are reminiscent of the parklands-style courses found in the Midwest.

“I think we have always wanted to be unique and be different,” says Chris Brands, co-designer for the Lehman Design Group. “To establish a draw for the rest of the country to be able to come down here and to be able to sell the point that there is a lot of grass down here,” Brands says, “I think that’s a big deal—the fact that this is imminently playable, that you can hit a decent shot and find your golf ball most of the day, and play it.”

Being able to recover from a poor shot or poor shot selection is the key to enjoyment, Brands says.

“Instead of being in the desert where you can’t find the ball or being in a lake where you can’t find it, that kind of ends that hole and you’re done. So this allows people to play golf, I think, the way we like to see it played: on the ground, shot by shot, without all the hazards. So we are into, I think, a more subtle approach to designing golf courses.”