Camelback Golf Club
January 23, 2008
The Camelback Golf Club is another Scottsdale Golf Facility that, along with great golf, provides me with a shot of nostalgia whenever I get a chance to play there. A hundred years ago in 1991, I was a young go-getter, fairly new to Scottsdale and trying to make a name for myself somewhere in the Scottsdale golf business. I managed to land a job with the John Jacobs' Golf Schools but with no guarantees. I would earn a percentage of what I sold and that was OK by me. They had just opened a Golf Travel Agency whose focus was to capture additional business by soliciting the travel, (air, car, hotel, additional golf, etc) of their golf schools attendees. My job, having had experience in golf travel with Carlson Travel, was to promote, sell and accompany golf tournament groups to exotic golf destinations by utilizing the data collected from the thousands of golfers who had attended a John Jacobs' Golf School in the past. There were no computers back then, we did business the old fashioned way - by contacting our prospective golf travelers by phone and mail.
Shelby Futch (consistently honored by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golf Tips as one of the world’s top instructors) ran the show, which also included a golf club manufacturing business, with Craig Bunker and Donald Crawley taking care of the golf schools. Well, it was just about the perfect job there for awhile, during the four years I worked for them we went to New Zealand, Spain, all over Hawaii, Mexico, Canada and the US before I was recruited by Resort Suites of Scottsdale, at the time, Scottsdale's leading Golf Resort. Just what does all this have to do with the Camelback Golf Club you ask?
Well, for one thing, it gives me more than the usual credibility to talk about the facility. I didn't just swipe these pictures off the Camelback Golf Club's website and copy their text like you see a lot of these days. I have a history here which I forced you to read about in order to tell you what I thought of the courses, sorry about that! I have played here more times than I can count and I keep coming back, it's only 15 minutes from my home, and I live near Kierland in North Scottsdale. There is just something very relaxing about playing golf and hanging out here. The staff has a way of integrating you into their environment without you realizing it.
Speaking of staff, in the early days, I rubbed elbows with some great guys coming up under the tutelage of Roger Maxwell (now a partner at In Celebration of Golf), Joe Shershenovich (Shoe) was the DOG back then, he has been at Grayhawk GC from day one and you couldn't pry him loose for any amount of money, right Joe? The John Jacobs' anchor golf school was located at the back end of the Camelback Golf Club practice facility. Back then, before Shelby Futch started buying up courses for his Scottsdale Golf Group, all of their golf school locations across the US were located at Marriott Golf Facilities (which Camelback Golf Club was then, and still is, owned by Marriott). I have fond memories of meeting the new class of golf school students on the Sunday night of their arrival during a welcoming cocktail hour and dinner at the Camelback Golf Club restaurant. I always gave a little speech to plug our Golf Travel division and sometimes would even play golf with the students during their week with us after the golf school had adjourned for the day. At the time, most students preferred to play the Padre Course (now the Resort Course) because of it's mature landscaping (lots of shade) and it was a more strategic layout. (the better to practice those new swings!)
Situated on 125 acres of lush parkland landscape, in the shadow of Phoenix's most famous landmark, Camelback Mountain, this 36 hole facility embodies the authentic Southwestern golf experience. Designed by Arthur Hills The Padre Course promised an enjoyable golf experience as you maneuvered amongst mature trees, subtle terrain changes and well placed bunkering. Both courses underwent a 17 million dollar face lift in 2000 (also by Arthur Hills) and featured a complete renovation of the old Padre Course. If you played it before the changes you might still recognize a few holes that went unchanged (mostly the par 3's) but the rest is all new as of 2000. I think they did a great job, making some shorter holes longer and re-routing much of it to make it more interesting. But what is most striking to me is the way they re-configured the Par 5's. I may not remember too clearly how they played before the changes but today I will stand on my statement, now and forever, that #'s 9, 13 and 18, all Par 5's on the Resort Course, are three of the toughest Par 5's in the State of Arizona of courses with traditional features. They are not only difficult but they all feature water hazards that come into play - on multiple shots! Creative design work on an amazing piece of property made them into outstanding holes. Par is a great score on any one of them!
The 6,903-yard, par 72 design of the Resort Course is best described as a traditional style of golf course intermixed with desert landscape. It sits on a gorgeous piece of land nestled amongst mulit-million dollar homes and will challenge players of all skill levels with it's strategic layout, diabolical water holes, and undulating greens. In addition to the course work a 36,000 square-foot pueblo-style clubhouse designed by Douglas Fredrikson was added, offering wonderful views of the course from the 19th hole.
Most of the rounds I have played on the Camelback Golf Club, since the renovation, have been on the Resort Course. This is traditional golf at it's finest, right in the middle of Scottsdale and it always manages to get the best of me. However, you should not overlook the Indian Bend Course if you have an opportunity to play it. A traditional American links-style course, the Indian Bend Course is laid out in the Indian Bend Wash (look for the high water poles) in an open setting with gorgeous backdrops of Camelback Mountain. The lush palm and eucalyptus-lined fairways frame a golf course with scenic water holes and more multi-million dollar homes bordering the perimeter of the golf course. This 7,014-yard, par 72 course is a long but dynamic layout that will test the skills of any golfer, particularly those skills required to keep the ball in the short grass. Oh, and I almost forgot, distance off the tee helps a lot here too!
Camelback Golf Club
7847 North Mockingbird Lane
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
