Go inside Desert Mountain's sublime clubhouse, an understated desert spectacle
The main clubhouse at Desert Mountain in Arizona is a modernist stone marvel that blends seamlessly into its surrounds. We take you inside. Josh Goedker Mention modern minimalism and most golfers know what you’re getting at.
The term describes light-on-the-land designs that move with the terrain rather than riding roughshod over it. It’s been the dominant aesthetic in golf course architecture for decades. But it’s also evident in clubhouse design.
Consider Desert Mountain Club. The North Scottsdale landmark, hosting this week’s U. S.
Amateur Four-Ball Championship , has seven clubhouses, one for each of its courses. But its signature structure — and the central stitch in the club’s social fabric — is the Cochise-Geronimo clubhouse: a 72,000-square-foot space that is as subtle as it is sublime. On a recent visit, GOLF.
com received a guided tour from architect Bob Bacon, who set out to create something functional, enduring, and understated. In his view, the desert is “a visually fragile environment” where trees top out around 20 feet. “If you’re not careful,” Bacon said, “buildings can overwhelm it instantly.