The Wigwam (Gold Course)

Overview: The Wigwam’s Gold Course is an 18-hole, par-72 Robert Trent Jones Sr. design in Litchfield Park, west of Phoenix. It measures 7,345 yards and is framed by the Sonoran Desert, irrigated resort greenery and the distant mountains. Long par fours, substantial par fives, small elevated greens and Jones’s strategic bunkering define the test. Although the setting is arid, the course is not a barren desert routing: water features, mature planting and carefully maintained corridors create a contrasting landscape around the Gold Course’s demanding approach shots.

History: The Wigwam began as a Goodyear guest ranch in 1929, and the first nine-hole course was developed in 1930. V.O. “Red” Allen expanded the golf facility to 18 holes in 1935. In 1965, Robert Trent Jones Sr. was brought in to develop a second 18-hole course and rebuild the first; the two new routings became the Gold and Blue courses. Later renovation work, including a 2015 Gold Course restoration associated with Tom Lehman, sought to keep Jones’s original intent visible in the bunkers, elevated greens and long-hole strategy. The Gold Course has since hosted U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur qualifying, NCAA regional play and the Patriot All-America Invitational.

Did You Know? The Gold Course’s nickname, “Arizona’s Monster,” is tied to its scale and architecture rather than to a separate course identity. It shares Jones’s small elevated greens and long-hole framework with the Blue Course, but the Gold routing extends to 7,345 yards and has been the property’s principal tournament test.