Our Story

Founded in 1983, Desert Highlands has a rich history and offers a great appreciation for the natural beauty of living in the Sonoran Desert.

Jack Nicklaus & Lyle Anderson
- There’s no doubt that Desert Highlands, a thriving golf community with outstanding views and amazing people, is a wonderful place to live. But how did this North Scottsdale gem gain its prestigious reputation and popularity?
  
  That story is one that legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus and Desert Highlands developer Lyle Anderson are always happy to tell, even 39 years later.
  
  Anderson knew he wanted to get Desert Highlands on the map as one of the top desert golf communities and courses in the nation, and Nicklaus, as the designer of the community’s signature golf course, wanted the same. When the “Golden Bear” was approached to play in the inaugural PGA Skins game in 1983, he seized the opportunity to make the Desert Highlands course the site of history in the making.
  
  Despite the course being untested for championship play at the time, Nicklaus made a deal to play in the tournament only if it was hosted at Desert Highlands. He wanted to play this inaugural game on a unique and challenging desert course that was unlike any other. The originator of the first Skins game, Don Ohlmeyer, quickly agreed after flying to North Scottsdale to view the impressive course himself.
  
  That first Skins game, featuring top players like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer, became a huge success—as did Desert Highlands. By the second year of the tournament, there were no more properties left to sell. The community was hailed as a desert golf mecca. And the rest is history.
History of the PGA Skins Game
- "You may know I’m an avid golfer who grew up in Canada. I have been in the real estate business for 38 years, and the last 19 years right here in Scottsdale. From the very start, it was the PGA Skins game that interested me in Scottsdale and the (then) new and premier Desert Highlands Golf Club. In fact, it convinced me Scottsdale was a great place to do business, and Desert Highlands became my home.
  
  The first PGA Skins Game was played in 1983 at Desert Highlands Golf Club, airing on NBC stations across the Americas (yes, including Canada) with Vince Scully commentating. The event took place on Thanksgiving weekend after the end of the official PGA Tour season.
  
  While the PGA recognized the event, the purse was not included on the official money list. It was intended to be a showcase for the players' personalities and to highlight ‘the love of the game’. I looked forward to the battle every year! The event was played Thanksgiving weekend from 1983 – 2008 and produced some of the most memorable and personable moments in golf. It is a tournament I’m hopeful will resume someday. (Look at our blog to learn about the best moments in PGA Skins history!)
  
  Besides the vibrancy of both the fans and the people in the skins tournament each year, the other difference between this event and other PGA tournaments is remarkable. Only four golfers were invited to play in the tournament each year. They played to win individual holes or ‘skins’ using a match play format. Monetary values varied from hole to hole.
  
  The golfer taking the hole with the best score won the money for that hole. If two or more players tied for the win on a hole (halving the hole), the skin carried over to the next hole and so did the money. If the final hole is halved, a playoff begins, until one golfer wins outright. The first year, the fab-four of golf, Arnold Palmer, Gary Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson duked it out at Desert Highlands. On 12, Arnold Palmer sank a 40′ putt for birdie and won $100,000 (a lot of money back then).
  
  But it was Gary Player who took home the largest piece of the pie at the Desert Highlands inaugural event. He earned $170,000 that year. $150,000 of his prize money came from a 4-foot birdie putt on 17. It is said that Player was visibly shaking on the putt. That $150,000 was more than he had ever won in a single year of his career. Don Ohlmeyer told Arizona Golf, 'He [Gary Player] was hyperventilating so bad he couldn’t take the club back on 18.'
  
  What’s truly wonderful, as I think back on this 'Throwback Thursday,' is that not everything changes. In 1983, and to this day, Desert Highlands remains a premier country club in Scottsdale.
  
  I’m still an avid golfer and Desert Highlands is one of my favorite courses in town. Another thing that remains is the wonder of Scottsdale."
  
  Don Matheson
  Former Member of Desert Highlands