Golf Returns to Historic Castle Hot Springs Resort

PHOENIX - July 28, 2018 - PRLog -- Located in the rugged Bradshaw Mountains, this remote desert oasis was founded in 1896 as a small lodge and retreat catering to guests seeking therapy and rest. The main attraction being the 120-degree natural hot springs bubbling out of the small canyon above the resort grounds. From its beginning the Resort enjoyed  great success up until the Great Depression. Following the Depression the property went through its ups and downs, eventually being shuttered in the 1970s. Visitors such as John Kennedy, Herbert Hoover and Calvin Coolidge made the trek to visit. Throughout its history the resort hosted many famous families including the Wrigleys, Vanderbilts, Weinberg's and Rockefellers,

During its heyday, guests traveled on private Burlington Northern Santa Fe train cars that stopped at the small Morristown station. From there they would climb onto stagecoaches to be taken to the hidden resort cloaked by towering cliffs and deep canyons. After sitting idle for the past 40 years, Castle Hot Springs is making a comeback that involves restoration and transformation of its buildings, grounds and meeting spaces. As part of the work, a golf green is being constructed to host evening "closest to the pin" contests and to serve as a putting green for guests to use during the day. "We're bringing golf back to this special place," says Forrest Richardson, who is overseeing the golf component of the project.

Castle Hot Springs has had golf a part of its tranquil grounds from the beginning. Historical photographs show Victorian-era visitors putting to wooden flagsticks adorned with hand painted hole number medallions. "It may well have been one of America's first resort putting courses," comments Richardson. "Besides soaking in the hot springs, swimming, or an occasional horseback ride, guests would partake in many lawn games as part of their stay, and it's neat that golf was a part of the recreation there."

During the late 1920s it is thought that golf course architect William P. "Billy" Bell visited Castle Hot Springs at the invitation of William Wrigley Jr. who was busy completing his "La Colina Solana" on top of a small hilltop above the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix. Now known as the Wrigley Mansion, this winter cottage was already home to an 18-hole Bell-designed layout, inspired by the Wrigley's insistence that the Biltmore have a well-respected golf course. "Mr. Wrigley came to know Billy Bell over several projects," notes Richardson. "Bell was asked to design the nine-hole course on Catalina Island for the Wrigleys, and he also traveled to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to build a small pitch and putt course on the family's sprawling lakeside estate."

John Hagenah, great grandson of William Wrigley Jr., has been trying to connect the dots on Bell's work at Lake Geneva even though that private course no longer exists. "We can still see some evidence of the little course, plus I have all of the flagsticks and flags," Hagenah reports. Hagenah knows from accounts that his great grandparents were close to Billy Bell, considering him their 'eyes and ears' with respect to golf course architecture.

The new green being built at Castle Hot Springs has become known as "The Billy Bell Green" in honor of Bell and his connection to the Wrigley golf legacy. Throughout the years, the golf offering at Castle Hot Springs included a three-hole course that can be seen in some old aerial photos, very possibly the work of Bell. "We are still hunting for plans or other accounts that more formally ties Bell to the resort," says Richardson. "All of the timing is right with Bell spending time with the Wrigleys in Arizona during the late 1920s and early 30s, and you can bet that some of that was spent visiting Castle Hot Springs where the family got away from it all."

Richardson is no stranger to Bell's work, overseeing restoration work at the Arizona Biltmore in 2005, in addition to many renovation and study projects on Bell courses in Arizona, California, Utah and Hawaii. Richardson notes that Bell was among only a handful of Golden Age designers truly believing in short courses during a time when much of the demand was to build full length layouts to meet golf's growing popularity. "Bell never forget how difficult the game is for beginners," points out Richardson. "He had many short course ideas and plans, and that commitment carried over to his son, William F. Bell, where you can still find many par-3 and short examples."

The new green will sit on the edge of a small pond just a half-wedge away from the new swimming pool and patio spaces. Mike Watts, leader of the resort's re-development group, envisions guests enjoying a beverage while waiting to be called for dinner. From an elevated tee they can take aim at the green, perhaps making a friendly wager or two. "It's intended to be fun," says Richardson. "Just as fun as TopGolf, but set in an amazing natural canyon without all the people and noise — the goal at Castle Hot Springs is to create an oasis feel at every corner, and we hope to do that with the golf green as well."

The Castle Hot Springs resort project includes the construction of 32 luxury bungalows with tubs fed by the natural hot springs. Additional resort accommodations will include cabins and a main lodge building known as the Kennedy House. The resort will be managed by Westroc Hospitality, owners and operators of the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa, Hotel Valley Ho and the recently revitalized Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley. Opening is scheduled for late 2018.

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