The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn has been through a lot of changes since it first became a Marriott property in 1967. As Scottsdale’s first resort, the Camelback Inn has consistently been first in a number of things and strives to make sure each and every guest is treated like royalty. Most recently, the Marriott has premiered the new 18 hole Ambiente golf course which marks the culmination of a seven year, $70 million renovation. The name Ambiente means “environment” in Spanish. In concert with the existing Padre course, it creates a 36 hole golf experience unrivaled in this area, and is one of a very select group of courses to be built nationwide.
The Padre course at Camelback Inn is known for it’s great parkland style golf with water hazards, pine and eucalyptus trees that challenge every level of player. Ambiente replaces the old Indian Bend course, and is Scottsdale’s first new golf course to be built in the last five years. It was designed by Jason Straka on behalf of Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design and is a significant improvement over the old course not only in terms of play, but in terms of our environment. The Bermuda grass was removed, and in it’s place, sagebrush, acacias, jojobas, and other native desert grasses have been planted. In compliment to the desert plants, 85 acres of hybrid turf grass has been placed on the course which saves water and is much less labor intensive than the traditional Bermuda variety. All this means that Ambiente will have a 50 percent decrease in pesticide, fertilizer, and fossil fuel use as well as using one third less water than the old course. Keeping the area beautiful is easy with both summer and winter desert wildflower mixes. The other 100 acres of turf grass that have been replaced with the native desert foliage is expected to bring the wildlife back to the course. Birds and mammals are expected to increase substantially and keep with the Marriott commitment to protecting wildlife and natural resources.
While playing the challenging Ambiente course, golfers will be treated to exquisite views of Camelback Mountain, Mummy Mountain, the McDowells, and the Phoenix Mountain Preserve area. The 122,000 square foot green acreage make for a golfer friendly area where accuracy and a good strategy are key to win the day. Rolling fairways and significant drops throughout the course challenge even the most experienced players while the more novice player will appreciate the easy approach angles and the absence of forced carries. Anyone who has played on the previous course will notice that 13 of the holes are in completely different areas than they were before. Where the hole number four and five are located, Marriott leased the land for the next 66 years from the previous HOA owners. In doing this, they have been able to turn a bare piece of dry land into 16 acres of golf landscape. Another unique feature of Ambiente is it’s five sets of tee boxes. These are a positive impact on the “growth of the game” effort in the golf industry today.
No expense has been spared to make your experience as flawless as possible. The renovation has touched every part of the property while still preserving the 1930’s adobe brick. The Camelback Inn has so much to offer with its 453 guest rooms and suites, two swimming pools, six tennis courts, seven restaurants and lounges like the new BLT Steak, and a 32,000 square foot spa. Whether you’re traveling far from home, or a local coming to hit the links for the day, you’ll see why they say about Camelback Inn “In all the world, only one.”