pictured: Mirabel

From recently unveiled renovations and exciting enhancements to fresh programming and unique membership opportunities, here’s what's new at some of our favorite Valley golf clubs.

 

Distinctly You...Distinctively Troon Scottsdale’s Troon Country Club made the ultimate New Year’s resolution: to welcome its members to a new and improved club via its just-completed $7.5-million clubhouse expansion and renovation. The jaw-dropping renovation was completed by Douglas Fredrikson Architects of Phoenix (who is the original clubhouse architect!) and provides members with fresh and expanded club amenities, featuring new dining with extended alfresco eating opportunities, new meeting space, new overall décor and much more. In addition, the golf shop increased in size, and the club unveiled a casual dining destination, The Roost.

As Scottsdale's most idyllic place for a round of world-class golf, the ambience at Troon Country Club is enhanced by the meticulous condition of its Jay Morrish- and Tom Weiskopf- designed fairways (the stunning hole 15 is pictured). To complement its outstanding golf opportunities, one of the stars of the renovation is the 9,000-sq.-ft. wellness center, which features elite equipment from Life Fitness, Peloton, Cybex, Precor and more for its health-conscious members alongside a long list of fun fitness opportunities (like ELDOA, a Pilates studio, functional training zone and tennis clinics and mixers, to name a few). When not working up a sweat, members can indulge in time in a steam room, enrichment programs, wellness lectures and more.

Because experiencing the best that life has to offer is paramount to those at Troon Country Club, its dining and social lineup is chock-full of fun, meaningful experiences. Culinarians (or those who wish to be) will adore Cooking Up a Storm, while Nine and Wine caters to wine and golf enthusiasts. Country line dancing, cigar workshops, book clubs and succulent workshops are just a few of the other offerings, while Troon Country Club also has a lineup of entertainment and programs.

To Learn More: Nicole Niemann, Director of Sales & Marketing, 480.473.5093, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

 

The Rock Star The member-owned FireRock Country Club in Fountain Hills offers a luxurious, private club setting without the pretense. (And members don’t have to live within the community to be a part of the action, either.) Members have access to world-class practice facilities, an award-winning pro shop, formal and casual dining, a pool, four Har-Tru tennis courts and an active social calendar of events.

FireRock’s 18-hole Gary Panks-designed golf course offers incredibly memorable vistas, with Four Peaks set as the background to the northeast and Downtown Phoenix in view as you climb the elevated tee box. (Cameras are a must-have in every golf bag as, on a clear day, these views are among the most jaw-dropping in the Valley.)  Though not tricky, per say, the course offers a challenge to even the more experienced players.  

The club recently announced the completion of his fitness facility renovation. Updates included new flooring, the installation of individual A/V equipment on fitness machines, increased space, fresh paint, brighter lighting and, most importantly, an improved fitness environment for its members. FireRock offers a wide array of membership opportunities including golf, young executive, sport, social and dining. 

 

Raising the Bar With construction slated to commence in the summer, North Scottsdale’s The Country Club at DC Ranch has announced an $8.5-million expansion and update, setting the bar even higher for quality lifestyle experiences in the Valley. The highly anticipated expansion, which is broken into five components, will include a new 12,000-sq.-ft. fitness center, group exercise rooms, a golf fitness facility, a new resort-style pool, a casual indoor dining room, a poolside bar, a tween room, expanded playroom for kids, an expanded ladies’ lounge, a larger clubhouse kitchen and an enhanced golf practice area.  The Country Club at DC Ranch has partnered with the pros at PHX Architecture, Studio V and Greey Pickett and Wespac to see the renovation come to fruition. By application and approval, The Country Club will continue to offer Golf, Junior, Sports Social and Clubhouse memberships. 

To Learn More: Melanie Halpert, Director of Membership and Marketing, 480.342.7246, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

On the Calendar One of the most luxurious private clubs in North Scottsdale, Silverleaf Club is not only home to a Tom Weiskopf-designed, 18-hole championship golf course and a 50,000-sq.-ft. Rural Mediterranean-style clubhouse, but the club is brimming with unique programs and events for its members. From kids-only spa day (complete with plush robes and cucumber water) to musical guided meditation experiences, Silverleaf Club goes far beyond the occasional bingo night. 

 

Victorious The Victory Course at Verrado and its clubhouse, The Cliff House at The Victory Course, celebrated its grand opening in the fall. The Cliff House includes a well-equipped golf shop and an open-air dining facility with a beautiful White Tank Mountains backdrop. With the addition of the new course to the already-established Founders Course, Verrado Golf Club is now a 36-hole golf facility (Verrado Golf also added a Golf Playground to practice play). 

Photo credit: Mark Boisclair Photography

Primo PromoBlackstone Country Club at Vistancia has unveiled a new Equity Golf Membership Promotion. Those who build a new luxury home or developer-owned custom home site within Blackstone at Vistancia will receive a $5,000 credit toward an Equity Golf Membership at Blackstone Country Club.

 

Take It Like a Champ Grayhawk Golf Club and Arizona State University has announced that they will host the Division I NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championship for three years (2020 through 2022). It will be the first time ASU has hosted an NCAA Golf Championship since 1992. The 2020 championships are scheduled to be held from May 22 to 27 (women) and May 29 to June 3 (men). In 2021, women's play will take place from May 21 to 26, while the men's championships will be decided May 28 through June 2. In 2022, women's championships will be held from May 20 to 25, while the men's championships will take place May 27 to June 1. This significant honor is the latest among an ever-growing list of high-profile events held at the Scottsdale club as it just hosted the PGA Jr. League Championship in the fall.

Photo credit: Traci Edwards/PGA of America

Fitness at its Finest The Sonoran Spa and Fitness Center at North Scottsdale’s Desert Mountain has completed its highly anticipated $12-million expansion and renovation. The center now has more than 42,000 square feet and 10 acres in which members can enjoy additional exercise rooms for innovative fitness programing, a youth activities center, expanded food service and additions to its spa, salon and massage areas. Plus, the sports complex includes pickleball (see sidebar), croquet and bocce ball courts.

On ‘CueMirabel Golf Club recently underwent a course update and enhancement of the amenities around the course, elevating the already-first-class club. The new Billy Bunker system in all sand bunkers allowed for relining and irrigation to be installed for more efficient maintenance of the traps, while the practice facilities now include a large putting area, a short game area and a state-of-the-art sound system. Plus, the new BBQ Station off of the 10th green is home to Mirabel’s on-course chef who prepares fresh snacks for members and their guests gratis, in addition to the two complimentary Comfort Stations. The fitness facility is also brand new, with fresh equipment to allow members to work up a sweat, and the new Members’ Shop is complete with merchandise displays for a more efficient flow of the main member hub.

 

Tonto Treasure The Verde River Golf & Social Club at Trilogy at Verde River, near Tonto National Forest, opened its doors in January, offering a range of amenities to its members—from a culinary studio and private dining to a full-service spa and fitness studios. (The resort and lap pools, Eddy’s poolside dining, The Outfitter and Sports Pavilion opened in the fall.) In October, golf fans were thrilled by the relaunch of the 18-hole Verde River Golf, which is open to members and daily-free play. 

Let Us Entertain You The Wickenburg Ranch Golf & Social ClubWickenburg Ranch Golf & Social Club, the resort lifestyle component at Wickenburg Ranch, is now managed by Troon, which now oversees more than 250 private, resort and daily-fee clubs in 35 states and 30 countries. The club has recently debuted a new lunch and dinner menu at the signature restaurant, Jake’s Spoon; introduced new daytime poolside service; created a wine locker program with monthly vineyard dinners; and expanded retail offerings at the Sports Shop. Golfers can tee up at either Big Wick, a 7,059-yard, par-71 course, or Li’l Wick, a one-of-a-kind par-3 that fuses golf with entertainment (think cornhole and classic rock). (The public should always contact the club for details prior to visiting, as hours and access changes to accommodate member use.) 

Music to Our Ears From 18 holes of golf to two of the far East Valley’s top spas, Alvea Spa and The Algarve, Encanterra, a Trilogy Resort Community, is brimming with activity for its members. A packed social calendar is one of the draws of calling Encanterra home as its hosts outdoor music fests, golf championships and much more each year. The annual Good Life Festival at Encanterra has become a highly anticipated yearly event that welcomes 5,500-plus music lovers and has hosted the likes of Heart and Lynyrd Skynyrd in previous years. Just announced: the 2018 festival headliners will be Joan Jett and The Blackhearts with Cheap Trick on March 3 and Jake Owen on April 28. (Tickets are on sale at thegoodlifefest.com.)

What’s the Dill?

Pickleball, a paddle game that is considered easy for beginnings, is popping up alongside many Valley golf courses. Here are a few to check out next time you’re up to make a racquet.

• Sister properties Verde River Golf & Social Club, Wickenburg Ranch, a Trilogy Resort Community, and Encanterra, a Trilogy Resort Community, are homes to sports pavilions with new pickleball courts. The four courts at Verde River and six courts at Wickenburg Ranch are lit for night play while some Encanterra’s eight courts feature stadiumlike seating.
• The folks at FireRock Country just revealed a new pickleball court, even hosting an event in the fall with a tremendous outpouring of participation and garnering excitement from its members.
• The City of Scottsdale and the Grayhawk community partnered to convert existing basketball courts to pickleball courts last year at nearby Thompson Peak Park when land within the community wasn’t available.
• The Sonoran Spa and Fitness Center’s remodel at Desert Mountain (pictured) now includes six new pickleball courts to serve growing demand for the popular sport.