Papago Golf Club, a popular Phoenix municipal course and home to the Arizona State University golf teams, is scheduled to undergo a four-month renovation that will include the shifting of several greens and tees near the clubhouse to accommodate a new Arizona Golf House.
The renovation, which will include rebuilding bunkers and installing new cart paths among other efforts, will begin in June and wrap up October 24. The course will remain open with several temporary greens and tees accommodating play during the work.
Managed by course operator Troon, Papago will receive the $4 million renovation with funding by the Arizona Community Golf Foundation and a private donor. ACGF President Gregg Tryhus will oversee the project, Troon Senior Vice President of Golf Course Development Ron Despain will oversee project management and design enhancements, and Heritage Links and Casa Verde Golf will handle the construction.
Papago Golf Club in Phoenix (Courtesy of Troon)
Troon announced Thursday that:
With construction of the new Arizona Golf House scheduled to begin in 2023 adjacent to the ninth green, 18th green and Evie’s Pavilion, renovations will include moving the ninth and 18th green complexes as well as the first and 10th tees. The ninth green will be relocated to the edge of the existing pond, creating a risk-reward par 5, while the 18th green will be repositioned creating a new angle for golfers’ approach shots. The current 442-yard, par-4 sixth hole will be lengthened as the green complex will be relocated and moved back 20 yards. In addition, all golf course bunkers will be rebuilt and renovated, many tee complexes will be leveled and new cart paths will be added around tees and greens. More than 10 acres of turf will be removed throughout the course, further reducing water usage.
This isn’t the first renovation for Papago, which was designed by Billy Bell in 1963. In 2008, the city – working with the Arizona Golf Association and the Arizona Golf Foundation – overhauled the course, installing a new irrigation system and modern greens. Those and other continued efforts have led to Papago climbing to No. 20 on Golfweek’s Best list of public-access courses in Arizona.
“The revitalization of Papago Golf Club continues with this series of upgrades and improvements,” Papago general manager Daryl Crawford said in a media release announcing the news. “The bunker renovations and tee leveling will be welcome improvements, while the enhancements to ninth and 18th holes will help us prepare for the new and exciting Arizona Golf House. With the course remaining open during renovations, many of our regular golfers will be able to track the progress of the enhancements.”
Lou’s Bar and Grill at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix (Courtesy of Troon)
The desert layout is also home to the popular Lou’s Bar and Grill, an indoor-outdoor eatery that opened in 2018 as part of a three-way, public-private partnership between the city, Arizona State University and the Arizona Golf Community Foundation with the help of a large donation from the Lou and Evelyn Grubb Foundation.
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