One of the most premier private golf and country clubs in the Southwest has taken its game to a new level. The Country Club at DC Ranch is nearing the completion of an expansive, $4 million renovation that will accentuate the club’s local heritage, elevate its luxurious prominence, and provide for an improved visual panorama of the Sonoran desert, the McDowell Mountains and the cityscape beyond.

By partnering with highly-acclaimed local architect Erik Peterson of PHX Architecture, and coordinating with SB Design of Phoenix, The Country Club at DC Ranch has embarked on implementing top-tier upgrades that match the high expectations of its membership, a growing and active community that now spans three generations.

“Our community of members has supported us for nearly 20 years, and as new generations of members perpetuate that loyalty and commitment, so do we by introducing lifestyle amenities that meet their needs and desires,” Paul Skelton, general manager at The Country Club at DC Ranch, said.  “These enhancements will improve the social ambiance associated with the club, and elevate the performance of the golf course.”

Performance, after all, is a science. On land that at one time supported a desert cattle ranch, The Country Club at DC Ranch is now known in part for its picturesque golf course that allows players of all levels to find success. The course offers a challenge for experienced golfers seeking length, deep bunkers and undulating greens that break just so, and more novice players hoping to save par or penciling in a bogey on their scorecard. With that, one of the more intricate elements included in the renovation is the meticulous attention paid to 35 of the course’s greenside bunkers. Under the direction of golf course superintendent Bill Kostes, the layout at The Country Club at DC Ranch is superbly enhanced.

A hybrid mix of Augusta White sand from the Black Hills of Coachella Valley, and Arizona Pit sand from the Agua Fria-Salt River area are the featured ingredients of the redeveloped bunkers, offering a vivid visual effect when cast against the sharp hue of the lush green fairway. The look, and the science behind it, lends itself to an aura of major championship golf. And that’s the idea.

“Using a blend of two sands creates an optimum sand bunker that has dramatically-increased the level of playability,” said Dick Hyland, director of golf at The Country Club at DC Ranch. “Part of the bunker restoration effort also includes making improvements to our drainage system, which will enable us to recover from inclement weather quicker, ensuring pristine playing conditions within a shorter window of time.” 

The Country Club at DC Ranch was redesigned by John Fought and Tom Lehman in 2002, and since then, the course has accepted numerous awards.

And, while cattle haven’t grazed the desert near The Country Club at DC Ranch for some time, their mark on the land’s history is still felt and appreciated. A clubhouse that envelops the rustic elegance and charming aesthetic of the great western haciendas built at the turn of the century is seeing its own share of deserved upgrades. Clubhouse enhancements, which include improved city views to complement stunning desert and mountain vistas, and the introduction of a U-shaped bar area, increase the design flexibility of the club’s main dining and social area. 

“The Country Club at DC Ranch has some of the most breathtaking views in the Valley,” Peterson, project architect and principal at PHX Architecture, said. “We have opened up much
of the dining experience to face south, enabling us to capture the elevation change and nighttime city lights, while still allowing for the overlook of the McDowell Mountains and the 18th fairway, as members appreciate.”

Peterson’s plans called for one notable addition to the layout, which elevated the experience, be it a post-round cocktail or an intimate special event. The addition of bi-folding patio doors makes a modern impact, while at the same time allowing members to absorb the beauty of their desert community.

“We are bringing the indoors out and the outdoors in,” Peterson said. “It’s a magnificent setting.”