Sterling Grove Golf & Country Club, a new semi-private club in Surprise, Arizona, will open for public preview play on 11 February.

 “This is not your traditional Arizona golf experience; it has a very distinct look and feel,” said Ryan Stemsrud, general manager of Sterling Grove Golf & Country Club. The 18-hole course by Nicklaus Design is laid out over former farmland and grass has been left tall in places to give a meadow feel. There are more trees than many Arizona courses – over 1,700 – in line with the grove concept. The course also features wide landing areas and undulating greens.

Watch: A sneak peek of the par-five ninth hole from July 2020

Sterling Grove, managed by Troon, is the centerpiece of the new 780-acre Sterling Grove Toll Brothers community. The club will ultimately become private but will be open to daily-fee and unaccompanied non-member play as the surrounding community is built out. The layout is the first new golf course to open to public play in Arizona since 2016.