COURSE · DESERT · BUCKET LIST · TIER S
Scottsdale, Arizona, United States · Golf's Headquarters
Three courses carved from the Sonoran Desert, built for members who treat golf as serious business.
01 · Overview
~2 min read
Scottsdale National Golf Club sits in the high desert north of Phoenix, on land that borders the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It operates as a deeply private, invitation-only club with no published tee times and a membership roster that reads, by design, like a short list. With 45 holes across three distinct layouts — the Mine Shaft Course, The Other Course, and the Bad Little Nine — it is one of the most comprehensively equipped private clubs in the American West.
The club began in 2003 as The Golf Club Scottsdale, a single-course desert layout designed by Jay Morrish and Dick Bailey. A decade of modest existence ended in 2013 when Bob Parsons — founder of GoDaddy and, later, Parsons Xtreme Golf — acquired the property for a reported $600,000. What followed was a transformation measured in hundreds of millions of dollars: new clubhouses, fifteen on-site member villas, two additional courses, and the rebrand to Scottsdale National. PXG's equipment line uses the property as its research and testing ground, lending the club its self-styled title: Golf's Headquarters.
The Mine Shaft Course, redesigned and sand-capped to six inches across all eighteen holes in 2016, remains the property's spiritual core. Its closing stretch — four holes known collectively as Gambler's Bluff — delivers sustained drama through severe elevation change and exposure to the McDowell Mountain skyline. The 15th, named Mine Shaft, carries a bunker of the same name: thirteen feet deep, lined with vertical wood planks salvaged from the original Pabst Brewery, and marked with a 'DANGER' sign that is not entirely ironic. The 17th, called Boomtown, was shaped in part by dynamite. The club closes for the summer months — historically July through August — for overseeding and recovery.
Jackson Kahn Design returned in 2016 with The Other Course, an 18-hole layout structured on a precise formula of six par-3s, six par-4s, and six par-5s. Its 9th hole plays across a reservoir said to hold approximately 23 million gallons of water. The Bad Little Nine, also 2016, is a par-3 course whose holes bear names — Boot Camp, Waterboard, Gitmo, Ambush — that telegraph the design philosophy without ambiguity. Together the three layouts give members who treat the game as a daily discipline an almost inexhaustible variety of tests within a single property.
THE TERRAIN
Native saguaro, scrub, and preserved wash corridors frame every hole. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve borders the property directly, and there is no meaningful separation between course and wilderness.
THE ELEVATION
The Gambler's Bluff closing stretch uses natural and sculpted elevation to create forced carries and exposed green sites. Dynamite was used to establish at least one green complex on the Mine Shaft Course.
THE BUNKERING
The Mine Shaft bunker — thirteen feet deep and walled in salvaged brewery timber — defines the club's approach to sand. The Bad Little Nine applies the same severity across a compressed par-3 format.
THE SCALE
Three fully realized layouts — an 18-hole desert course, an 18-hole links-influenced design, and a diabolical par-3 nine — give the membership a range that most clubs cannot approach on their own acreage.
02 · The Holes
5 of 5 · tap any hole to watch creators play it
Six holes carry more of the course's weight than the other twelve combined — and the creator vlogs that prove it.
HOLE 16 · par 3 · 196y
A downhill par 3 that drops toward a green framed by the full sweep of the McDowell Mountains and Four Peaks. At 196 yards from the tips, club selection matters; the view makes choosing harder.
196 yards · One of the most photographed holes in Arizona golf.
HOLE 15 · par 5 · 548y
A 548-yard par 5 whose principal threat arrives only after a good drive and a sound second: a thirteen-foot-deep bunker behind the green, its walls lined with planks from the original Pabst Brewery, with a 'DANGER' sign posted as fair warning.
548 yards · The named bunker is among the deepest in American golf.
HOLE 17 · par 4 · 408y
A short-to-mid par 4 whose terrain was shaped, in part, by dynamite — a fact that explains both the dramatic contours of the green site and the name. Part of the Gambler's Bluff closing stretch.
408 yards · One of the few holes in American golf shaped with explosives.
HOLE 5 · par 5 · 639y
At 639 yards, this par 5 running alongside the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a genuine three-shot hole for all but the longest hitters. The preserved desert corridor to one side is not in play — it is in view, constantly.
639 yards · One of the longest par 5s on any private course in Arizona.
HOLE 12 · par 3 · 239y
A 239-yard par 3 that demands a long iron or fairway wood to a green surrounded by desert. The length alone — combined with the thin desert air that can flatter by a club — makes club selection the primary strategic question.
239 yards · At 239 yards, among the longest par 3s in the Scottsdale region.
05 · In Their Words
4 on-camera verdicts · spoken while filming here
This isn't just any course. It is the number one ranked and most exclusive golf course in Arizona.
This green complex belongs on a top-100 list.
There is not a sound, a soul, nothing apart from mountainous Amazonian ranches and just pure golf heaven.
This course like no other is incredibly unique.
06 · How to Play Here
3 routes to a tee time
Member Play · members only
Exclusive invitation-only private club. Operates with a 'no tee times required' policy for members.
Initiation Fee / Annual Dues $300k - $1M+ initiation; ~$60k - $80k annual dues
Member Guest · single
Guests may play if accompanied by a member. Reports indicate guest fees around $110 - $200 depending on the course and guest type (family vs other).
Guest Green Fee $110 - $200
The Xperience · package
A three-day immersive golf retreat and PXG club fitting experience. Includes play on all three courses, luxury villa accommodations, and dining. Available by application and invitation only.
Starting from $30k
07 · History
8 moments · 2003–2024
2003
The Golf Club Scottsdale opened with the Mine Shaft Course, a desert-style layout designed by Jay Morrish and Dick Bailey on land bordering the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
2013
GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons purchased the struggling club for approximately $600,000, renaming it Scottsdale National Golf Club and announcing an immediate transformation program.
2013
Parsons circulated a letter to members criticizing high-volume players for insufficient spending. The letter prompted roughly one-third of the membership to resign.
2014
Parsons established Parsons Xtreme Golf with Scottsdale National as the brand's research and development headquarters, creating the club's identity as Golf's Headquarters.
2014
Parsons unveiled plans for a new clubhouse, member villas, and 45-hole golf expansion. The total investment would eventually grow well beyond the original figure.
2016
The Other Course and the Bad Little Nine both opened, designed by Jackson Kahn Design. The original Mine Shaft Course was simultaneously sand-capped and redesigned.
2020
Scottsdale National hosted a nationally televised collegiate exhibition, bringing top amateur players to a course otherwise seen only by its membership.
2024
With Hurricane Milton threatening the original Florida venue, the club stepped in on 36 hours' notice to host the service academy tournament, demonstrating the operational capacity of the expanded facility.
08 · Common Questions
7 questions · sourced from 7 vlogs
No. Scottsdale National is a strictly private, invitation-only club. There is no walk-up play and no public tee-time system. The only routes to play are membership, a guest invitation from a current member, or the 'Xperience' package offered through PXG by application and invitation.
Membership is by invitation and sponsorship from existing members. Initiation fees are widely reported in the range of $300,000 to over $1 million, with annual dues in the $60,000 to $80,000 range. The club does not publish an open waiting list or application form.
The Xperience is a three-day immersive golf and club-fitting retreat that includes play on all three courses, on-site villa accommodations, and dining. It is offered through PXG starting at approximately $30,000 per person and is available by application and invitation only, not open booking.
Scottsdale National historically closes for the summer months — July 1 through August 31 — for overseeding and course recovery. This is standard practice for premium desert courses in the Scottsdale region that overseed warm-season turf for winter play.
There are three: the Mine Shaft Course (18 holes, par 72, 7,579 yards), The Other Course (18 holes, par 72, six par-3s, six par-4s, six par-5s), and the Bad Little Nine, an extreme par-3 nine. Members can move freely between all three without tee times.
Gambler's Bluff is the informal name for the final four holes (15–18) of the Mine Shaft Course. The stretch is defined by dramatic elevation change, exposed green sites, and the proximity of desert scrub. It includes the eponymous Mine Shaft bunker on 15, the Boomtown green on 17, and a long closing par 4 on 18.
Bob Parsons founded Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) in 2014, the year after acquiring the club. Scottsdale National serves as PXG's primary research, development, and testing facility, which is the origin of the club's self-styled nickname: Golf's Headquarters. The Xperience package, sold through PXG, combines course play with a full club fitting.
10 · The Library
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