Desert Forest Golf Club
Carefree, Maricopa County, Arizona · Cave Creek & Carefree golf market
- Access
- invitation only
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- Robert "Red" Lawrence
Thinking About Living in Desert Forest Golf Club?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands Desert Forest Golf Club and the surrounding Cave Creek & Carefree golf market.
Desert Forest Golf Club sits at the historical heart of Carefree, Arizona — the club and the town were conceived together in the early 1960s by Carefree's founders, K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington, who commissioned architect Robert "Red" Lawrence to build a golf course that would define the new community. Lawrence's mandate — "leave the desert unmarked" — produced what is widely regarded as the first true desert-style golf course in the American Southwest, a minimalist design philosophy that predated the celebrated Coore/Crenshaw desert-minimalist era by roughly three decades. The club remains strictly private today: membership is limited to roughly 250 and granted only by invitation or sponsorship from an existing member, with no public play offered.
Golf & Course
Built in 1962, Desert Forest broke from the Midwestern-parkland style that dominated Phoenix-area golf at the time — imported turf and tree-lined fairways — in favor of a course that worked with the native Sonoran Desert terrain rather than against it. Lawrence earned the nickname "Desert Fox" for this approach, and the course is frequently cited in golf-architecture circles as a foundational influence on later desert-minimalist design.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Desert Forest is a classic old-model private club: membership is not for sale on the open market and is not bundled to any specific home purchase. New members are admitted via invitation/sponsorship by an existing member, and the club discloses no public fee schedule. A buyer purchasing a home near or within the Desert Forest area gains no automatic access — membership must be pursued independently through the club's own admission process.
Living in Desert Forest Golf Club
Homes in the immediate Desert Forest area are custom luxury properties (reported roughly 2,200-6,000 sq ft) set against the club's desert-forest backdrop near the Tonto National Forest boundary north of Carefree. The community's identity is inseparable from the club's founding role in Carefree itself.
Location & Surrounding Area
Located in Carefree, in the Desert Foothills area north of Cave Creek and Scottsdale, adjacent to Tonto National Forest.
Interested in Homes in Desert Forest Golf Club?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Cave Creek & Carefree market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Current initiation fee and annual dues (club discloses none publicly — confirm directly with the club).
- Whether the club grounds/surrounding home area are gated.
- Current membership cap and waitlist status.
Notable
- Founded in 1962 as the intended centerpiece of the newly created town of Carefree.
- Designed by Robert "Red" Lawrence, a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
- Widely credited as the first true desert-style golf course built in the Southwestern United States.
Nearby Golf Communities Worth Comparing
Considering a Move to Desert Forest Golf Club?
Whether you're comparing Desert Forest Golf Club with another Cave Creek & Carefree golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.