Matt, My post mentioned nothing about the housing being intrusive. I was struck by the designs and materials used in and on those house. That was my point. BTW, there's a hole at Outlaw where Jack had a perfect diagonal cross carry, only to have the hole go the other direction. Most egregious use of a natural feature I have ever seen.
Just to clarify, Outlaw has NO houses on the entire property, other than the clubhouse. The course itself has NO disconnection as the land is only 140 acres and bordered on the W. by Cave Creek Rd. All other sides are surrounded by Tonto National Forest (Desert Mountain actually did a land swap with the BLM to get the land). Holes run parallel, with a grand slope from West to East on the entire property. Everythings breaks from Apache Peak to the E. Valley, and you have to keep that in mind the entire round... Somewhat akin to Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen, for instance
Beyond that, Outlaw is a brilliant design with fantastic greens and a great walk as well. They don't overseed in the winter, and the fairways tend to run in the 8-9 stimp range, while the greens tend to run right around 10. So, you really do need to bring both you imagination & your ground game. Summers, Outlaw has the best turf in the Valley, and the course plays 2-3 strokes easier. The bunkering can be somewhat severe (especially in some of the fairway "pot" bunkers) & there are a couple of holes that you either love or hate (#2, #10, #13, #14). I just happen to love all of them
I agree that desert golf is contrived and manufactured for the most part, but I also agree with Ward in his analysis of Outlaw, Vista Verde, WR Old, etc. Desert Forest is a great course & a brilliant routing, but there are worthy competitors less than 5 miles to the East, 5 miles to the South & 10 miles to the S. East
Adam, give me a shout next time you get to AZ. I would love to host you for a game at Outlaw. My treat