Neighborhood Video Guide
High in the Sonoran Desert of North Scottsdale, Desert Mountain is one of the most celebrated private golf communities in the country.
Founded in 1986 and owned by its members since 2011, it spreads across about 8,300 gated acres beside the Tonto National Forest, with seven golf courses, seven clubhouses and 25 miles of private trails. In this film I take you inside the community, and below you can watch each of the golf villages in turn.
8,300
Gated acres in the high Sonoran Desert
7
Golf courses: six by Jack Nicklaus and the par-54 Seven
7
Clubhouses, with ten restaurants and grills
25 miles
Of private hiking trails
The setting
Desert Mountain was created in 1986 by developer Lyle Anderson on the former Carefree Ranch, with a master plan by Taliesin Associated Architects, the firm founded by Frank Lloyd Wright's colleagues. Homes are set into the hillsides among saguaros and granite boulders, so the desert stays the main event.
It sits just east of Carefree, inside Scottsdale city limits, and backs onto the Tonto National Forest. Elevations climb from around 3,000 feet to more than 4,000, so it is usually several degrees cooler than central Phoenix, and the views stretch across the Valley to distant mountain ranges.
The golf
Desert Mountain is home to six Jack Nicklaus signature courses plus Seven, an 18-hole par-54 course. Each golf village has its own clubhouse and its own feel. Watch the films to see the homes and the courses side by side.
Cochise 1988 · Geronimo 1989 · Par 72
Cochise hosted The Tradition, one of senior golf's major championships, from 1989 to 2001 and reopened in 2024 after a full restoration. Geronimo winds through ravines and canyons with dramatic target-style shots. The two share a 52,000-square-foot clubhouse.
Opened 1996 · Par 72 · 7,211 yards
The most traditional of the Nicklaus courses, with no forced carries and gentler terrain that makes it the easiest to walk. The Apache clubhouse is known for steak, seafood and its piano bar.
Opened 1999 · Par 72 · 7,347 yards
The highest course in the community, with sweeping views over the Valley. Its Tuscan-style clubhouse is home to Constantino's, and the homes around it include some of Desert Mountain's most dramatic hillside estates.
Opened 2003 · Par 72 · 7,107 yards
A links-style course spread over 176 acres, with 126 bunkers, wide fairways and no forced carries. Outlaw co-hosted the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with Cochise, and its ranch-style clubhouse is home to the Arizona Grill.
Opened 2019 · Par 54 · 3,114 yards
An 18-hole, all par-3 championship course designed by Bill Brownlee and Wendell Pickett, perfect for a quick round at sunset. Its clubhouse has a gastropub and bocce courts.
Opened 1987 · Par 72 · 7,933 yards
The original Desert Mountain course. Every green has two pin positions, marked by white and gold flags, and seven sets of tees, so it can play as a different course every day. Its clubhouse reopened in 2024 after a major renovation.
Ask Mark about homes near Renegade →Championship golf
In May 2026 the USGA brought the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball to Desert Mountain, played on Cochise and Outlaw.
Club life
The 42,000-square-foot Sonoran Clubhouse is the center of the club's wellness life, with a spa, fitness studios, heated pools and classes from yoga to spin. Since 2024 the members have invested more than $150 million in new and restored clubhouses and courses.
Membership
Buying a home in Desert Mountain does not require joining the club, except in Seven Desert Mountain, where homes are deed-restricted to include membership. Membership is only available to homeowners, so you apply when you buy, and approval is not automatic.
There are several categories, from full golf to lifestyle memberships for those who mainly want the dining, fitness and social side. Demand has been strong, with a waiting list in recent years, so it pays to plan membership into your purchase from the start.
The homes
More than 2,000 homes are spread across some three dozen villages, from lock-and-leave golf villas to hillside estates on several acres. Each village has its own setting and style, so the right one depends on how you want to live.
Price ranges
Villages
Ask us
Good to know
Carefree's shops and restaurants are just down the road, and Old Town Scottsdale is roughly 40 minutes away. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is usually a 45 to 50 minute drive, and Scottsdale Airport is closer for private aviation.
Desert Mountain is served by the Cave Creek Unified School District, including Black Mountain Elementary, Sonoran Trails Middle School and Cactus Shadows High School. Always confirm school boundaries for a specific address with the district.
Desert Mountain is inside Scottsdale city limits, ZIP code 85262. Every home belongs to the Desert Mountain Master Association, and some villages have their own sub-association as well.
Questions
Seven. There are six Jack Nicklaus signature courses, Renegade, Cochise, Geronimo, Apache, Chiricahua and Outlaw, plus Seven, an 18-hole par-54 course that opened in 2019.
No. Club membership is optional for most homes. The exception is Seven Desert Mountain, where homes are deed-restricted to include membership. Membership is only available to homeowners, and approval is not automatic.
The members. They bought the club, its courses and facilities from the previous owner in 2011.
According to the club's real estate guide, villas, cottages and patio homes range from about $800,000 to $3.7 million, and custom homes from about $1.2 million to $16.5 million. For an exact picture of a specific village or street, talk to Mark or Shawna.
Old Town Scottsdale is roughly 40 minutes away, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is usually a 45 to 50 minute drive. Carefree's town center is about 10 minutes away.
Desert Mountain is in Scottsdale, ZIP code 85262.
Thomas & Perkins Luxury Estates
We have filmed many of Desert Mountain's finest homes and know how each village lives. Let's talk about what is happening on your street.
Mark Thomas grew up in England, worked for years as a designer and has filmed and presented luxury homes for Sotheby's International Realty. He and Shawna Perkins are Global Real Estate Advisors with Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty in Scottsdale.
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