GOLF COMMUNITY GUIDE
Desert Forest
Red Lawrence’s 1962 course in Carefree, often called the first true desert golf course.
Desert Forest Golf Club opened in Carefree in 1962, and it is widely considered the first golf course built to fit the desert instead of fighting it. Red Lawrence laid it into the existing landscape with almost no soil moved, so the holes follow the natural roll of the ground, framed by saguaros and native desert. There are no paved cart paths and very few fairway bunkers, and serious golfers still count it among the best courses in Arizona.
At a glance
- Golf: one 18-hole course designed by Robert “Red” Lawrence, opened in 1962 and refined in a 2013 renovation led by David Zinkand.
- The club: private, with membership by sponsored invitation, a clubhouse dining room and bar with valley views, and a caddie program.
- Homes: custom homes on large desert lots in the Carefree neighborhoods around the course.
- Location: Carefree, 85377, off Mule Train Road.
Homes around Desert Forest
Desert Forest is a club, not a master-planned community. The course is surrounded by established Carefree neighborhoods, so homes near it are filed under many different subdivision names. Most are custom homes on large desert lots, often an acre or more, with mountain or course views, and the setting is quiet and dark at night.
Because the homes are spread across several subdivisions, there is no clean set of market numbers for Desert Forest on its own. For the wider picture, the Carefree and Cave Creek guide has current numbers for 85377, and I can pull recent sales for any street near the course.
Membership
Desert Forest is a private club, and membership is by sponsored invitation: a prospective member starts with an invitation from a current member. Buying a home nearby does not come with a membership, and you do not need to be a member to live around the course. Golfers without a connection to the club can ask to be added to its list of interested candidates, and the club reaches out when an opening fits.
For the latest on membership options, fees and waitlists, contact Abby Burton.
Questions buyers ask
Is Desert Forest Golf Club private?
Yes. Membership is by sponsored invitation from a current member.
Who designed Desert Forest?
Robert “Red” Lawrence, who opened it in 1962. It is widely considered the first desert golf course, and a 2013 renovation led by David Zinkand refined the greens, bunkering and sightlines.
Do you have to be a member to live near Desert Forest?
No. The homes around the course are in Carefree neighborhoods that are separate from the club.
Can you show me homes near Desert Forest?
Yes. Contact Abby Burton and I will set up a private tour and send you what is available near the course, including homes that are coming soon.
Keep exploring
More Carefree and North Scottsdale golf communities
Ask me about Desert Forest
I can tell you what daily life there is like, and which homes are worth seeing.
