Ever wonder how a sun-baked desert became one of the world’s top spots for golf? It wasn’t by accident. Arizona’s journey to becoming a golf mecca is a story of vision, ambition, and some serious ingenuity, stretching back over a century.
Picture this: it’s the early 1900s, and you want to play golf in Arizona. Forget lush fairways. You’d be playing on “skin” courses, which were basically stretches of desert dirt sprayed with oil to keep the dust down. The “greens” weren’t green at all—they were patches of oiled sand that players had to smooth out themselves before putting. The Arizona Country Club, which started as the Ingleside Golf Resort in 1909, was one of these early, rugged courses.
The real game-changer came in 1913. A visionary named Dr. Alexander J. Chandler decided to build a resort, the San Marcos, in the town he named after himself. His big idea? To include Arizona’s very first grass golf course. This wasn’t just about the game; it was a strategic move to attract the rich and famous to his new community. He set the template for Arizona’s future: use golf as a magnet for tourism and real estate.
After World War II, the concept exploded, thanks to developers like Del Webb. He wasn’t just selling houses in his new community, Sun City; he was selling a dream of active retirement. When the Sun City Country Club opened in 1967, it cemented the idea that golf could be the heart and soul of a community. People didn’t just visit Arizona to play golf anymore—they moved there for it.
The 1980s took things to a whole new level. Developer Lyle Anderson teamed up with the legendary Jack Nicklaus to create Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, a luxury golf community. To put it on the map, Nicklaus made a deal: he’d play in the first-ever PGA Skins Game in 1983, but only if it was held at his new, untested course.
The event, featuring golf’s biggest stars, was televised worldwide and acted as a massive commercial for Scottsdale. It was a smash hit. Every property at Desert Highlands sold out, and Scottsdale was officially crowned a “desert golf mecca”. This event also popularized “desert-style” golf design. Instead of trying to build traditional, tree-lined courses, architects like Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf started using the natural landscape—the cacti, arroyos, and rock formations—as part of the game. This unique style gave Arizona golf its signature look and feel, making it a destination unlike any other.
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