Desert Ridge / Wildfire GC

Desert Ridge is a master planned community situated in North Phoenix only 16 miles from Sky Harbor International Airport. Desert Ridge combines the enjoyment of desert living and the southwestern lifestyle in a well-planned and developed community that offers a wide array of residential, commercial, recreational and employment opportunities.

The community will eventually grow to cover 5,700 acres and includes entry-level single family homes, custom homes and lots, a Village Center, a destination Marriott Resort, two 18-hole championship golf courses, community-wide recreational facilities and a high-tech business park.

Marriott’s Desert Ridge Resort and Spa features 950 luxury guest rooms, a 28,000 square foot spa, 200,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, and the Wildfire Golf Club. Marriott Golf, the world’s largest resort-golf operators, assumed management of golf operations for Wildfire in 2001. Marriott Golf manages over 45 golf facilities throughout the world. Wildfire Golf Club features an outdoor dining patio with complete food and beverage service, a high-end golf shop, an all-grass driving range, putting and chipping greens, a greenside practice bunker and two championship golf courses.

The first course, a 7,170 yard layout designed by Arnold Palmer, opened for play in March, 1997. With generous fairways and large greens, this daily-fee desert style course is playable yet challenging, and a fair test of one’s golf skills. The Palmer course has a slope of 135 and a rating of 73.3.

The second golf course, designed by Nick Faldo, opened in 2002. Already highly acclaimed for his course designs in Asia and Europe, Faldo has received much notoriety for his first U.S. golf course, Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, California. The 6,846 yard par-71 Faldo course is a slight departure from the typical Sonoran Desert style courses in the metropolitan Phoenix area. It features visually striking bunkers with generous undulating fairways and a greens style reminiscent of the great Australian sand belt courses.

Marriott Golf’s extensive management experience, brand-name recognition, solid purchasing power and highly-trained professional golf staff will certainly enhance Wildfire Golf Club and benefit those playing there.