Adobe Course at Arizona Biltmore

I guess, in many ways, I look at golf courses that are nearly one century old the same way I do old concert venues, stately homes, baseball stadiums or those reassuringly preserved town squares. The curiosity is just overwhelming to see how timeless they are and to have a glimpse at how people viewed and played the game 10 decades ago. I’ve halted road trips to pull over and play nine-hole WPA-built or Classic Era courses in New Hampshire, Michigan, Hawaii and Texas and just to check out the nuances of the green complexes, playing angles, hazards or the quirkiness of the bunkering. 

Bell, a one-time construction superintendent for renowned golf courses architects William Watson and George Thomas, is known for his inspired designs at Bel-Air Country Club, La Jolla Country Club, and dozens of courses across, California, Arizona and Nevada. He also created the original plans for both Torrey Pines Golf Courses, which his son, William F. Bell would complete in the 1950s.

So, even after time and renovations, I knew there would be abundant charm, nuance and architectural expression even despite the short yardage and openness of the parkland layout. The Adobe Course and its sister, the Links Course have been called the Central Park of greater Phoenix. Their setting, with sensational views of the mountains and in the shadows of the legendary Arizona Biltmore Hotel, explains the origin of that moniker, but what’s undeniable is the walk-in-the-park sensation and the connection you feel to decade after decade of golfer who has strode these charming fairways before you.

Among those golfers are Hollywood luminaries like Clark Gable and a cast of Unites States presidents from Dwight Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. When the resort’s original owner, chewing gum mogul William Wrigley Jr. commissioned the construction of the golf course, the intention was to provide an expanse of natural beauty and intrigue that matched the splendor and architectural inspiration of the now-globally-acclaimed Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Resort, designed by Albert Chase McArthur with collaboration from his legendary mentor Frank Lloyd Wright. The Adobe is one of the first three courses ever built in Arizona and true to its roots, it shows off the simplicity and elegance of those bygone times.

I wanted to sneak this round in on the day of my arrival, so I booked my afternoon round as a single. Fortunately, I was paired with an affable father and son duo of a recently retired exec and fast-rising late-twenties software engineer, who were as kind as they were curious. That made the round and the conversation more enjoyable.

At first glance, the Adobe course is the sort of place you think you’ll be able to manhandle and possibly shoot your personal best. At 6,586 yards from the rear black tees and 5,973 from the whites, it’s a bit of a bombers paradise, sure. Two things become abundantly clear fast, though. The angles you can play into the fairway can be compartmentalized as good, better, best, and pretty much screwed. Also, these 93-year-old greens won’t be easily solved on your first visit. So, while there’s not a ton of water and only a modest tally of greenside sand traps, there’s still some nuance and cat-and-mouse that makes this course very fun and just mildly vexing until you find your putting groove.

The old-time great courses are proficient at fooling the eye with subtle features like cross bunkers, false fronts and well-place mini mounds. I knew when my sure-struck nine-iron approach landed almost a full club short, I’d fallen for one of those subtleties. It wouldn’t be the last time I had second and third guess approach yardages into these greens. I knew the distances, but Bell does a great job at making you decide if you believe what you see and it that jives with number in your head or on your rangefinder.

When you see a drivable par three followed by 119-yard par three (the third and fourth holes, which play toward the Phoenix Mountains’ famous Piestewa Peak) it’s hard not to like your chops, thinking birdies are inevitable. Even harder? Walking to the fifth tee after consecutive bogeys. Smaller greens mean missing some putting surfaces and occasionally being short-sided. The lessons on shot management come hard and fast for first-timers here.

The stretch from the dogleg 10th hole, the open but demanding par-four 11th to the truly excellent par-three 11th hole, is a real delight as you navigate the outer perimeter of the routing which is farthest from the clubhouse. The green complex at 12, complete with a greenside bunker short and right and a daunting false front, is easily my favorite green on the course. It’s old school, quirky, tough and fun!

Plans are in place for a Summer 2023 renovation project of the Adobe Course, the first phase of an overall property renovation. According to owners JDM Partners, work on the Adobe will incorporate “modern golf course design and water conservation technology.” Key to the project will be a new, more efficient irrigation system and planting of new, drought tolerant TifTuf Bermudagrass throughout the course. The green complexes will also be renovated, the tee boxes will be leveled, and bunkers will be rebuilt with state-of-the-art drainage and a liner system featuring Capillary Concrete. This new generation-lining method increases the speed of water flow, minimizing bunker washouts, reducing maintenance and improving playability.

After the round, I was disappointed that I waited too late to try the burger and famous margarita at the Adobe Restaurant, one of the most popular 19th Holes in the city. That bit of time mismanagement, however, gave me a chance to walk over the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Resort and enjoy fish tacos and a Fortaleza Blanco on the rocks while relaxing in the breeze and enjoying college basketball and top shelf people watching. The energy of the Arizona Biltmore is never-ending and the décor and architectural design inspires joy, movement, conversation and laughter. It was the perfect way to cap the day.

You have a nice window between October 2022 and May 2023 to play the Adobe before renovations. If you never have, or haven’t in a long time, it’s a good chance to be charmed be this Classic-Era treat.