
The comprehensive project—the first for the Jack Nicklaus Signature course at the Scottsdale, Ariz. property since it opened more than 30 years ago—will include new greens, bunkers, tees, cart paths, drainage, irrigation, lake construction and grassing. The renovation is expected to be completed by mid-December and the course will reopen next March.
The Jack Nicklaus Signature Renegade Course at Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. is in the midst of a comprehensive renovation for the first time since it opened more than 30 years ago, the Phoenix (Ariz.) Business Journal reported.
The Renegade course was the first of the six courses Nicklaus designed at the golf club and since it opened in 1987, the 7,524-yard course has only received a few improvements, the Journal reported
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The $12.8 million project will include new greens, bunkers, tees, cart paths, drainage, irrigation, lake construction and grassing. Nicklaus himself created a new master plan for the course and the Houston-based golf course construction company Heritage Links has been brought on to implement the Golden Bear’s vision, the Journal reported.
Nicklaus has been involved with the project and has conducted site visits where he provided critical oversight about the renovation, according to a Heritage Links announcement.
The renovation is expected to be completed by mid-December and the course will reopen in mid-March. Heritage’s Oscar Rodriguez is the project manager, while Mark Maldonado is specifically managing the construction work, the Journal reported.
Since its inception, the Renegade course has received all sorts of praise from the golf world, including being described by Golf Magazine as “the most versatile course in the world,” the Journal reported. The course’s layout, which features a dual-green concept where there are two pins for each hole, makes it a unique test for golfers.
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It’s one of many courses across the Valley that forms the Phoenix-Scottsdale area that are undergoing renovations during the summer, which is typically a slower time of year for golf clubs.
And the number of construction projects is having an effect on summer revenue, the Journal reported. Scottsdale golf courses saw occupancy drop double digits in July, compared to the same month in 2017, according to the ORCA Report, an independent tracker of golf course data.
In July, Scottsdale courses only reported a 23.5 percent occupancy rate, which was down 10.3 percent year-over-year, according to ORCA. Compared to July 2017, the average rate per round increased 8.9 percent to $38.10, and revenue per available round dropped 2.2 percent to $8.95, the Journal reported.
When looking at ORCA’s data for all of greater Phoenix, July’s occupancy was at 26.1 percent, the average rate per round was $32.55 and revenue per available round was $8.48, the Journal reported.