Troon North Golf Club — Pinnacle Course

The Pinnacle Course at Troon North arrived six years after the Monument, in 1996, and it occupies the more dramatic terrain of the two layouts. Where the Monument borrows from British links principles, the Pinnacle leans fully into Sonoran Desert target golf. Steep arroyos cut across fairways, native washes separate tees from landing areas, and saguaro forests line the corridors between holes. The visual impact is immediate and sustained across the round.

Weiskopf and Morrish routed the course to maximise exposure to natural desert features without making them gratuitously penal. The forced carries are calibrated to the forward tees as well as the tips, so if you play the appropriate markers the carries are manageable. What the Pinnacle demands is commitment. Standing on a tee with desert scrub between you and the fairway requires trusting your swing, and the course asks for that trust repeatedly.

The signature hole is the par-5 16th, which measures 609 yards and runs through a natural desert wash. The length alone makes it a three-shot hole for nearly everyone, and the wash creates a decision point on the second shot that defines the hole's character. Aggressive play carries a portion of the wash to a narrow landing area that shortens the third. Conservative play lays up to a wide zone that leaves a longer but less obstructed approach. Both strategies are viable, which is the mark of a well-designed risk-reward hole.

The greens are set into the desert terrain rather than elevated above it, a choice that allows the approach to use the ground. Contours are less severe than on the Monument but still demand attention to pin placement. Maintenance matches the standard that supports the Monument's higher-profile reputation.