Brad Klein's hard-to-find history of Desert Forest Golf Club, pioneer of desert golf in Arizona,
Added to Classics of Golf's "Clubs & Courses" Lineup

PEARL RIVER, NY – Mike Beckerich, publisher of Classics of Golf, announced that the comprehensive history of Desert Forest Golf Club, written by distinguished architecture critic Bradley S. Klein, is now available on the Classics of Golf Website.

The book measures 9x10.5 inches, totals 160 pages in full color and includes a poster-sized routng map suitable for framing and a video CD with commentary by Klein.

When Desert Forest opened in 1962 in Carefree, Arizona, it was immediately hailed for its pioneering blend of linksland and hardscrabble desert. Here for the first time is the story of how this bold new golf course design transformed the face of the game in the American Southwest.

Architect Robert "Red" Lawrence's evocation of classic strategic playing principles in the Sonoran foothills is more than a conventional course, and "Desert Forest Golf Club" is more than a conventional club history.

The book locates a unique tale within the larger scope of developments in Phoenix and Arizona, including the story of how real estate visionaries Tom Darlington and K.T. Palmer founded the town of Carefree with Desert Forest Golf Club at its heart.

Here is a club that cherishes its identity and has preserved its tradtional character: a golf club, not a country club, with a simple clubhouse; a course that doesn't overseed and goes dormant brown in winter; and holes without a single fairway bunker that yet demand some of the most exacting shot-making to be found anywhere in the U.S.

"When Desert Forest Golf Club opened for play in 1962, it was far ahead of its time. Early members had to have a true pioneer spirit to travel twenty miles across the desert to play golf, but good players embraced its rugged challenges, and the course proved the feasibility of the game in this unusual setting.

"In the years since, the desert between Carefree and Scottsdale has been liberally sprinkled with imitators, but the best players in the Phoenix area today drive past the rest to play Red Lawrence's original." --Tom Doak

Price: $40