Andy Staples is leading the renovation of a historic Arizona golf course where Joel Dahmen shot a 58

MESA, Ariz. – A U.S. Open champion, two prominent PGA Tour players and an NFL Hall of Famer all call this place home. Mesa Country Club is undergoing a major renovation. It’s a gem in the greater Phoenix region.

The club is located in an older area of Phoenix, Arizona’s third largest city, across from a graveyard and just a few blocks from Hohokam park, where the Oakland A’s hold their spring training.

The course is characterized by topography with sometimes stunning elevation changes, despite being located in the middle, and generally flat, greater Phoenix area.

Andy Staples, of Staples Golf Design in Scottsale, who was hired to renovate the course, said that it was built by William P. Bell during the Golden Age. “We believe it was the first course William P. Bell, and his son William F. Bell, designed together.”

Its location is also appealing to many members. Just a mile north is the Loop 202. Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport can be reached in less than 15 minutes. Scottsdale residents, including Max Homa, Joel Dahmen and honorary members of the PGA Tour are only 35 minutes away.

Michael Allen, who won 1996’s U.S. Open on the PGA Tour Champions, is also a member. Brian Urlacher, a former Chicago Bears star and 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee, is also worth mentioning.

I first played here in the year 1982. It’s just old school. Jones said, “I love it.” You don’t tire of it. Small greens. Your irons must be under control. It’s quite a challenge. “And the membership is the icing on the cake.”

Dahmen is a frequent visitor. In 2020, while playing golf with some Chicago Cubs players, he shot a course record of 58.

Mesa Country Club, a laid-back club in Arizona, doesn’t try to hide its membership list nor has it a person stationed on the front desk to remind everyone to remove their hats inside. The club has a relaxed, private atmosphere.

Dahmen stated that Mesa Country Club was a unique spot in the Valley. It has many high-end courses but is also a country club with great people, and a blue-collar approach. You can wear jeans or a T shirt. This is a very special place for me. It’s just like when I was a kid and played golf. It’s more relaxed, with fewer rules.

Old-school Golf in the Desert

The layout is different from most desert golf courses in the Phoenix metro area. This is partly due to its age.

Staples stated, “We are not considered a historic state with great old classic courses. This is why I was hired as I have these tendencies.”

MCC shares many similarities with Phoenix Country Club in Phoenix (home of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, PGA Tour Champions), and Arizona Country Club in Phoenix. The three courses are all old-school parkland designs, with lots of trees, rolling hills and grass.

Mesa Country Club is overgrown with grass. A reduction of this amount will be a key part of the renovation. Staples says his redesign will reduce the 125 acres to 100. You can see several areas on the course that will have no grass in future. These are areas which are not used and are therefore out of play.

The course was constructed on a mesa with steep climbs that are most visible on:

• The par-5 5th hole has a steep fairway, which if you manage it correctly could allow you to get home in just two shots.
• The par-3 7th, where a canal runs next to the tee before snaking across the front of green.
• The 10th, a par 4, is a hole where the back tees can be found on a deck just outside the clubhouse. This requires a tee-shot over the road leading to the parking area.
• The par-3 sixteenth hole, which has an elevated tee-box aimed at a narrow green if a back pin is in play.
• The 18th hole is a par 5, where golfers will have to hit a third shot over a steep slope, just below the clubhouse deck.

A canal snakes through the course, crossing several fairways. This forced some golfers into rethinking their second shot on two of the par fives. Five holes are affected by it. The ninth hole has the most difficult green, and there are also a few lakes.

The irrigation system was the most in need of upgrading. Staples believes in responsible water usage and conservation. He calls it “core values of sustainable golf design.”

He is not only renovating for the next season, but also for future decades.

“I try to design all of my golf courses in a way that will look at 20, 30, and 40 years in the future. These costs will only increase as water efficiency and labor efficiency improve. “Water is a major factor.”

All greenside bunkers will be redesigned. No new bunkers will be built, but existing ones will have new sand and depth added as necessary. The fairway bunkers will remain as they are, since there is a limited amount of resources. The fairway bunkers are to be reworked later.

Greens also suffered from shrinkage. The greens will be returned to their original size and brought up-to-date.

Brian Reed, vice president of board at Mesa Country Club, confirmed that the course would close on February 18, 2024. The goal is to reopen the course on November 1, 2024. He stated that the club will be investing $10 million in the project.

Staples has a impressive portfolio of renovations and brand new constructions. Olympia Fields Country Club, in Illinois, is the most notable of his renovations. The Match Course at PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens in Florida and Sand Hollow Resort’s Links Course, located in Hurricane, Utah are two of the seven courses he designed.

Staples believes that Mesa Country Club will invest in TifTuf in the near future. This strain of Bermuda grass can grow year-round in Phoenix, including in the scorching summer heat. This will make the days of winter overseeding ryegrass a thing in the past. The membership can enjoy three additional weeks of play.

Staples says that the key to this renovation is keeping the historical style of the course.

I’d like the idea that my preference for classic architecture has tipped me in my favor.