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 in the Scottsdale Hospitality Industry. I managed to land a job with the John Jacobs' Golf Schools. My job, having had experience in golf travel with Carlson, was to promote, sell and accompany golf tournament groups to exotic golf destinations arranged by John Jacobs' Travel (no longer exists by the way).
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 their courses – sorry! I have played here more times than I can count, it's a classy place to hang out after golf with great views of the desert landscape.
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 delivers an enjoyable golf experience as you maneuver 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!
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.
Camelback Golf Club
7847 North Mockingbird Lane
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
