Superstition Mountain (Lost Gold)

Those looking for gold outside of Phoenix might not have any luck but if they swing by the Gold Canyon community, they’ll hit the mother lode (in terms of golf). Jack Nicklaus, his sons, and associate Phil Smith designed two 18-hole courses for the Superstition Mountain club: Lost Gold and Prospector, as well as two nine-hole layouts. Both of the Nicklaus Design courses are held to similar acclaim.

Nicklaus designed the Lost Gold course with Jack Jr., while Prospector was designed alongside son Gary. The track differentiates itself from the other route by taking a more links-like approach to design...or at least as much as one can do in Arizona. The key is offering wide, forgiving fairways, but also offering smaller greens so that those looking to score can’t simply spray it from the tee.

One thing you won’t find much of at UK links that will be seen in spades at Lost Gold is a number of forced carries into the green; these desert washes won’t do much for your ground game! If the dried out creek beds make you thirsty, you’ll finally be rewarded at No. 18, where a full-on pond guards the final approach to the green.