The Rim at The Rim Golf Club

The Rim Golf Club sits in the high country of central Arizona near Payson, approximately ninety miles northeast of Phoenix. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in the late 1990s, the course occupies dramatic terrain along the edge of the Mogollon Rim, a two-thousand-foot escarpment that defines the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. The elevation here exceeds five thousand feet, providing cooler temperatures than the desert below and a landscape of ponderosa pine, juniper, and native grasses.

Weiskopf and Morrish routed the course to take advantage of the natural topography, with holes playing through forested corridors and across rolling terrain that offers significant elevation changes. The design emphasizes strategic shot-making rather than forced carries, allowing the land's contours and the placement of bunkers and native areas to define playing angles. Several holes provide views across the rim itself, where the plateau drops away into the Tonto Basin.

The Rim operates as a private club and maintains a relatively low profile compared to more publicized Arizona courses in Scottsdale and Tucson. The membership draws from both the Phoenix metropolitan area and seasonal residents attracted to the cooler climate and mountain setting. The course reflects the naturalistic design philosophy Weiskopf and Morrish pursued in their collaborations, integrating golf holes into the existing landscape with minimal earthmoving and preserving the character of the high-country environment.