Pinnacle Peak Country Club

Pinnacle Peak Country Club sits in north Scottsdale at the base of its namesake granite outcrop, a distinctive landmark in the high Sonoran Desert. Dick Turner and Dick Phelps designed the course in the early 1980s, creating a layout that works with the natural desert terrain and the area's significant elevation changes. The routing takes advantage of the dramatic topography, with holes playing across arroyos and around rock formations characteristic of the region. The course reflects the design philosophy common to Scottsdale golf of that era, incorporating the native desert landscape rather than fighting against it. Fairways are defined by saguaro cacti, palo verde trees, and desert scrub, while the granite boulders and ridges that give the area its character come into play on several holes. The elevation shifts provide varied perspectives of the surrounding mountains and create natural amphitheater settings for certain greens. Pinnacle Peak Country Club operates as a private facility serving a residential community in one of Scottsdale's more established northern neighborhoods. The club maintains the traditional country club model with golf as the central amenity, complemented by tennis and social facilities. The course has undergone periodic updates over the decades to keep pace with modern maintenance standards and playing expectations while preserving the original routing's relationship with the desert landscape.