Named in honor of Jack Nicklaus, who designed the course at the Scottsdale, Ariz. club, Jack’s features a large, custom communal table, high tops and flat-screen televisions. A recent kitchen renovation included the creation of an efficient layout that allows the club’s culinary team to service both the gastropub and Desert Highlands’ Ventana Room.
Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Ariz. unveiled Jack’s, a gastropub inside the clubhouse named after golf legend and course architect Jack Nicklaus, to its members.
C+RB spoke with Monty Becton, General Manager/COO of Desert Highlands, about the restaurant on an episode of The Road Back in July.
Led by architect Erik B. Peterson of PHX Architecture, Jack’s is a high-energy gathering space that diversifies Desert Highlands’ dining options. A large custom communal table commands the room and provides a custom bar experience for up to 22. Jack’s also features high tops, flat-screen televisions and images that pay homage to the influence that Nicklaus and other golf legends have made.
The design also incorporates a piano bar and upgraded lounge area, which provides members a relaxed atmosphere to mingle and entertain. Additionally, the eatery’s entrance offers a “walk through memory lane” feel, featuring images and classic golf memorabilia. The overall aesthetic is a modernized take on a historical clubhouse, and Jack’s incorporates an entire interiors refresh designed by Sam and Mike Hatch of the Hatch Design Group.
Construction of the gastropub, along with a renovation of the Desert Highlands kitchen was part of a $2 million project that began in June. C+RB reported on the plans at the time.
The kitchen renovation, which finished a month ago, includes the creation of an efficient layout that allows the club’s culinary team to be more imaginative. An additional 16 feet of space allows Executive Chef Todd Allison to oversee the entire operation and create direct service lines for both the gastropub and the club’s intimate Ventana Room. Additional enhancements include improved acoustics, which provides a more positive overall dining experience.
“We are excited to showcase Jack’s to our members and provide them an engaging and festive dining experience,” said Becton. “Our culinary team constantly evaluates the immediate and long-term needs of our membership and wants to create a completely seamless and first-class dining experience for our members. The gastropub, along with the kitchen renovation and other enhancements, allows us to accomplish this and remain a standard bearer for upscale private communities.”
Stretching to more than 7,100 yards, the Desert Highlands golf course recently re-opened after a $7 million renovation project that included refurbishing every bunker, restoring the 13th hole to its original design, installing a new irrigation system and updating cart paths. The golf course offers a challenging, but fair test, and views of Pinnacle Peak and the lights of the Valley spread across the horizon in the distance below. Desert Highlands was Nicklaus’ first design in Arizona, and immediately set the bar for desert golf experiences, not only in Scottsdale but statewide and nationwide.
Just as impressive is Desert Highlands’ Racquet Club, which sports 13 tennis courts featuring all three Grand Slam surfaces—grass, clay and hard. Noted ATP player Nick Kyrgios considers Desert Highlands’ grass courts “better than Wimby [Wimbledon].” The Racquet Club also added two regulation-size pickleball courts earlier this year, which C+RB reported at the time.
In addition, Desert Highlands boasts a 7,700-sq.-ft. Wellness Center, an 18-hole professionally designed putting course and a spacious dog park. Inside, the club provides residents peace of mind with a state-of-the-art security system, professionally trained security personnel, visitor control and access, and other protection amenities.
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