Long Course

Golf course designer, Tom Fazio, came up with a three-level layout that created very distinct playing areas. The quarry wall became a focal point allowing golfers to play off it, along side of it, into it and off it again. This would be dramatically evident on the picturesque 10th hole. The bottom quarry floor level hosted seven holes. Another seven holes rested at the alluvial fan which loomed 80 feet above the quarry. Four holes perched within a mountain cove above. In all, golfers would experience a gradual change in elevation of more than 400 feet when playing the course.

In the book Golf Course Designs, Bill Morrow wrote about The Quarry: “One of the first things a golfer notices is that they rarely have to play uphill. In fact, with the exception of two or three approaches to greens, golfers play the entire course on level fairways. There are, of course, downhill shots and two par threes where the course moves from the upper terrain onto the quarry floor. It’s an example of how Tom Fazio sees existing conditions to create interest, yet maintains playability for golfers of different abilities. Tom also left the greens open in the back, another example of designing a playable golf course. Tom Fazio does not like to penalize a bold shot too severely. Here, if a ball bounces over the green, it may finish in tall grass from which a golfer has a chance to chip for a fairly easy bogey, but he has to play hard to obtain par.”

“The Quarry was a trendsetter in so many ways,” said Fazio. “It set a standard for golf in the desert.”