An Elevated View in Arizona
The view from Pine Canyon’s 18th fairway makes you want to take an Adirondack chair, plop it down on the tee box and enjoy a twilight drink with friends.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The view from Pine Canyon’s 18th fairway makes you want to take an Adirondack chair, plop it down on the tee box and enjoy a twilight drink with friends. It’s a landscape ready to paint right next door to the Coconino National Forest. The San Francisco Peaks in the distance are perfectly framed, and includes Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet. The downhill final hole, at 7,000 feet in elevation, looks wide, inviting and lined with beautiful Ponderosa pines, a trout-filled pond and high-country wildlife in multitudes. There’s even a towering dead Ponderosa that is home to an osprey family. Hey, this is Arizona where are the saguaros? Where’s the desert? Not here -- this is Northern Arizona where winter skiing is close by and the elevation and views might make you think of Colorado. But Arizona’s diversity doesn’t stop at Pine Canyon. Just 100 miles south is Prescott, an old-west town, which was once the capitol of Arizona. It has a “Whiskey Row”, tourist adventures and another upscale golf community called Talking Rock, where the land turns to piñon pines and junipers with petroglyphs dating its history before ranching dominated. The golf is outstanding at Pine Canyon and Talking Rock -- both courses are Jay Morrish designs, and the housing opportunities are numerous, earthy, luxurious and to be celebrated. Symmetry, a residential and lifestyle company dedicated to premium, resort-influenced amenities and first-class hospitality was launched last summer as a division of the True Life Companies. These two gated communities were founded to offer authentic Western lifestyles and to be in harmony with the land. Sign me up. I loved both landscapes, lifestyles and golf socializing. Here’s a closer look at the two awesome golf communities you could be a part of.
Pine Canyon Club
It only takes a minute or two once you drive on to the property to fall in love with this special golf community minutes from historic downtown Flagstaff. The beauty is instant. The golf course is one of the most scenic and fun I’ve experienced. The ownership opportunities are upscale and pricey. We bunked down in the brand-new Club Cabins that had just opened -- a place where non-home owner golf members can rent out on frequent visits or while building their own dream home. Our Club Cabin had four bedrooms, two downstairs and two upstairs (with balconies and a golf course view) and laundry room. A spacious kitchen, dining area, fireplace and deck, make the first floor an awesome place to entertain. Just step outside and a path leads to the putting green and next door to the golf shop. Go a little farther and the 35,000-square-foot
clubhouse will blow you away with its western decor, spa, bar and restaurant. Sit outside on the deck of the restaurant for a striking view of the 19th hole, a beautiful island green, with aspens turning yellow and maples transitioning to a bright red on an splendid, warm late September afternoon. At Pine Canyon, members become friends for a lifetime and families share experiences that are cherished for generations. The Club provides a full calendar of social events and activities for all members, from weekly Happy Hour to Snow Days on the 18th tee box and pool parties in the summer months. Full golf members can take advantage of the Troon Privé benefits and golf privileges at private courses around the world. View the new membership plan and amended and restated membership plan or call 866.779.5700 for more information.
Talking Rock, Prescott, Arizona
Piñons and junipers, Granite Mountains, Williamson Valley, prickly pear and barrel cacti, rugged, rocky, ranch atmosphere and starry skies that seem to go on forever -- that’s Talking Rock. It’s only 20 minutes from downtown but dates back to ranches of early pioneers and even older habitation by the Yavapai Indian Tribe. Early residents coined the name “Inscription Canyon” where 1,200 ancient petroglyphs were discovered, authenticated and protected. Talking Rock developers set aside four acres of this sacred land for the Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe. The Ranch Compound is classic convenience inspired by early ranching communities. This cluster of buildings includes the Ranch House Restaurant with view of the golf course. Step outside of the pro shop or restaurant and there is a Fitness Barn, Coop’s Coffee House, swimming pool, tennis courts and bocce courts. I had the good fortune to spend the night in one of the awesome homes just steps from the swimming pool. Three bedrooms and a huge open kitchen-living room space made me want to spend a week. Name the amenity and this home has all of them. The golf course is fun and non-penal and scenic with the ninth and 18th converging at a huge pond beneath a windmill and tons of sand (80 bunkers dot the course). “At Talking Rock we were given the freedom to design the holes where they wanted to go,” said the late great designer Morrish. “We didn’t resort in tricks or gimmicks. The course is a pleasure to play and walk and feels like it has been here for years.”
It all feels huge. There’s 1,000 acres dedicated to open space, lots of room for about 1,500 homesites on 3,600-acres and at 5,000 feet in elevation you can play golf year around and count on cooler summer days. Log on to TalkingRockRanch.com or call (928) 776-4440 for more information about owning your own home and golf memberships. The Valley of the Sun (Phoenix area) is an remarkable winter getaway, but Talking Rock has it all and more comfortable temperatures year around. Don’t miss out. Talking Rock and Pine Canyon are expansive but some day there just might be an end to the offer of these two special lifestyle opportunities.