The final touches are being made to a new short course at the Mountain Shadows resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona, which is to open next month.

The course will feature 18 par three holes, and has been designed by golf course architect Forrest Richardson.

Richardson previously discussed his plans for the course with GCA, which is being built on the site of the former Mountain Shadows course. This layout was originally created by Arthur Jack Snyder – an architect Richardson worked with in his early career.

Snyder’s design saw a full 18-holes on just 40 acres of land. The design included two par four holes, but Richardson has reworked the layout to make every hole a par three.

With a par of 54, the course will play 1,735 yards from the front tees, and 2,310 yards from the back tees. The course features just 18 bunkers, with the aim of increasing player enjoyment.

Another quirk is a ‘bonus’ par two hole. Richardson has previously written about the concept of a par two hole in his 2002 book Routing the Golf Course, and has since searched for a project where he could bring the idea to life. That has now been achieved with the addition of the ‘Forrest Wager’ hole at Mountain Shadows, which has been created in addition to the 18-hole course.

Richardson previously told GCA that the concept for this hole was quite simple, with tee markers part on and part off the green. Play therefore beings with either a putt or a chip, which can be anywhere from 20 to 45 yards in length. Richardson also described the green as being ‘long and narrow’.

The course was recently included the list of projects honoured by the American Society of Golf Course Architects as part of its Design Excellence Recognition Program. 

Both the Short Course and the Mountain Shadows resort are to open on 14 February 2017.