This course was saved from development and will be restored by Forrest Richardson. It has always been mentioned as one of the top short or "executive" courses in the country. More of these quality short courses are needed so juniors and seniors can play or for those who don't want to play a 5 hour round. Here's some of the article from today's Arizona Republic:
42-acre course presents challenges in redesign
Diana Balazs
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 27, 2005 12:00 AM
PARADISE VALLEY - It might not be the largest golf course in the Northeast Valley, but the 18-hole executive course at the old Marriott's Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley has to be one of the most scenic and quickest to play.
Where else can you complete a round in less than two hours - and with Camelback Mountain as a stunning backdrop?
The 42-acre course, designed in 1960 by the late golf course architect Arthur Jack Snyder, will be redesigned as part of the transformation of the 68-acre Mountain Shadows, 5641 E. Lincoln Drive.
Robert Flaxman, head of Crown Realty & Development Corp. has signed an agreement to purchase the property from the Host Marriott Corp.
The resort closed in September 2004 but the golf course, practice range and clubhouse remain open. In Celebration of Golf operates those facilities.
Once redeveloped, it will continue as a public course and also will serve the new resort.
Crown Realty plans to formally file redevelopment plans for Mountain Shadows with Paradise Valley officials in October.
Flaxman has teamed up with developer Taber Anderson to create the resort's master plan. Anderson is managing director for Crown Realty and has designed master-planned residential golf communities.
He's working with noted golf course architect Forrest Richardson to redesign the course. Richardson apprenticed with Snyder, who died in February at 87.
Transforming a nearly half-century-old course has its challenges. There are the 59 homes in the Mountain Shadows West subdivision that encircle it.
"Every single one of them front on the golf course in some manner, so obviously, there is a lot of sensitivity," Anderson said.
Then, of course, is the fact Mountain Shadows isn't a regulation championship course. The original design called for 2,655 yards. Typically, a golf course today is 7,000 yards. Regulation size is about 6,200 yards, Anderson said.
Mountain Shadows' course is more of a residential, or neighborhood, golf course.
"This was designed to be a very interesting fun-to-play (course) that doesn't require four or five, six hours to do it," he said.
In redesigning it, Anderson and Richardson have closely studied Snyder's original design to understand why he created it the way he did and to see if any of that is relative today.
"The game of golf has evolved," Anderson said. "The abilities of golfers and their equipment have evolved to new standards that didn't even exist at this time. There were no oversized drivers and graphite shafts and things of that nature."
The existing short practice range also will be redesigned. It's not a driving range, although it has been referred to as such.
"What I want to do is redevelop it as more of an oasis practice park, or practice oasis," Anderson said. "You're going to have targeted areas that are going to be indicative of the types of clubs that you would need to play this golf course effectively."