Movers & Shakeups

By Bill Huffman

ASU Karsten sets May 5 for last day

‘House that Lefty built’ to close after 30 years

In September 1989, the ASU Karsten Golf Course opened to much fanfare in northeast Tempe. Smack dab on the campus of Arizona State University, its future seemed so bright you needed sunglasses.

Indeed, ASU Karsten was named after one of Arizona’s most celebrated golf icons, Karsten Solheim, the founder of PING. It also had been created by one of the biggest names in golf — Dye Design, even if Perry and Alice had more to do with it than the more celebrated Pete Dye, Alice’s husband and Perry’s father. If that wasn’t enough, a young phenom named Phil Mickelson had just arrived on campus. His presence over the next four years would certainly factor into what would become known as the “House that Lefty built.”

Fast-forward 30 years (and a whole lot more history and lore of ASU golf), and ASU Karsten is getting ready to shutter. Oh, my, you’re probably saying, “Say it ain’t so!”

“I’m afraid it’s so,” said ASU Karsten’s general manager, Derek Crawford. “Cinco de Mayo, May 5, will be our swan song.”

Crawford was only half joking when he suggested the course will throw a party on that last day complete with “free tequila and margaritas.” But there will be some type of goodbye event, he added.

“Simply put, the land underneath the golf course became too valuable,” Crawford noted. “And what’s going to happen on it in the future turns out to be a really big deal, with corporate, retail, condos and a massive sports complex that includes softball and soccer and other athletics.”

It’s always hard to lose a golf course, especially one that has so much history tied to ASU golf as well as the memories made by its guests. But ASU Karsten Golf Course will close on May 5.

ASU Karsten includes 100 acres of land that was originally donated to the university by its neighbor, APS. It had been a rag-tag piece of desert scrub under huge electrical lines and in an airport flightpath when the school acquired it from APS. Today, thanks partly to the millions donated in Solheim’s name, it’s one of the largest greenbelts on a college campus in the country.

Add in 80 more acres around ASU Karsten’s perimeter, another 150 acres to the south and west, and you have the 330-acre parcel now known as Novus Innovation Corridor, which is being master-planned by ASU and Catellus Development Corporation.

While the course and rather large clubhouse have yet to be bulldozed (they’re coming like a tsunami), the ASU golf teams have moved their headquarters to Papago Golf Course, a highly regarded municipal where a new facility and practice area for the teams have been built. Completed in 2014, the city of Phoenix and ASU signed a 30-year deal for a foundation to manage the course through Scottsdale-based OB Sports.

“It’s been in the works for a while,” Crawford explained. “In fact, a lot of people thought we were already closed, and that’s been a tough rumor to overcome for the last year or two.

“But it’s going to happen, so I hope a lot of people come out to say farewell. In a way, it’s really sad, because when it debuted as a high-end golf course 30 years ago, everyone pretty much thought it would be here forever.”

Not everyone adored the course, which had an extremely short, tight front nine. But as far as challenge goes, and with a tough closing stretch, it certainly fit the bill over the years, testing some of the best golfers in the collegiate ranks. ASU Karsten’s last four holes were truly championship caliber, reaching a crescendo with a 457-yard par 4; a 248-yard par 3 guarded by water; a 581-yard, uphill par 5; and a confounding, 471-yard par 4 over water.

It’s always hard to lose a golf course, especially one that has so much history tied to ASU golf as well as the memories made by its guests. Even Crawford, whose twin brother, Daryl, just happens to be GM at Papago, struggles to find the right words.

“I hate to use this line, but, unfortunately, it is what it is,” he said. “And having said that, it’s still a great course today, that’s, ironically, in great shape as we have to say goodbye.”

So instead of a 30th birthday party, ASU Karsten gets a funeral. Oh, my! Say it ain’t so!

MOVERS

Troon founder Dana Garmany has stepped down as chief executive officer of the world’s largest golf management company. Tim Schantz, currently the Scottsdale-based company’s president, will succeed Garmany as CEO. Garmany will remain as chairman of the board of the company he founded in 1990.

In his new role, Garmany said he will focus on working with the Troon board on longterm strategic goals and big-picture issues across the golf industry. He said day-to-day operations “will continue as usual” at Troon, which has more than 270 high-end courses in its portfolio.

Tim Schantz

Under Garmany, Troon has expanded its reach not only by adding management and lease contracts but through acquisitions. It purchased Honours Golf and its portfolio of 16 courses in 2014, and CaddieMaster, a provider of caddie services, in 2015. Recently, Troon closed a deal to buy Cliff Drysdale Management, the largest tennis club management firm in the U.S.

Schantz, a licensed attorney, joined Troon in 1998. He has more than 25 years’ experience specializing in corporate and real estate transactions and has been a key player in Troon’s rapid expansion during the past 15 years.

SHAKEUPS

General manager Brady Wilson and his Ak Chin-Southern Dunes gang are always shaking it up, especially when it comes to the food and beverage related to their club’s award-winning Arroyo Grille. Or have you forgotten their shake shack modeled after those famous chocolate malted milks at Castle Pines in Colorado?

This time Wilson has created Freddy’s Corner, which features made-to-order items designed for the golfer who is looking for a quick bite as he makes the turn. Freddy, of course, is a reference to Fred Couples, the architect of Southern Dunes.

But here’s what makes Freddy’s Corner just a little bit different than other halfway houses: There is no set menu. Guests will find out what the daily special is upon arrival at the property. Everything will be super fresh at Freddy’s Corner and cost $9 plus tax. Some of the items that already have been savored include the prime rib sandwich, Italian sausage and peppers, and the smoked pulled-pork sandwich. Boom, boom!

OBITUARY

One of the good guys in Arizona golf, Randy Beaupre, died on March 21 after a sudden and severe illness. Beaupre, who was the director of golf at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, was 55.

Beaupre, who grew up in the White Mountains and graduated from Blue Ridge High School in Greer, served as head professional at the Arizona Biltmore before taking a similar position at McCormick Ranch in 2001. He was head professional at McCormick until last year, when he was named to the directorof golf position in February.

He was an active and lifelong professional in the PGA of America, and was known for his Junior Golf Academy each summer at McCormick. Besides golf, friends and family said Beaupre loved to fish. His favorite haunts were Apache, Bartlett and Canyon lakes, as well as Roosevelt Lake and Dam, where he landed lunker bass on a regular basis.

A celebration of Beaupre’s life was held in late March at McCormick Ranch. He is survived by his former wife, Patricia Marble Beaupre, who was at his side throughout his final days, as well as his children, Beau and Kassi, and two grandchildren. RIP, Randy.