Arizona Biltmore (Estates)

Set on the historic grounds of the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, the Estates Course has entered a completely new era following a full-scale renovation and redesign that reopened in late 2023. Originally the site of the long-standing Adobe Course, the property was transformed by Tom Lehman and the Lehman Design Group into what is essentially a brand-new golf course. Located in the heart of Phoenix with mountain and skyline views in every direction, the course now blends classic parkland golf with a more modern, refined resort experience.

This was far more than a facelift. The renovation included entirely new green complexes, recontoured fairways, updated bunkering, and a revised routing, along with added length and multiple tee options to better suit all skill levels. The end result is a course that feels cleaner, more strategic, and significantly more playable for the typical weekend golfer. Fairways are still inviting off the tee, but improved shaping and bunker placement now reward better angles into the greens, making club selection and positioning more important than ever.

The layout flows smoothly across relatively flat terrain, but the redesign added more definition to each hole with mounding, new trees, and sharper visual lines. The par 4s tend to favor accuracy over power, while the par 5s give you a chance to score if you stay in position. The greens are one of the biggest upgrades — now more modern in design with subtle movement that can make putting more challenging than it first appears. The white sand bunkers also stand out visually and play consistently throughout the course.

What stands out most after the renovation is how balanced and approachable the entire experience feels. The Estates Course still carries the history and setting of the Biltmore, but now plays like a modern resort course built for today’s golfer. For the typical weekend player, it’s a course that looks great, plays fair, and offers just enough challenge to keep things interesting without ever feeling overwhelming — a combination that makes it easy to enjoy and even easier to come back and play again.