Following in his father’s footsteps, Jack Nicklaus II created the Golf Club of Estrella to be a diverse desert course. The rolling hills add character to the fairways and the Sierra Estrella Mountains serve as an almost surreal backdrop in the distance. As a constant goal for all Nicklaus courses, the environment is changed only slightly to enhance the course’s beauty and playability. The natural vegetation of the desert is pretty enough on its own to need little change, complimenting the course and adding challenge.
Since the course tends to be rocky because of the terrain making shots difficult at times, there are few birdie opportunities throughout the course. Nicklaus challenges golfers to use every club in the bag and to analyze every shot before swinging. In 2000, Estrella was listed among the Top 40 Daily fee Courses in Golfweek magazine as well as Golf magazine.