Forest Highlands, Scottsdale
Flagstaff There is more of an Oregon or Idaho feel here than the high gloss you expect at club communities around Phoenix. Kids camps, movies in the park and family barbecues are high priorities. If you would like to test drive the lifestyle, you can do so by leasing a home—for quite reasonable prices.
Golf: 36 holes (Jay Morrish/Tom Weiskopf, Tom Weiskopf).
Homes: From $629,000.
Homesites: From $195,000.
Contact: fhgc.com.
Mirabel, Scottsdale
Custom homes are done in the Tuscan, prairie and Spanish-colonial styles. Club membership is equity-based and requires an invitation, not typical in residential developments. No need to head off-property for that stone massage, as Mirabel is accoutered with its own health spa and salon.
Golf: 18 holes (Tom Fazio).
Homes: From $1.5 million.
Homesites: From $500,000.
Contact: mirabel.com.
Pine Canyon, Flagstaff (New)
Luxurious in a wholesome way, this five-year-old property in Grand Canyon–land has its amenities (clubhouse, private spa, fitness center, kids camp with water park) all nicely in place. The golf course, rimmed by rugged peaks, demands all sorts of shots without ever becoming a slog. A concierge service caters to primary and weekend residents alike.
Golf: 19 holes (Jay Morrish).
Homes: From $799,000.
Homesites: From $295,000.
Contact: pinecanyon.net.
The Rim Golf Club, Payson
In novels like Western Union and Riders of the Purple Sage, author Zane Grey—who owned a cabin not far from this acclaimed golf community—helped create the Hollywood Western genre. Rim members gravitate to the well-equipped but unfussy Athletic Spa, and they do the foodie thing in their rugged, sumptuous clubhouse. The golf course, by Morrish and Weiskopf, is a high-country classic.
Golf: 18 holes (Jay Morrish/Tom Weiskopf).
Homes: From $1.3 million.
Homesites: From $175,000.
Contact: therimgolfclub.com.
Seven Canyons, Sedona
Something in the red-orange sandstone at 4,500 feet puts golfers, hikers, bikers and balloonists in their respective sweet spots. True to the looming, ledge-filled landscape around it, the Seven Canyons golf course is shaped and bunkered in a dynamic, free-form manner. Villas and estate homes offer generous options as to size and price.
Golf: 18 holes (Tom Weiskopf).
Homesites: From $1.5 million.
Contact: sevencanyons.com.
Silverleaf Scottsdale
See Top 25.
Golf: 18 holes (Tom Weiskopf).
Homes: From $1.4 million. Homesites: from $599,000.
Contact: silverleaf.com.
Stone Canyon, Oro Valley
Featuring a Jay Morrish golf course that will stop you in your spikes. Mounds, hollows, bunkers and target areas flow together like tessellations in an M. C. Escher woodcut. Saguaro cacti stain Morrish’s fairways with eerie shadows at dusk. Stonegate, with bungalows by architect Barry Berkus, is a particularly enviable address here.
Golf: 18 holes (Jay Morrish).
Homes: From $1 million.
Homesites: From $300,000.
Contact: stonecanyon.com.
Superstition Mountain, Gold Canyon
Two Nicklaus courses, Prospector and Lost Gold, anchor this 927-acre community on the eastern edge of the Phoenix-Scottsdale metroplex. A building addition to the Sports Club has been put on hold, awaiting an improved economic climate.
Golf: 36 holes (Jack Nicklaus).
Homes: From $599,000.
Homesites: From $300,000.
Contact: superstitionmountain.com.
