Scottsdale National Golf Club: The Epitome of the Jetsetter Experience
An exclusive, members only oasis in the Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale National Golf Club presents golf the way it should be played. No tee times required. Wide open fairways across forty-five holes with no homes lining the courses. Supported by two distinctive clubhouses with stunning views and unexpected amenities. Fifteen luxurious member Villas with sixty tastefully appointed rooms, surrounded by three million acres of government protected desert land in the center of magnificent vistas. And just one rule, established by club owners Bob and Renee Parsons — and insisted upon by the membership — “No member shall ever impinge upon another member’s enjoyment of the club.”
Jamie Agoglia: Scottsdale National Golf Club sounds like it is the most unparalleled golfing experience on the planet.
Robert Reeves, General Manager of Hospitality: It is. We have a very unique membership experience. When you compare us to other clubs and other golf club experiences, ours is and is always going to be, I think very unique and different from a lot that you find out there.
The Xperience at Scottsdale National is an opportunity for people to come here and experience what it is like to be a member for three days and be treated as such and get full access to the club and all the amenities that come with the membership. There are three ways to get in this door and that’s either be a member, be a guest of a member, or to be a participant in the experience.
Something we hear time and time again, the saddest part about their (Xperience participant) stay here is when they leave and realize that it’s all over. The Xperience is a chance for somebody to come in here and really partake in everything and anything that is Scottsdale National.
I love the one rule, “no member shall ever impinge upon another member’s enjoyment of the club.” That’s fantastic.
RR: That is absolutely the foundation of everything that we do here. It’s rule number one, actually, that’s the only rule that exists here at Scottsdale National.
If invited to join, you’re not handed a 30-page rulebook stating you can’t have your phones and you can’t wear a hat in the clubhouse and you have to wear a collared shirt…
The only thing at Scottsdale National, or quite frankly, with Mr. and Mrs. Parsons, is that they go against the grain of tradition. They are so irreverent in their own respective ways, which makes Scottsdale National so unique and very special. These are two people who have a love of the game, who have a love for the finer things in life. More importantly, they have a love of being able to share those things with others and be able to surround themselves with people who have those same passions. That’s why Scottsdale National was created.
Come here, have fun. This isn’t about rule books and, and stodgy golf etiquette. Now please trust me, I’m a fan of the game. I share and have a tremendous amount of respect for the game. But golf doesn’t have to be pretentious and stuffy. As Mr. Parsons says, we’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time.
And yet, Scottsdale National is secluded luxury. For a lot of our members, they tell me all the time they come in through the gate, they’re able to forget. Scottsdale National was a bubble before the term bubble even became fashionable. And when a member or guest enters into that bubble, they can really let go.
The pressures of life just kind of wash away and members can be very present in the moment and enjoy the things that we’re able to put in front of them and anticipate for them from a service experience.
Kristin Newman (KN), General Manager: We maintain a peaceful, wonderful, very beautiful dynamic experience in this bubble, and our staff is as authentic and passionate as it gets. It’s an escape from everything.
This is the first time this year in speaking with anyone for a feature in which I didn’t even remotely think to ask about the pandemic as you are truly so completely detached from everything!
KN: Aside from no handshakes, hugs, and now masks, you are correct.
Scottsdale National truly is the “Jetsetter” experience, there is nothing operating at your level.
KN: The level of privacy, seclusion, and peacefulness, it’s absolute and total peacefulness. No member shall ever impinge upon another member’s enjoyment of the club. That is absolutely what governs 100% of what goes on here, and it’s the best thing ever! It is the most fun, and the most brilliant culture. It gives us a benchmark with which to make all decisions. It’s just truly relaxed and fun and wonderful. To see people playing golf in T-shirts, it’s one of the greatest experiences you’ve ever seen! It’s fantastic!
Robert touched upon that and just how important that, in all its seeming simplicity, is. When you remove the pretentiousness, that element, it takes it to another level. People just being how they want to be.
KN: It’s a different level of confidence. That’s what I would also say about our membership, they don’t need to prove anything to anyone. They are here to literally just enjoy themselves, which is why Bob (Parsons) built the Club.
