Outlaw Course at Desert Mountain Golf Club

I played this course because our main course has reciprocity with Desert Mountain. I've seen pictures and was dying to play Chiricahua, but unfortunately that was closed due to storm damage. My second choice was Outlaw since it looked fantastic as well. When we first got there, views were amazing. The clubhouse is designed to look like a ranch, and the course was links which was cool because you don't often find links courses in the desert. Valet staff was very nice, pro shop staff were very attentive at first but we got checked in. Headed to a great driving range and a super nice short game area. When we teed off, we noticed that the putting greens on the course were about 100x faster than the practice greens. I would estimate the course greens to be around a 14 stimp. They were lightning fast. Carts were nice and fast. The beverage cart just sat at the 6th and 12th hole the entire time, so we only saw it twice unfortunately. We didn't think the course was ALL THAT once we started playing it. It honestly felt like a public course. While conditions were unbeatable, the other people were dressed like they were playing a Muni Par 3 course. Untucked shirts, noise people at one point. It may not bother anybody but me but that is just my opinion. I will say while we only had a 3.5 hour round, the people in front of us were horribly slow. It felt like a 7 hour round. They would just stand there and chat on the tee box and the green even though nobody was in front of them. We almost felt like towards the end they did it on purpose because we were riding their tail so much, but we only did that because the guys behind us were fast also. I would definitely go back to Desert Mountain, just not Outlaw... at least for a while.

Having played many top courses in the country both public and private, I can without hesitation state that this course is a real gem. This is a Nicklaus design, so you will have the challenging bunkering and elevated greens at times. This course is not for the faint of heart. You will be tested with forced carries and difficult bunkering and greens. If you play the appropriate tees, that would be helpful. The vistas, course condition and difficulty make this an experience to remember if you are lucky enough to have a member invite you.

This is the Last course Jack Nicklaus has designed at Desert Mountain. Outlaw was opened in 2003 and is a links design. Much of the course has views of the Tonto National Forest, and Four Peaks, The Mcdowell Mountains and Pinnacle peak can be see from this high terrain track. The fairways are for the most part forgiving but the greens and areas around them make for a real short game test. You will use every club in your bag and every type of shot here. Club selection is critical on the teeing ground. Outlaw is a truly a very fun and challenging course to play especially on the first visit.

This course was fantasic. Immaculate conditions and breathtaking views. It was a delight to play here. Even though I didn't play well, the course was so nice it made it worth it. The clubhouse also had fantastic Southwestern food and a great outdoor patio. A great place to bring the family as well!

Played fast. Course was immaculate. Some of cart paths were dangerously steep. Felt like cart would tip end over end. For a course of this caliber, I felt design of cart path on one particular hole could have been safer. Other than that, perfect. Greens very fast 11+. Great challange. Wide fairways. Manageable for any handicap. I'm 7 and shot 87 and was thrilled.