Gainey Ranch Golf Club (Dunes/Arroyo)

Overview: Dunes/Arroyo brings together Gainey Ranch's most desert-oriented nine with its longest. Dunes asks for accuracy from the tee and a controlled approach game, with indigenous desert framing the playing corridors. Arroyo then stretches the round with more room for confident driving, while still demanding thoughtful placement. The par-72 routing is a strong example of Scottsdale golf using contrast, moving from a tight desert texture to a longer, more expansive nine without losing its sense of place.

History: The golf program at Gainey Ranch is organized around three 9-hole courses, Lakes, Dunes and Arroyo. The club identifies Michael Poellot and Bradford L. Benz as the designers, with Poellot previously serving as chief architect for Robert Trent Jones Jr. The three-nine concept explains why this directory entry is a specific 18-hole combination, not a separate club course. A dependable opening date for the Dunes/Arroyo routing is not published in the available official material, so no year is inferred.

Did You Know? Gainey's official description calls Arroyo the longest of the three nines and notes its peninsula green on the ninth. Dunes has a different assignment, asking players to find fairways and greens through a more indigenous desert setting. That pairing makes the route especially instructive: the first nine rewards restraint and precision, while the second asks whether a player can add distance without giving away position.