Heritage Links begins work on $10m renovation at Desert Highlands

Heritage Links has started work on the Nicklaus Design-led renovation of the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona

The $10 million project includes some hole design changes; the rebuild of greens, bunkers and tees; vegetation work; regrassing of playing surfaces; and a revamp of the putting course.

“This restoration is about more than golf – it’s about preserving our legacy while building an even brighter future,” said general manager Desi Speh. “With the world-renowned Nicklaus Design team, our builder Heritage Links and the support of our members, we are committed to preserving the timeless character of our course while introducing thoughtful enhancements that will elevate the golf experience for years to come.”

Work on greens includes excavating and replacing cores, adjusting elevations and regrassing putting surfaces with a blend of 007 and 007XL creeping bentgrass from the Seed Research of Oregon. This will allow for more pin positions, limit wear in certain areas and the contours will be restored closer to the original design.

Nicklaus Design plans include rotating the eighth green to be more perpendicular to the line of play and slope more from back to front – this change aims to make the putting surface more visible from the landing area. Jack Nicklaus personally visited the course in July 2021 and advised on the change. The mounding is being brought closer to the right and back of the green to allow some shots to bounce onto the putting surface.

Heritage Links is executing work to revamp bunker shapes and elevations, and is also excavating them, replacing subsurface drainage, installing Flexxscape liner and introducing Caltega sand.

Tees are being levelled, lowered and expanded, with new irrigation installed at each tee box. Vegetation surrounding them is being removed and replanted in an appropriate area. There will be a new forward tee on the fifth and one on the tenth that is further away from the practice area to allow for potential expansion.

One of the design changes is the elimination of a high ridge that previously blinded the alternate fairway on the thirteenth, with this work creating a slightly longer carry and riskier driveable par four.

The desert corridors throughout the golf course will be thinned to improve playability and aesthetics, while overgrown obstacles blocking the intended sightlines will be removed. Several trees will be relocated, while old and dying plants will be removed and new vegetation will be planted. A few saguaros that are in front of two tees on the eighteenth will be relocated.

The 419 bermuda on tees, fairways and rough is being renovated to be as close to new conditions as possible without re-sodding. This involves removing a layer of organic matter otherwise unreachable with normal cultivation practices, which reduces a large portion of the poa annua seed bank and improves the upper-growing medium structure.

The project, which will also include regrassing the putting course, is expected to be complete by November 2025.

Richard HumphreysRichard Humphreys

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