Arizona Biltmore’s Estates Course reopens after beautification project

The Arizona Biltmore Golf Club reopened its Estates Course Sept. 6 following a nearly two-month beautification and improvement project. The new course, which debuted last December and was designed by the Lehman Design Group and Scottsdale resident Tom Lehman, saw close to 6,000 trees, hedges and bushes added and numerous playability improvements in the last 60 days.

Since mid-July, agronomy teams have planted nearly 400 additional trees, more than 400 hedges, and more than 5,000 shrubs and bushes. New tee boxes and bunkers were also added and additional irrigation lines were placed. The result of the agronomy team’s hard work is a more attractive course, with improved and better-defined golf holes.

Oscar Castillo is the golf course superintendent at the club.

“During last summer’s and fall’s compacted course renovation schedule, crews focused on shaping, irrigation and growing-in the bermudagrass, while planting hundreds of smaller trees,” director of golf Leo Simonetta said. “This summer, while the course was closed for improvements, we were able to plant larger more mature trees and finish the landscape pods, adding more color and character to the golf course.”

Named after the iconic Biltmore neighborhood that surrounds the property, the Estates Course plays to a par of 71 and measures 6,669 yards from the back/black tees — an increase of more than 130 yards from the former Adobe Course it replaced. The Estates Course’s playing surface is a drought-tolerant TifTuf Bermudagrass on the tees, fairways and rough. During the 2023 renovation, the club installed a state-of-the-art irrigation system allowing the agronomy team to control each sprinkler head while using high-tech sensors to measure soil moisture and salt levels to allow for precise watering and reduced water usage.

Set in the heart of Phoenix with Piestewa Peak to the north and the downtown Phoenix skyline to the south, the 96-year-old Arizona Biltmore Golf Club is a 36-hole golf facility that meanders through some of the most stunning homes in Phoenix. The Lehman-designed Estates Course and the Bill Johnston-designed Links Course are open to public play, with limited membership opportunities available.