21 Photo: FireRock Country Club FireRock Country Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona, has reopened its golf course following a regrassing project. In 2019, the club was initially planning to replace the irrigation system, but discussions led to the development of a masterplan to address how the Gary Panks-designed course operates year-round in the desert climate. Architect Gary Brawley was brought in to consult on the project that would ultimately focus on regrassing the course. Stadium Zoysia, developed by Bladerunner Farms and supplied by West Coast Turf, was used on tees, fairways and green surrounds. The regrassing is expected to save FireRock more than 40 million gallons of water each year while also producing firmer and more consistent playing conditions. “Technically the course didn’t change at all,” said general manager Tim Geesey. “Because we installed Stadium Zoysia across the tees, fairways and surrounds, we knew we were defining those surfaces for the foreseeable future.” For years FireRock followed the traditional desert practice of overseeding ryegrass each winter, a system widely used throughout the region to maintain green playing surfaces during cooler months. However, the club’s irrigation water and high salinity levels made it increasingly difficult to maintain consistent turf conditions. “Our water supply was once described as the worst in the southwest,” said Geesey. “We were following the same practices as everyone else, trying to grow ryegrass and provide a good playing surface, but we just couldn’t.” The move to zoysia offered a different path for FireRock – it’s the first layout in Arizona to use Stadium Zoysia across its playing surfaces – and will eliminate the need for seasonal overseeding and allowing the course to remain open year-round except for routine aerification. Two months after reopening in November 2025, the club recorded about 4,700 rounds in January, 700 more than a typical January. “Those are April numbers for us,” said Geesey. Arizona’s FireRock club reopens with refreshed playing surfaces TEE BOX
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