New golf course opens near Camelback Inn
Nov 21, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 8:17 am
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Some residents near the Marriott Camelback Inn Resort may be happy that an old golf course has been renovated in their area.
The 30-year-old Indian Bend Golf Course was flat and had become a danger to their homes.
“The Indian Bend wash runs right through the golf course,” said Rob Bartley, the golf director for the Camelback Golf Club, which is owned by the J.W. Marriott Corporation and is a few miles north of Camelback Inn. He said the course was a hazard to more than just golfers.
“Over the years, the wash had silted over, and when the monsoon rains came, it would sheet-flow,” Bartley said. “We had neighbors on either side of the golf course and we were in danger of flooding their homes.”
The company decided to put the course through a $10 million renovation and rename it Ambiente, which is Spanish for “environment.”
“We went into the Indian Bend wash and lowered the channel and flipped the dirt over to the perimeters and created a rolling, contured course,” Bartley said. “It’s just an extraordinary golf course.”
Bartley said the new 7,000-yard course will have less flooding risk, and will help the game of many golfers.
“If you slice the ball, it actually stays on the golf course,” Bartley said. “We have some homes on the perimeter of the golf course, but those are on the left hand side. So, unless you’re a ‘hooker,’ the homes will be safe. You’ll enjoy the round of golf and the homes will be safe as well.”
Ambiente is now open to both members of a private club and the public, with prices starting at just over $150 per round. It is adjacent to the Padre Golf course at the Camelback Golf Club.
