Desert Highlands Golf Club Top 100 Review

Desert Highlands Golf Club is a private luxury course in North Scottsdale, Arizona, featuring an 18-hole, par-72 layout designed by Jack Nicklaus. The course is carved into the Sonoran Desert landscape with iconic Pinnacle Peak as a backdrop, offering dramatic desert views and challenging terrain. Nicklaus designed the course to challenge players of all skill levels while maintaining visual drama through judiciously placed turf and expansive desert areas bordering fairways and greens. A signature elevated tee box marks the beginning of the round.

The course gained prominence as the host of the inaugural PGA Skins Game in 1983 and 1984, featuring legends Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. This tournament success solidified Desert Highlands' reputation as a premier desert golf destination. The club also features an 18-hole, par-41 putting course designed by Gary Panks, covering over 60,000 square feet of putting surface. The combination of championship-level design, scenic desert setting, and historic tournament hosting establishes Desert Highlands as one of the country's top desert courses.