Over the last three years, Arizona Biltmore has quietly gone through one of the biggest transformations of any established golf property in Phoenix.

Not just a bunker renovation.

Not just new greens.

I thought I knew how to train for golf. Then I started working with Dalton at Phoenix Fitness & Performance.

For three months, we focused on things I’d barely trained before: foot strength, core stability, balance, mobility, and flexibility.

The difference has been noticeable. My body feels better, I’m moving better, and I’m hitting the golf ball better than ever.

If you’re a golfer who wants to get stronger without just adding more gym time, I’d recommend giving Dalton a shot.

Cactus Club readers can claim a one-time introductory offer from Phoenix Fitness & Performance.

Three years ago, I wrote about one of my favorite golf debates in Phoenix:

Adobe or Links?

Same property. Two completely different golf courses.

I had played both enough times to have strong opinions about each, including shooting 62 on Links during one of those rounds where everything somehow goes in.

I called the story Turf War: Arizona Biltmore.

Today, I think there’s a much more interesting story happening at Arizona Biltmore, because the Adobe Course I wrote about no longer exists, and when I look around the rest of the property, a lot of the old Biltmore doesn’t either.

The biggest change is the obvious one.

Adobe is gone.

In its place is the Estates Course.

Tom Lehman and Lehman Design Group essentially rebuilt the golf course from the ground up.

New greens. New bunkers. Different tees. New contours. Hundreds of trees. A completely new irrigation system.

It’s still sitting on the same piece of Phoenix real estate, but I don’t think of Estates as a renovated Adobe.

I think of it as a new golf course.

That makes going back and reading my old Adobe vs. Links piece pretty funny.

One side of the argument no longer exists.

Links is still the weird, quirky course I remember. You have to think your way around it. You can make a ton of birdies. You can also look up and wonder how you just made double.

Estates feels completely different.

And underneath all the visible changes is something golfers probably won’t think about nearly as much: water.

The irrigation system now gives the maintenance team much more control over individual areas of the property, including monitoring things like soil moisture.

That’s not sexy.

But this is Arizona.

Over the next 20 years, I think some of the most important investments golf courses make will be things golfers never see.

Water. Irrigation. Agronomy. Turf selection.

Those decisions will matter just as much as another cool bunker complex.

This might be the part of the project I find most interesting.

They opened Estates and then kept going.

In 2024, the course closed again for additional work.

They added thousands of trees, hedges, shrubs and other plants across the property. More trees went in. Additional bunkers were added. Irrigation continued to expand.

Basically, they gave the course another year to become what they originally envisioned.

I actually like that approach.

Golf-course renovations aren’t video games.

You don’t hit publish, and suddenly everything is finished.

Trees need to grow.

Grass needs to establish.

Players start showing you how holes actually play.

Sightlines change.

The property starts developing some personality.

The old Adobe Restaurant had history.

The new Adobe Bar & Grille keeps some of that identity while creating something that makes more sense for today’s golf.

Breakfast.

Lunch.

Dinner.

Drinks.

Indoor-outdoor seating.

Views across the property.

A place you could realistically visit without playing golf.

That last part matters.

I’ve spent much of my career around golf facilities, and I think the best properties over the next decade will become less dependent on one product.

Eighteen holes doesn’t have to disappear.

It’s still the main event, but a golf facility can also be a restaurant, practice facility, event venue, meeting place and community hub.

That’s where Biltmore gets interesting.

The new clubhouse also includes No. 37 Golf Lounge, an indoor golf experience powered by TrackMan.

I spent years working around that technology, so I’m probably biased here, but indoor golf makes a ton of sense at a property like this.

Indoor golf doesn’t replace the golf course.

It extends it.

You can practice.

Get numbers.

Play with friends.

Grab food.

Have a drink.

Bring someone who may not be ready to commit four hours to an actual round.

My original Biltmore newsletter was about two golf courses.

This one is about everything that’s happened around them.

I think there’s something bigger happening here.

Golf properties are starting to understand that the course isn’t the entire product anymore.

Arizona golf changes fast.

A course you played three years ago may have a different name, different greens, different ownership or a completely different experience today.

I wanted one place where I could keep track of that and help other golfers answer the question I get asked constantly:

Where should I play next?

So I built Local Loop around the Arizona golf knowledge I’ve collected through the years.

For more than 100 years, AZ GOLF has served as Arizona’s governing body of golf, helping grow and protect the game by hosting amateur championships, administering golf course ratings and providing our members with a Handicap Index.

James Hahn, who played at California and then played in nearly 300 PGA Tour events, has joined Matt Thurmond’s staff, fresh off the top-five team’s OGCC Fighting Illini Invitational win this past weekend.

Golf style can get expensive fast, but it doesn’t have to. Do a little digging, and you’ll find plenty of good stuff at or below $100.

If your current setup leaves you guessing, take a closer look at the Precision Pro Titan. Check the current price, review the features, and decide whether it solves your real problem.

COMMUNITY

The Cactus Club turns one membership into a full year of better golf. Join and receive an exclusive player gift package featuring premium gear from Devereux Golf, Bangarang and Imperiel.

Then keep the value coming with an official USGA handicap index, the Valley Golf Pass, 50% off The Cactus Club events and products, and access to member-only golf trips.

Blades Golf Lounge is offering your first session free. Test Foresight Falcon tech, dial in your game, and experience indoor golf like never before.