Mirabel Magic - Celebrating 20 Years

MIRABEL MAGIC C e l e b r a t i n g 2 0 Ye a r s

FO R E WO R D Ask any longtime Member what is so special about Mirabel and the first answer that usually comes to mind is “the people”… the Members and the Mirabel team… they are the foundation of our welcoming and generous culture. This is the magic of Mirabel.

Recently, a new member couple was accepted for membership on a Friday afternoon. They stopped by during the famous ”Friday Afternoon in the Summer” happy hour and were immediately invited to dine with three other couples they had just met. New Members aren’t new at Mirabel for very long! This is the magic of Mirabel.

Guests at Mirabel are often struck by our alluring Desert Lodge Clubhouse with its beautiful down-valley views. They enjoy our premier golf course and our special amenities (did someone say beef jerky and ice cream sandwiches?). But guests most frequently comment on how welcome they feel from the moment they arrive at the club. This is the magic of Mirabel.

This book is an attempt to capture Mirabel’s journey over the past 20 years and our unique, intimate culture. It is a collection of stories and pictures that celebrate the fun times we have shared, the memories that have been created and the lifelong friendships that have been formed.

We hope you will enjoy reliving Mirabel’s first 20 years as much as we enjoyed putting this historical journey together!

— The Mirabel Magic Book Team

MIRABEL MAGIC C e l e b r a t i n g 2 0 Ye a r s

2001 — 2021

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N TS 05

I

INTRODUCTION

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II

CELEBRATIONS!

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III

GENESIS

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IV

THROUGH THE YEARS: A 20-YEAR TIMELINE

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V

THE FORMATIVE YEARS

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VI

OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOLF!

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VII

THE GATHERING PLACE

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VIII

A TRIUMPHANT TRANSITION

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UNIQUE FACETS

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X

EVOLUTION

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I

INTRODUCTION Once in a great while, you discover a club in an unlikely place that restores your faith in what a country club community should be.

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I N T RO D U C T I O N In the Mirabel Club, I found such a place 17 minutes from my house.

As a magazine staff editor and course rankings panelist for 34 years, I’ve had the good fortune to travel the globe and to spend serious time soaking up the environments at the finest clubs in the game. Adding them up, I’ve played more than 1,350 different courses in all 50 states and 35 countries. I’ve toured nearly 700 more facilities and dined at many of the clubs I’ve visited. There are some truly wonderful places out there. Yet, there is something extra-special about Mirabel, something, dare I say, magical.

It’s not the golf course alone that accounts for the abundance of good feelings. Yes, Tom Fazio has crafted a masterpiece in the desert, one that’s sufficiently challenging to keep your interest every day, but also one that’s totally fun to play even if you’re hitting it crooked. But I’ve played many nice Tom Fazio courses—70 to be precise. I’ve also played 85 of the world’s Top 100 courses. I’ve been around a good golf course or two.

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No, what elevates Mirabel extends far beyond the golf. What envelops visitors is the club itself, the spirit of the staff, the warmth and easy camaraderie of the Members.

It’s an attention to detail, a level of service and a welcoming ambience that I’ve rarely encountered in a lifetime of travel.

There’s even something more, however. This is a membership that wants to be doing something fun every day, but also wants to be contributing to the community in every way. No disrespect to anyone from either the East Coast or the West, but there’s a distinctly Midwestern vibe that washes over Mirabel. These are genuinely nice people, who look after each other.

Maybe this is what surprised me most. This is a club in north Scottsdale, after all. To be fair, many such clubs are populated with folks who like flaunting what they drive and what they’ve earned. Not at Mirabel. Every Member here has achieved plenty—but you’d have to Google their names to learn that. At Mirabel, egos are checked at the front door, and any attitude, too.

I go back 20 years with Mirabel. In the spring of 2001, before any of the Members were here, I was a part of a small group that stood with Tom Fazio in the middle of what would soon be a grassed fairway, but was then only dirt.

He explained to us what he had in mind for his design.

In 2004, I finally got to play the course. It was worth the wait. I especially remember the hospitality of then head professional Len Zamora and the taste of the incomparable beef jerky.

After 17 years away, I was reintroduced to Mirabel in 2021 by Doug Redding, who had enjoyed my writing over the years and invited me out. In so doing, I was reunited with that wonderful beef jerky, and I made some new friends as well. During my subsequent visits and interviews I learned that there was much more to the club than fabulous beef jerky and a perfectly conditioned golf course. What registered most were Members committed to helping others through charitable causes—with beneficiaries that included the HonorHealth Research Institute, the Foothills Food Bank and even the families of the club’s own staff. It quickly became obvious to me—Mirabel was not just a very special place, but a uniquely special one.

I feel privileged to have met so many wonderful Members and staff in writing this book. I’m honored to have been asked to help celebrate 20 years of Mirabel.

May the magic continue forever.

— Joe Passov, Cave Creek, 2021 9

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CELEBRATIONS! If the heart of Mirabel is its gorgeous setting and its dazzling amenities, then its soul is comprised of the people—Members and staff—who bring the club to life. Washing over all activity at Mirabel is a welcoming warmth, a spirit of generosity and an embrace of fun. Enjoy a taste of the Mirabel experience as we celebrate twenty years of magically good times.

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III

GENESIS

One word best describes the plot of ground where Mirabel resides: “Enchanted.”

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It has endured fire and floods, a disappearing civilization and a disappearing golf course. On every occasion, it has bounced back. This remarkable parcel in north Scottsdale, Arizona eventually yielded the club and community of Mirabel. It too, has weathered storms, most of them rooted in the economy of the time, but as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, into each life, some rain must fall. Occasionally a little snow must fall as well. In twenty short years, Mirabel has witnessed just about everything — including countless celebrations. Here is its story, from the beginning.

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A M O ST U N CO M P RO M I S I N G P I EC E O F D E S E RT Little is known about the earliest desert dwellers.

What we do know is that by 1000 A.D., the Hohokam people were living in villages within the Salt and Gila River Valleys. The Hohokam were skilled engineers and farmers. They created a sophisticated canal system that allowed them to divert river water so that they could flourish wherever they established a community. By 1100 A.D. many of these villages expanded to higher ground in the north along the Verde River, a tributary of the Salt River. Situated in regions we know today as Cave Creek, Carefree, north Scottsdale and the Tonto National Forest, the Hohokam prospered—until they didn’t.

Sometime after 1450, the Hohokam people vanished. Theories point to weather pattern change as a source of the disappearance, with both prolonged drought and frequent floods causing a breakdown in their canal system, resulting in crop failures, and eventually a migration.

Gone, but not forgotten, the Hohokam left behind petroglyphs etched in rock, and a network of canals that formed the basis for the development of Phoenix and Scottsdale.

In 1863, the United States designated Arizona as a territory (it became a state in 1912). To protect its interests in what had become Apache country, the government established Fort McDowell in 1865 on the west bank of the Verde River near Cave Creek. As wagon roads expanded to Phoenix, soldiers found an idyllic rest stop in a shaded grassy spring just west of what we know today as Cave Creek. They were likely a drive and a 5-iron away from Mirabel.

Not everyone was enamored with the surroundings in the far north Valley. Writing in the 1870s, Captain John G. Bourke described the New River area in an account of his journey with General George Crook: “…The site was in the midst of the most uncompromising piece of desert in the region which boasts more desert land than any territory in the Union. The surrounding hills and mesas yielded a perennial crop of cactus and little of anything else…”

Captain Bourke was incorrect in his assessment.

There was “gold in them thar hills”, discovered in 1873. A century later, it was real estate that was mined. Many new north Scottsdale communities sparkled in the final few decades of the 20th century.

One that didn’t was Stonehaven.

STO N E H AV E N After developing a string of successful golf communities in north Scottsdale, Jerry Nelson was poised for his final act. By the mid-1990s, Nelson and partner Desert Troon Company had a new golf course project on the boards called Troon Corviglia—on the property where Mirabel resides today. While zoning had been approved, it didn’t move forward under that name.

Instead, in 1998, Nelson teamed with New York-based Lehman Brothers to form Desert SD Owners LP, with a goal of creating Stonehaven, a 924-acre tract with a Greg Norman-designed golf course as its centerpiece.

It was intended to mimic Nelson’s Troon North Golf Club in concept, daily-fee with a membership component.

The Stonehaven team worked through the design, engineering and entitlements (specific permissions granted to property that relate to its use) with the city of Scottsdale in 1998 and began construction of the golf course and infrastructure that same year. While its north Scottsdale location was desirable, it came with an asterisk attached due to an obvious drawback. Seven years prior, a destructive fire scorched the region.

There were no fatalities, but vast areas of desert were devastated. The land upon which Mirabel would sit had nearly two-thirds of its vegetation incinerated.

Atop the denuded desert terrain, Stonehaven emerged. The community was to consist of 700 homes and a unique golf course, to be managed by Troon Golf.

Norman’s design sported just 42 grassed acres, less than half of what typically occupied a modern desert course. It was as brutal as it was beautiful. Stonehaven was scheduled for a November 2000 opening. It never happened.

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In late September 2000, Nelson and Lehman Bros. sold Stonehaven to Dallas-based Terrabrook for $62 million. Terrabrook knew they had purchased something special. It turned over development to San Francisco-based Discovery Land Company, headed by Michael S. Meldman, a former Phoenix resident whose success stories included nearby Estancia. Within months, Meldman and Discovery would turn Stonehaven on its head.

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I N T H E S P I R I T O F D I S COV E RY Founded in 1994, Discovery Land Company had charted a course with world-class golf and residential communities, starting with the Estancia Club in 1995. Other early successful projects included CordeValle in California.

(1999) and Iron Horse in Montana (2000). During Mirabel’s infancy, Discovery was also in the process of developing Vaquero in Texas and Kuki’o in Hawaii.

In a 2021 interview, Mike Meldman explained that he was attracted to Mirabel because of its location across the street from Desert Mountain, which proved the viability of the area. “Estancia was a great success with its low density, exclusive approach and I thought the same concept would do great in this established location,” said Meldman. “Also, Mirabel was fully entitled, which was a great head start.”

What didn’t work for Mike Meldman was the Stonehaven golf course.

Greg Norman’s layout featured narrow fairways composed of islands of turf with the edges contoured to funnel golf balls into the desert.

Its small greens, many crowned (higher in the middle) like Pinehurst Number 2, were equally fiendish at repelling less than perfect shots. While

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it was undeniably challenging and interesting, it was simply too demanding for average to even good golfers.

Stonehaven was completed in October 2000.

Although it never actually opened, it played host to a one-day “contractor/vendor” event where those who had participated in the creation were invited to play and given a dozen balls. It overmatched everyone who teed it up that day.

Many players lost their four sleeves of balls or more.

“There are 37 forced carries on the Norman course,” said Bob Lomax to an industry publication early in 2001, when he was Mirabel’s director of sales. “We don’t think that is appropriate for Member-friendly play. Right now, if you miss it slightly, the ball kicks into the desert.”

Meldman wasn’t a golfer back then, but his eyes and ears on the ground told him that for the concept Discovery Land and Terrabrook had in mind, the course would require massive changes.

He instructed his associate, Tad Buchanan, a former Stanford golfer, to have a look around.

After touring four or five holes with superintendents Jeff Goren and Carl Rygg, Buchanan phoned Meldman and said, “You need to start again.” The wheels began turning immediately.

While Meldman was deferential to Norman’s work, he firmly believed that this style of golf wouldn’t work for the club he envisioned. Meldman stated that Stonehaven was “a great test of golf with tremendous beauty,” but he insisted on a complete transformation.

With the assistance of the Tom Fazio design team, Meldman composed a letter and course critique totaling 15 pages and sent it to Norman’s design firm. The letter was sent November 5, 2000 and already the Stonehaven name had been abandoned. The new development’s name would be Miravalle.

DLC and Terrabrook paid Norman the balance of his fees and offered to pay him more to alter the layout. Norman met with Meldman in Scottsdale in December 2000. The meeting was cordial, but Norman’s heart wasn’t into wholesale changes.

Golf Course News: Volume 13, Number 3, March 2001

Meldman chose his go-to architect, Tom Fazio, to craft an entirely new golf course, at a cost of $15 million.

Golf Course News: Volume 13, Number 3, March 2001

And then Mike Meldman cued up the bulldozers and tore out Stonehaven. Some valve boxes and irrigation heads were salvaged, but everything else was discarded.

The principals at Greg Norman Design were aghast at Meldman’s actions.“It’s the greatest course ever built, that no one will ever play,” said Norman.

Meldman knew from the start that the value of the real estate would be maximized by the high-end private club concept, which demands a different design philosophy from a special-occasion, daily-fee public design. “Its Members will likely have higher handicaps and play the course almost daily,” he said.

In December 2000, Discovery Land Company hit the ground running. It turned Tom Fazio loose on a brand new golf course design. It began plans for a much lower density community than what Stonehaven had proposed, roughly 350 homes. It was staffing up to market the property, to sell homesites and club memberships. And by year’s end, it would change the development’s name, from Miravalle to Mirabel. (“The name ‘Miravalle’ was too close to ‘Miraval,’ the spa and wellness concept in Tucson,” Meldman explained in August 2021.)

Mirabel would soon have its golf course. Even better, it would soon have a community of people to enjoy it. From Troon Corviglia to Stonehaven to Miravalle to Mirabel.

The real magic was about to begin.

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IV

TIMELINE

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The first lot at Mirabel (#43) sells in August to John McWilliams and the Mirabel golf course opens for Member play in December. Eleven memberships sell by year end for $85,000 each.

Jerry Nelson partners with Lehman Brothers to develop the property and Greg Norman is engaged to design “Stonehaven,” a public golf course for low-handicappers. Construction is completed in 2000 but Stonehaven never opens to the public.

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Desert Troon Company and developer Jerry Nelson acquire 924 acres to develop “Troon Corviglia” on the site that would eventually become Mirabel. The project was never started.

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Terrabrook acquires Stonehaven and engages Discovery Land Company to develop Mirabel. Discovery hires Jeff Goren and Bob Lomax, and engages Tom Fazio to develop the golf course.

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The Mirabel Staghorn tournament is won by Gary and Tom Finney in April. The first Pilgrimage golf tournament (shortened to just 11 holes due to bee swarms on the back nine) and Harvest Celebration “reception” take place in November.

Mirabel’s first Men’s and Ladies’ club championships take place in March. The inaugural Pima Rose tournament is won by Gerri Warren Mary and Jane Ridgeway in April. The Desert Lodge Clubhouse opens in November.

Mirabel’s first MemberEmployee golf tournament is held in May.

The Mirabel fitness center opens in January and the first home located on lot #30 is purchased in April by Chuck and Jean Poley.

The final Discovery Land Company-owned lots (#287 & #352) are sold in November. Mirabel’s first “Cork Race”, held at Coulter Creek, is won by Bob Brinkerhoff.

Mirabel Members acquire club ownership from Terrabrook in September, and Bob Sheppard becomes the first Club President.

The first Hope for the Cause event, a ladies golf tournament, raises $25,000 for Breast Cancer Research at Scottsdale Healthcare.

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IV

TIMELINE

The first Foothills Food Bank charity fundraiser is held in January and raises $7,200. The newly expanded Mirabel fitness center opens in February.

2013

Mirabel’s first Coyote Combo tournaments are held in March. Sandy Skoog and Deanna Jones take the top prize for the women, and Dennis Evans and Ron Valenza claim the men’s trophy.

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2015

Tony and Peg Paoni purchase the last club-owned golf membership.

2014

Mirabel’s first Prickly Pair couples Member-Guest tournament is held. Chris and John Suppes and their guests, Bill and Carol Snell, win the event. The Desert Lodge Clubhouse bar, casual dining and firepit patio renovation is completed in October.

2016

The first Maui Jim Intercollegiate golf tournament is held in September; LSU wins the team title.

The golf course renovation project is completed in October with improvements to the bunkers, tee boxes, driving range and shortgame practice facility. The 10th Tee Grill opens in November.

In May, Members approve the Master Facilities Plan to add a new bar and pickleball courts, plus expanded casual dining and fitness center space.

Mirabel’s Employee Scholarship Fund is launched in January. The remodeled Desert Lodge Clubhouse re-opens in February. All memberships are sold out for the first time in the Club’s history in September and Mirabel celebrates its 20th Anniversary in November.

Construction begins on the clubhouse renovation project in May.

Mirabel’s first Stampede Member-Guest tournament is held in March; Bill Finley and Bruce Christensen are the winners.

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V

THE FORMATIVE YEARS Mirabel began to take shape at the dawn of the 21st century.

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With a masterplan unfolding and a new Tom Faziodesigned golf course on the way, seemingly only two obstacles loomed: one, a fire-ravaged, mostly barren property on which to build, the other a soft economy.

On May 2, 2001, members of the Mirabel Envisioning Team gathered at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess to create a shared vision for Mirabel. This team included representatives from Terrabrook, Discovery Land, Mirabel, architect Hart Howerton, marketing and PR firm Communication Links, and Tom Fazio Design, among others. “We brainstormed about what we wanted it to be when Mirabel grew up,” remembers Lomax.

Everyone understood that Mirabel was likely to be one of the final three golf properties that would ever be developed within the City of Scottsdale. Clearly, the pressure to produce a club and community of the highest quality was present from the start, but the potential to do so was evident as well.

Ultimately, the planned community would consist of approximately 315 custom homesites and 35 luxury golf villas.

A Desert Lodge-style clubhouse would serve as the focal point of the community, and a Tom Fazio-designed

championship

golf course would be a primary enticement, together with a slew of appealing amenities.

Clouding the vision was a sputtering economy.

Mirabel’s first general manager, Michael Ryan, recalled recently that 2001 was not a good year for real estate sales, noting that the market was pretty depressed even before the 9/11 tragedy. Lomax stated that Mirabel had taken 80 lot reservations, but 78 of them cancelled by the official opening day of sales on November 1, 2001.

But an early dose of Mirabel magic wafted over the development. It definitely surprised Lomax. “We did really well,” he says. “Opening the golf course on December 1 gave us good momentum.” By the end of 2001, 11 Members had signed up, at $85,000 each and over the first season (November 1, 2001-May 1, 2002), 100 lots had been sold.

Mirabel was on its way. In its infancy, however, club life in north Scottsdale was as wild as the Old West.

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C R E AT I N G A C U LT U R E With Mirabel, Discovery Land made a concerted effort to foster an environment that was less puffed up, more inclusive and well, friendlier, than some of its earlier developments.

The unique Mirabel vibe we know today emerged from the earliest days, and it materialized via a perfect intersection of Members and staff.

“We tried to attract more of a down-home, less pretentious membership,” said Bob Lomax. “It was mostly a pocket of Midwestern people, many from Minneapolis, who came in and founded the place, and established the low-key, down-to-earth culture. We tried to sell that.”

“If you asked for anything, they would get it for you. There was a certain energy created at this place, and people could feel it.”

Michael Ryan assumed the general manager’s role in the fall of 2001. He has fond memories of roughing it in style. “After the golf course was completed, we set up a double wide trailer as the combination pro shop and dining room,” says Ryan.

“I think it had three dining room tables inside the trailer and a pickup window for both the bar and the kitchen.

We had a decent patio just outside the trailer, too, and a good-sized ironwood tree in the middle of the patio to give us some shade.

“I recall we had a 4-burner gas range and a flat-top grill at first. That was it for cooking appliances. It was a pretty good improvement when we added a wood-fired smoker/ grill out back. And shortly thereafter our chef was ‘living in luxury’ with a walk-in cooler! That little pavilion, adjacent to the driving range, was the home of many memorable moments for the Members and the staff.”

Ryan recalled that the trailer debuted right after 9/11 and there was no guarantee that any real estate would be sold that year. Without real estate sales, there’s no cash to pay for further development of the infrastructure.

Accordingly, he was only able to hire two people for the food and beverage operation, one chef and another individual to do everything else.

Setting the tone was an October 2001 hire, “Big Al,” as he would be known to the Members. “So Al Marlinga rolls in one day straight off the beach in Southern California,” remembers Ryan. “He had the blond hair, the perfect build, unbridled energy, and I could just tell from the moment I met him that this guy was going to make a connection to everybody he met.

“So that was the first guy I hired. By himself, he was making drinks, serving tables, clearing, bussing, he’d even go into the kitchen and help Chef Tim cook if he needed to. Big Al was our bartender for years and he invented the Marlingarita, the drink that was basically his namesake. For us in the hospitality industry, we look for that kind of person that’s going to be able to make that social connection, that’s going to infuse the room with energy, and that can help people to be part of something special.”

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Ryan soon met a friend of Big Al’s, Indigo Feruffino.

“Amazingly enough, Indy was another guy just like Al,” says Ryan. “So then I had two guys who could do anything. They could set up tables, they could build bars, they could carry six bags of ice on each arm.

“We just had a ball, because I only had the vision of what we were trying to achieve and some simple tools to help them achieve it, and those guys would move mountains to create fantastic experiences.

That’s how Indy and Big Al started Mirabel and created the culture of service that put us on the map and still continues to this day.”

In examining the ingredients that were so critical to Mirabel’s early success, he singles out three more individuals, Jeff Goren, Len Zamora and Kristina Brown.

In particular, Kristina Brown was a remarkable addition. Ryan was looking for someone to fill the Member Services position and an industry peer showed him her resume, after telling Ryan he wasn’t interested in hiring her. “I’m more impressed with her resume than he was, apparently,” says Ryan. “So I meet her. Five minutes later, I’m thinking to myself, I just got the best gift. Mr. Industry Peer, you have no idea what you just missed out on.

“This is exactly what I was looking for. This is the kind of person who is going to put us on the map. She had energy and attitude and creativity and flexibility to do whatever needed to be done, and once again, provide people with service before they even get a chance to ask for it.

“That spirit of hospitality was a big contributor to the massive success of Mirabel in the early days. No matter who you encountered on the property, you had staff who had hospitality born and bred into every cell of their being.”

People were beginning to flock to Mirabel. An exceptional staff was eager to serve. Now it was time to have some fun.

L E T ’ S G E T T H I S PA RT Y STA RT E D Discovery Land had one goal for Mirabel—as it did for each of its developments—and it revolved around selling property. So, how to get the word out?

Mostly, Mirabel’s marketing strategy revolved around two methods: Longtime Members recall events that featured massive ice sculptures and seafood towers and models passing out hand-rolled cigars. Others remember magicians, a hypnotist and “Tequila Sheila,” whose skills at serving shots on the sixth tee were hypnotizing in their own right.

word of mouth and epic parties.

Perhaps the most memorable soiree in Mirabel’s first decade was the event on March 20, 2004 to celebrate the clubhouse opening. Michael Ryan, who helped plan it, remembers it well.

“We had a really good run at making memorable moments for Members and guests,” recalled Ryan. “Our opening party was pretty cool. We really had fun figuring out how to do the ‘champagne angel’ that descended from the clubhouse ceiling on a trapeze to pour Members a glass of vintage Perrier Jouet Brut. We hired a movie studio rigging crew to set up the pulley system needed and had one of our massage therapists don an angelwing toga and theatrical makeup to bring that to life.

“The party also had an Oxygen Bar for recovery and an 18-piece orchestra beneath a crystal clear tent canopy for dancing under the stars. Our staff dressed in period costumes to the flapper era. The whole party took on an art-deco expression of fun and frolic in a whimsical setting to celebrate the clubhouse opening.”

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Equally memorable for some—for different reasons—was the set decoration for an early Staghorn Member-Guest event. Aided by a large pool deck and balmy April weather, Ryan decided to take the Mirabel etymology, “to look at beauty,” to another level. He outfitted local models in revealing bikinis and wide brimmed Italian sunhats and had them seated on lounge chairs around the pool.

“The guys at the Staghorn thought the lunch was pretty good and the setting was amazing,” chuckles Ryan, whose wife was a model herself at that time.

“Though I may have gotten a little heat from some spouses, it was still well worth the effort.”

Over time, Mirabel Members embraced the clever invitations, party favors, and activities that took on a can-you-top-this appearance.

Pumpkin archery and glow-in-the-dark golf balls hit from the clubhouse patio to the 18th green were two favorites. Unforgettable, however, was the goldfish racing. During one of the stag nights at the men’s Member-Guest golf tournament, copper custom-home gutters were set up side by side. Wagers were placed on which fish would swim down the water-filled gutter, encouraged along by participants armed with squirt guns behind them.

Keepsakes and memorabilia from Mirabel’s early events aren’t easy to find, but the memories haven’t faded. At the Clubhouse Grand Opening, attendees received a black, Tommy Bahama-style camp shirt, with embroidery on the back. One of the Staghorn favors given out was a signed Scotty Cameron putter, the most in-demand club on the market, as that was the club Tiger Woods used on the greens.

Tom Jones retains many fond memories of gifts bestowed. At an early Staghorn, he and fellow Members received formal tuxedo shirts, ties and Mirabel cuff links. He also treasures a mahogany poker case, complete with decks of cards, chips and dice, as well as a logoed commuter bag.

Other goodies that found their way to Members included a six-piece rosewood boxed barbecue set; an 18-inch stainless steel platter with the Mirabel logo; a stainless steel leaf-figured bowl; a long-stem logoed wine decanter; wine and martini glass sets with the Mirabel logo; leather shoe bags for the Member and spouse; and a round crystal glass plate.

Another fun-filled frolic in days of yore was aboard the Mirabella.

Challenged to find some interesting activities beyond golf, under the banner of Discovery Land’s Outdoor Pursuits program, the club identified Bartlett Lake, 30 minutes away, as a source of recreation.

There was docked the Mirabella, a 25-foot Bennington luxury pontoon boat. It quickly evolved into a marketing tool as well.

In those formative years, the fun at Mirabel flowed like free wine— literally. In the pre-clubhouse days, there was little storage space for wine. So Mirabel could only stock three different kinds of wine, two reds and one white. Ryan instructed Al Marlinga to feature Caymus Special Select, Silver Oak Cab, and Rombauer Chardonnay.

If champagne was called for, Dom Perignon was poured, because there wasn’t room for anything else.

“That first year, we didn’t have a liquor license,” explained Ryan. “But that meant that we couldn’t charge anyone. The Members didn’t know that. They just knew we weren’t charging them. It was pretty funny—we would always be like, ‘Another bottle of Silver Oak?’”

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After the initial burst of staggering success, Mirabel weathered the usual waves that most clubs experience. It established club championships, opened a clubhouse, swimming pool and fitness center, and welcomed its first residents into the community. It debuted the Outdoor Pursuits program, a customized recreational concierge service for Members. Mirabel’s “community within a community,” El Corazon, opened in 2003. One fundamental change occurred in November 2005, when the club opened up 50 equity memberships to individuals that did not own property within the community. In 2001-2002, a prospect wasn’t even permitted to play the golf course without holding a reservation on a lot. Within four years, the policy shifted.

Gary Ireton, who joined Mirabel in February 2006, recalls the two-fold reasoning behind the decision.

“First, we decided that based on the trend in sales, we needed to change,” explained Ireton. “Second, there was a sense of responsibility we had as equity Members that we wanted the club to be successful.

So if we needed to add the revenues from additional Members for us to be successful, we saw that as a necessary step.

“But one thing that existed from the beginning was the relationships between Members, and their relationships with the staff. It has always felt like family. From the time you were greeted by name upon arrival, there was a real genuineness in feeling welcomed. That’s 42

the one thing that’s remained with Mirabel.”

W H AT ’ S I N A N A M E—A N D A LO G O The name “Mirabel” is derived from two Romance language words, the Spanish mira, which means “to look,” and the Italian, bella, which means “beauty.”

When fused, it signifies, “to look at beauty.” At the time, the elevated site was mostly devoid of natural attributes, but peering down, the beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valleys meant that one could certainly look at beauty. Plus, Mirabel’s founders knew that in time, the land upon which Mirabel resides would blossom again and indeed it did.

As for Mirabel’s distinctive logo, it is yet another hybrid. Among the only attractive plant life that remained following a fire ten years prior were the hardy yuccas.

Jeff Goren remembers that the Yucca elata (soaptree yucca) had a spectacular bloom that first year and it was very distinctive. “As soon as someone mentioned the idea of using the Yucca elata for the logo, there was an immediate positive response,” explained Goren. “However, the bottom wasn’t quite right, so they blended in the Yucca baccata [banana yucca]. Baccatas are on property as well.”

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VI

OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOLF!

Literally and f iguratively, the grass is always greener at Mirabel. Its

design makes it a joy to play and its conditioning is second to none.

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Created by Tom Fazio, modern design’s most honored architect, with assistance from Senior Design Associate Dennis Wise and on-site designers Scott Hoffman and Jeff Lawrence, the 7,147-yard, par-71 course is one to celebrate. Opened on December 1, 2001, it has not only been lauded by Members over the past two decades, but by national golf publications as well.

It ranked as high as Number 62 among the Top 100 Modern Courses in the United States (built since 1960) by Golfweek.

Mirabel has also been ranked Number 38 among America’s 50 Best Modern Clubs by Golf Digest. In 2021, Golfweek listed Mirabel as one of the Top 100 Residential Golf Communities in the United States.

There’s no mystery to Mirabel’s appeal. It starts with the course’s tranquil setting, with holes etched into gently rolling topography that practically melt into the existing terrain. The appeal continues with panoramas of the Valley’s most prominent mountain landmarks. Finally, even with pristine desert and stately homes framing the playing corridors, they never impinge on the experience. There’s genuine spaciousness that encourages relaxed swinging and which allows for unobstructed long views of the handsome backdrops.

Nevertheless, Mirabel is much more than a nature walk. A great golf course is composed of an imaginative routing draped atop varied terrain and dotted with thoughtfully designed individual holes. Mirabel checks every box. It all starts with Fazio’s inspired design.

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T H E FA Z I O A P P ROAC H Tom Fazio faced a daunting task in crafting Mirabel’s golf course in 2001. Six years earlier, and just nine miles away, he created the desert’s top-ranked design, the Estancia Club, another Discovery Land project. The comparisons between the older course and the new kid were inevitable. Fazio was unfazed.

“Mirabel has many of the same ingredients as Estancia—great beauty, excellent location and tremendous natural drama,” said Fazio upon completion. “Although it is in the desert, it is classic golf, and it provides a thrilling, yet very traditional, playing experience. Mirabel is truly special.”

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By “classic” and “traditional,” Fazio meant that the course was routed in such a way as to encourage walking, a rare trait in desert golf courses that are aligned with real estate.

It also meant that the course was designed with sufficient turf coverage to permit golfers of all abilities to run the ball along the fairways and onto the greens without encountering many forced carries over the desert.

Fazio certainly understood that giving all skill levels extra room to play is critical in desert golf. “To me, playability is the number one most important factor to every golf course,” said Fazio. “Width is more important than length every time. Now, a golf course can be boring if it’s too wide. Our goal is to put the width where the majority of high handicappers need it.”

One golfer who appreciates all that playability is Fazio’s wife, Sue, who considers Mirabel one of her favorite courses.

“That’s true,” confirmed Tom. “It’s the first course where she broke 80. It doesn’t mean that it’s easy, but she just loves playing that golf course.”

So solid and well-received was Fazio’s original design that the course has undergone only a handful of alterations over the years. In most cases, Fazio labels them “additions,” rather than changes.

Among the most memorable alterations occurred in 2014 when a strongly opinionated then-Member successfully persuaded the grounds committee and the board to convert a tiny pot bunker in the left-front of the green at the par-3 14th hole into a grass bunker. Upon further review by Mr. Fazio, it was reinstalled in 2017.

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Also in 2014, a massive greenside bunker at the par-5 17th hole was carved up into two smaller bunkers. In its previous incarnation, it covered much of the front of the green and wrapped all the way around to the back. Moreover, it was so vast and deep, players had difficulty climbing down in and back out of it, to the point where they would simply leave the ball where it lay and move on.

Yet, according to most, the real magic of the Mirabel golf course is tied to its conditioning. Day in and day out, it is flawless. Asked to identify the most appealing attribute about the golf course, director of golf David Engram singled out the efforts of his colleague, Jeff Goren.

“We have the best superintendent in the market,” says Engram. “Year in and year out, on a day-today basis, this is the best conditioned golf course there is.”

From opening day, the star attraction at Mirabel has been its A-4 bentgrass greens. An ideal elevation for growing bentgrass, combined with a seriously skilled, attentive crew, has the Mirabel greens in championship condition every day, with an optimal blend of firmness and pace.

Green speeds typically run from 10.5 to 12 on the stimpmeter for daily play, but for special events such as the Staghorn or the Stampede, they can be pushed comfortably to 13 or even 14, where they run as pure as ever.

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FAVO R E D P L AC E S To many Members, Mirabel boasts 18 “signature” holes, making it impossible to single out one or two in particular. So instead of “favorite holes,” a few Mirabel mainstays shared their favorite “spots” on the course.

Greg Maanum:

Deanna Jones:

Standing on the number 6 tee box. It’s the highest point on the golf course and you’re looking out at Tom’s Thumb and down to Pinnacle Peak. It’s just a gorgeous view. That hole kicks my a—every time I play it, but I do love that view.

I’m not sure it’s my favorite spot, but the tee boxes at number 16 bring me joy and laughter every time I’m there. A few years ago, while my husband Tom was participating in the Staghorn, I thought I would surprise him by painting “Outta Bounds” on the back of our house, which is visible from the tee boxes on number 16. The idea was to paint over it the following week.

Everyone thought it was a hoot (except Tom) and it remained painted on the house until 2019, when we had our entire house painted.

David Engram: Looking down the seventh fairway at the Valley, you can see the Stadium [where the Arizona Cardinals play] in the background. That’s my ‘A-ha’ moment. You sometimes have coyotes running across the fairway, or eagles soaring. It’s a beautiful spot. After almost 12 years of being here, that’s my favorite spot on the golf course.

Jeff Goren: I like the mornings. Hole number 3, looking down valley; hole number 17, to sit back and see the bunkering—It’s a nice area to look at. I also like to climb up on the boulders behind the number 2 green and take a snapshot.

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I got so many queries as to, “Hey, what the heck happened to ‘Outta Bounds’?” that I thought I would surprise Tom once again and had a sign made that can be easily removed—NOT! By the way, we have NEVER had a mis-hit golf ball in our backyard!

M AG I C M O M E N TS Over the past two decades, more than 34 million golf shots have been struck at Mirabel. A few truly stand out. The first revolves around a remarkable final in the men’s club championship on March 22, 2015 between Mike Bailey and Vic Springer. Mike grabbed the early lead, but Vic responded most emphatically, winning the seventh hole and also the eighth, with an amazing ace! Vic’s 3 hybrid from 187 yards found the bottom of the cup. Game on.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘It’d be a really cool story if Vic makes a hole-in-one and I somehow come back to win this match,” says Bailey. “That became my focus the rest of the way. As it turned out, I did end up beating him on the last hole. We both felt good that day.”

Exactly one month prior to the Bailey-Springer “Duel in the Desert,” another phenomenal shot echoed throughout Mirabel. It happened on the par-4 5th hole, playing 312 yards from the Black tees that day.

Our protagonist, golf staffer Tyler Finneseth, tells the story.

“I was playing ‘Wolf’ with four other staff members (Shaun Donnelly, Sean Pender, Ryan Jeska and Tommy Bliefnick). In our version of Wolf, the Wolf hits first, then waits to select a partner or go alone.

It just so happened that when we got the 5th hole, it was my turn to be the Wolf.

I was already three-over par through four holes— not good. I hit my driver really well. It landed on the front of the green and rolled right at the pin. We lost sight of the ball. I thought it was behind the pin a little bit; my companions thought it was a little better than that. Needless to say, I chose to go alone as the Wolf…more money!

“After they all hit, we were driving up to the green. I jumped out of the cart full speed and ran up to the green the last 50 or so yards. I’m not sure if my feet ever touched the ground. I ran by the hole and there was my ball. I had a Gatorade in my hand and I’m pretty sure it entered orbit, I threw it so high. And then the five of us started running around hugging and screaming like little kids. This is something that I will never forget. And it’s still to this day my only hole in one!”

Equally rare, and memorable for perhaps the wrong reasons, was a shot struck by Peggy Cisar, who shared her recollections of a one-of-a-kind shot. “Truly, I’ve loved every hole because if I’m out on the course that means I’m either with old friends I love or am meeting new friends!” says Peggy. “But the most ridiculous shot I ever hit was from the left greenside trap on number 10. I hit a ‘fabulous’ shot that hit the lip of the trap, and flew over my head into the pond behind me.”

FA B U LO U S FAC I L I T I E S From the time Discovery Land initiated the special touches distinctive to Mirabel’s golf experience, to the current-day improvements wrought by the membership, the golf “extras” at Mirabel have delighted one and all.

Even before a round started, Mirabel was designed to impress. On busier days and for tournaments, a masseuse at the range—almost always Myrna Cook—greeted golfers. These days, the expanded fitness facility is close by for a golfer’s pre-round preparation, and Myrna is still here for folks who prefer the human touch. Once you were sufficiently relaxed, a half-barrel of Titleist Pro V1 balls—the finest ball on the market, not some beat-up old range balls or factory seconds—awaited your warm-up or practice session. Always, a staff attendant looked on, waiting for the opportunity to clean each club after use.

Now that’s service!

In 2017, Mirabel’s main, two-level range on the south end was converted to one level, providing much-needed additional hitting space. At the same time, a new putting green appeared as well as a short-game area where one could practice shots from 20 to 60 yards. At the far end of the range, the hitting area was expanded, and a new uneven lie practice area and a chipping area both debuted. As always, new Pro V1s are waiting to be struck.

The legendary “Comfort Stations” were the brainchild of Mike Meldman. “The Comfort Stations came to be out of my desire to get my two young boys [Hunter and Will] to come out on the golf course with me,” explained Meldman. “They were too young to really enjoy golf, but they definitely enjoyed the Cokes and candy bars we had in coolers at Estancia on all the tee boxes. That’s what triggered the idea to create the Comfort Stations and they have grown into mini on-course restaurants that the Members really love.”

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The first formal Comfort Stations appeared at Montana’s Iron Horse in 2000, but Mirabel kicked up the wow factor with its introduction of home-made beef jerky, plus Mirabel “Magic” cookies and ice cream sandwiches.

Today’s Comfort Stations, still situated prior to the tee boxes on holes 5 and 14, remain places of great comfort for the snack-happy.

Brand new to Mirabel and to golf communities anywhere was the pop-up grilling station, which reimagined the concept of the midround halfway house. Today, it’s positioned by the 10th tee box, but for most of its existence, its home was next to the eighth tee.

Chef Tim Fields manned the first cooking station and through the years, other talented chefs braved the elements to prepare firstclass fare. Alberto Lopez held the post for many years, while in 2021, it’s usually Jessie Sabia that serves up the grilled goodies like her highly sought-after chicken empanadas.

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C L A S S I C CA D D I E S Opportunities to experience golf the way it was meant to be played—walking, with a caddie—have dwindled over the years.

Fortunately, thanks to Mirabel’s emphasis on well-being and Member service, one of the game’s grandest traditions continues to thrive in the desert.

Today’s Mirabel caddies typically are flexible in their duties, often assisting the club in outside services or with valet duties at night.

On the course, they’re highly trained professionals and look the part too, clad in the clean white uniforms that look as if they were lifted straight from Augusta National.

“We have the jumpers, we have the bibs,” says David Engram. “When a new Member comes out, or if we know of a Member who regularly takes caddies, we have their monogram or their name embroidered on the back of the caddie bib. That’s a neat little touch, especially if they are bringing a guest out.”

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M AU I WOW I E Twin passions for golf and college athletics inspired David Engram to dream up the highest profile outside event at Mirabel: the Maui Jim Intercollegiate golf tournament. While the idea wasn’t quite as far-fetched as carving a baseball diamond from an Iowa cornfield, the concept was the same:

If you build it, they will come.

“I just wanted to have a college golf tournament,” says Engram. “I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know how much money I needed. I just knew I wanted to host an elite-field college golf tournament.”

After getting the blessing of greens chairman John Suppes and the Mirabel board, Engram went seeking a sponsor. Eventually he found one in new Mirabel Member Mike Dalton, whose Maui Jim company already staged a successful collegiate basketball tournament in Hawaii. Dalton waved his wand—more Mirabel magic—and in September 2016, Engram got his wish.

“LSU played that first year,” says Engram, “and I will always be indebted to LSU, because they were the defending national champions.” Cal-Berkeley, Baylor and Georgia Tech were among the other national powerhouses that competed. LSU won that first event, with Sam Burns on the squad, who now ranks among the top 20 players on the PGA Tour.

That first year, for a donation of $500 that went directly to the Evans Scholars Foundation (for caddie scholarships) a one-day College-Am paired a Mirabel Member with a player. Jim Balaschak had his crystal ball moment when he was drawn to play with Cal-Berkeley sophomore Collin Morikawa in the 2016 event. Now ranked number 3 in the world, with two major championships to his credit, Morikawa was a consensus college All-American in 2016 and was a star in the making.

A new perpetual trophy debuted in 2021, a masterpiece of woodworking from a downed tree in Hawaii, that depicts a surfboard emerging from the ocean. It took five months to build this one-of-a-kind piece, one as rare as a surfboard in the desert. With such a bright future for Mirabel’s college tournament, it’s a good thing there are plenty of Maui Jim shades to go around.

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VII

THE GATHERING PLACE A clubhouse sets the tone for the day,

offering a sanctuary for pre- and postround contemplations, gatherings and celebrations.

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It also serves as the hub for gatherings small and large, from a mug of Hilario’s mocha espresso before a round of golf, to a cup of Chef Maria’s tortilla soup with a friend, to a lavish luau bash for 200 attendees. At once the ideal clubhouse fits seamlessly into its surroundings, yet stands out proudly for its distinctiveness. That precisely describes the Desert Lodge Clubhouse at Mirabel.

Superior food and an incomparable staff elevate the entire clubhouse experience. Clearly, if there is a focal point at Mirabel, it is this gathering place, where conviviality, hospitality and community come together.

After two years of temporary facilities, Mirabel’s spectacular Desert Lodge Clubhouse opened on November 1, 2003—right on time. Designed by worldrenowned architect Hart Howerton of San Francisco, the original 32,000-square-foot edifice was intended to evoke the great Western lodges of the early 1900s. Natural materials such as stone and wood acted to echo the surrounding topography.

They paired with distinctive Frank Lloyd Wright design elements, such as broad roof overhangs, to help create a seamless meld between indoors and out.

Inside, casual elegance described both attitude and décor. The warmth of the fireplaces, sturdy beamed ceilings, overstuffed leather chairs, and luxurious, yet timeless furnishings served as a virtual welcome mat that Members embraced immediately.

The clubhouse included a golf shop, a multi-media equipped private dining enclave and a state-of-the-art fitness center that overlooked an art deco, resortstyle swimming pool. Also featured were a rejuvenating day spa, salon and handsome locker rooms.

In addition to the 25-meter pool, outdoor elements tied to the clubhouse included championship Har-Tru tennis courts in a lovely tennis garden and a landscaped event lawn that served as the perfect spot for leisure games and social functions.

With a few enhancements (the original bar), and exceptions (the four soaking tubs in the men’s locker room and two in the ladies’ locker room) everything remains in place.

Prior to completion, Mirabel’s founders knew that they had to make amends for a fatal flaw that tarnished their effort at Estancia. “It was a big decision, and an easy one for the design team,” explained Michael Ryan. “Estancia built the ladies’ locker room in the basement. The basement was not a good place for the ladies’ locker room. So, on purpose, the Mirabel clubhouse gave the best views to the ladies, who had the upper story all to themselves.”

Ryan remembers working with Hart Howerton on the design, which incorporated the Frank Lloyd Wright concept of squeeze and release, more formally known as compression and release. By creating a deliberately small space through which one must pass before reaching a larger space, Wright caused a temporary sense of tension, followed by a powerful feeling of freedom.

“It really played out well,” recalls Ryan. “People would enter through the front door and across the main hallway and then enter this spacious vaulted ceilinged room with a super-cool bar on one end and then go out to the patio.

“I remember the day that the design team was trying to site the building with respect to exactly what position it was going to be relative to longitude and latitude, the angle of the sun, and how it was going to look over the 18th fairway. I think that was three hours’ worth of going back and forth to come up with how that building was going to be sited upon the land.”

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Changes over time inevitably improved the functionality and altered the appearance of the clubhouse, including a kitchen expansion in the fall of 2012 that added a new bake shop.

Most noticeable was the abandonment of the cherished original bar in favor of a new, smaller bar in 2014.

The back of the original bar was a large, floor-to-ceiling, ornately sculptured wooden structure that covered the entire width of the dining room. The bar itself was striking, linear without angles and was eye-catching to anyone who entered.

As the membership grew, however, more people at more functions overcrowded the bar space, often bumping into dining room tables, where folks were trying to enjoy their meals. Because the dining space was needed, the old bar disappeared.

What had been the outdoor patio was enclosed and a new bar was built. That bar now serves as the service bar in the casual dining space. By 2020, Members had devised and executed a Master Facilities Plan which yielded significant modifications, including a stunning new bar, resulting in the clubhouse Members know and love today.

PEERLESS EDIBLES A N D P OTA B L E S Mirabel’s food and beverage shined from day one, even before the creation of the Desert Lodge Clubhouse. “Once again, we go back to the trailer—where it all began,” chuckles Michael Ryan. “I interviewed this skinny, energetic chef, very animated in all of his gestures, Tim Fields. When you interview chefs, you have them make something, right? So he brings out this beef tenderloin steak sandwich with cambozola and arugula, and he just blew everybody away. I interview chefs all the time.

I’m thinking no one has ever nailed it like this.”

From that auspicious start, Mirabel has dished out a stellar lineup of chefs, cuisine and managers to oversee operations. While preferences have changed what is served and the pandemic changed how it is served, today’s menus offer a few clear favorites. According to Food & Beverage Director Matt Proch, Chef Maria’s Huevos Rancheros is the most popular breakfast choice. At lunchtime, the Fish Tacos have been on the menu, “forever,” says Michelle Amezcua, from the culinary staff. They’re composed of tempurabattered Mahi Mahi, flash fried and placed in homemade flour tortillas, and topped with chipotle sour cream. A close second at the noon hour are the Filet Sliders. For dinner, the crowd favorite for at least the past four years is Chef Seth Mieszcanski’s Miso Sea Bass. It’s Chilean sea bass, a very rich fish.

It’s marinated for 24 hours in a miso paste, oven-baked, then set atop a small portion of spinach and topped with a spoonful of miso glaze.

As a starter at dinner, the Ahi Tuna Tower reigns supreme. After dinner, it’s one of Chef Jean-Claude’s dessert creations or classic ice cream flavors all the way, whether chocolate, vanilla or, of course, Mirabel Magic.

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Many Members unwind and toast to that memorable birdie or to life itself with wine, beer and cocktails.

Favorite libations these days include the Mirabel Margarita or Stuart’s Night Shade. There’s a definite preference for fine wines at Mirabel that dates back to the club’s early days. For years, a display wall in the dining room showcased signed and dated wine bottles, often representing a Member’s first meal there. After the clubhouse remodel in 2020, many of those bottles have a new home, down the hall near the Member Services area, where they reside, angled and facing out, behind a glass partition.

Today, wine remains as popular as ever at Mirabel. An August 2021 inventory showed 2,970 bottles, worth roughly $86,000 on hand. The club also offers a wellutilized wine-buying program, as well as Stock Your Cellar nights, tasting events with wine representatives.

In addition, Members enjoy semi-regular, formal Wine Dinners, with food and wine pairings, and a monthly Wine Education series, where Members sample five different wines, learn about them and go home happy.

Popular buffets such as Oaxaca Wednesday and Spaghetti Sunday are somewhat distant memories now, with preferences inclined more to action stations, where a culinary staff member custom cooks your order in front of you. Burger- and pasta-themed nights rule these days, but rest assured, there is always comfort food available, including the legendary meatloaf. After all, at Mirabel, it’s all about comfort.

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T H E GAT H E R E R S From the moment you walk through the heavy double doors, the first thing you’re probably going to hear is laughter.

As appealing as the interior and exterior spaces are at Mirabel, the most important component of the Desert Lodge Clubhouse is the people that fill it.

Central to the “Mirabel Experience” is the mutual respect and warmth between Members and staff.

From the early stalwarts to today’s remarkable team, there have been so many wonderful Mirabel employees, it would be impossible to do justice to them here. However, it’s clear how the relationship works between staff and Members—as evidenced by words and deeds.

Clearly, the mutual respect factor starts with the Members themselves.

One longtime Member spoke for many when he commented about the club search he and his wife undertook. “We visited a bunch of different clubs up and down Pima Road,” he remembered. “Everybody has good facilities. I was looking for a club with good people, good golf and a lack of pretense. One of the best parts of the Mirabel culture is that it’s not about what you did or the stuff you have. Instead, it’s all about, ‘Are you a good person, and are you fun to be around?’”

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Indicative of the Mirabel culture is that the same warmth and respect shared between Members also extends to the staff. As one Member put it, “Outside of the structured programs, there’s a lot of giving that goes on to employees in need. The beauty is you’ll never hear about it because nobody is ever talking about it. That’s the way it should be. It’s about humility, and people not looking for notoriety for what they’re doing.”

Jean Poley and her husband Chuck, were Mirabel’s first residents in 2004. As with countless Mirabel Members, past and present, Jean embraced the staff as family. “We loved our time at Mirabel,” she said recently. “We loved everyone there. We made some lifetime friends. We watched the employees—we call them ‘the kids’— grow up and become special. They were wonderful.”

Mike and Kathy Bailey also treasure their staff interactions. “Like many at Mirabel, we’re very close to the staff,” says Mike. “They’ve catered all three of our kids’ weddings. The last one, we said, ‘You’ve done a great job, but you’re not doing this one. You need to come to the wedding and be our guests and enjoy it.’…It’s part of the culture, of what makes us ‘be our best.’”

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Mike singled out Silvio Ruiz for special praise. “Silvio is phenomenal—as good an attitude as anybody I’ve ever been exposed to. He works hard, but with enthusiasm and a smile on his face.”

Kathy went one step further, singing the praises of an entire family. “We struck gold when we got Rodrigo Araiza and his family,” she said. “Rodrigo, Michelle [his wife], Maria Araiza [his sister], Jesse Sabia [another sister]. They’ll do anything for any of us. I love all of them. They’re just great people.”

Perhaps the most poignant illustration of the family-like dynamic between Members and staff took place in the autumn of 2020. Longtime server Hilario Salgado, a well-respected elder at Mirabel and the creator of the Mirabel Mocha Espresso, was stricken with pancreatic cancer that was slow to be diagnosed. By the time most Members returned after the summer away, Hilario was fading quickly.

Nearing his final days, he hoped to come by the club and say goodbye to his friends — the Members and co-workers. He wasn’t strong enough physically to do so. So Mirabel went to him.

At least 60 cars, easily 140 people, formed a driveby procession and slowly paraded by Hilario’s house as he and his family gathered on the driveway.

Carloads of Members and employees beeped their horns, gave notes and cards and flashed signs, including one large banner that said, “Hilario, we love you.” Kensy, Hilario’s wife, revealed later that Hilario loved it. He passed away a few days after the motorcade salute, feeling cherished by his family and by the club Members he served.

That is the Mirabel way.

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M I R A B E L M AG I C N E T WO R K Building on that spirit of taking care of the employees who take care of them, Mirabel Members created the Magic Network in 2021. A Member-only initiative that assists Mirabel staff members in times of need, the Magic Network is a 100% volunteer effort where Magic volunteers offer time, talent and treasures to support those who work at Mirabel through non-tax-deductible gifts and actions.

In 2021, Members anonymously gifted funds to an employee who required expensive dental work and who was unable to afford it. The network is structured so the Members don’t know who the employee is, and the employee doesn’t know which Members contributed, nor what amount. The anonymity aligns perfectly with the ideal, “be our best.”

The Magic Network was founded on one guiding principle: helping each other in times of need. The intent is to enhance and promote the Mirabel community culture of trust, care and generosity.

On a larger scale, the Magic Network recognized the need that many Mirabel employees had to get their children ready for the 2021-2022 school year. A request for healthy snacks and gift cards for school supplies and clothes was made to the membership; the response was overwhelming.

Sixty backpacks were packed and distributed in July to all employees with children in kindergarten through the 12th grade.

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More magic is in store for the staff and their children by virtue of the new Mirabel Magic Scholarship Program. Formed in 2021, it is funded by membership tax-deductible donations, and encourages and enables employees and their children to pursue qualifying advanced education scholarship support. The program is managed

by Arizona Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that specializes in such administration.

Mirabel’s first three recipients in 2021 were: Silvio Ruiz, Karolina Rodowski and Kylie Goren.

Another way of reaching out and giving back is via golf privileges for the staff and the annual MemberEmployee Golf Tournament held annually in May. The Members set up the range, bring out the carts, put them away and don aprons to cook up breakfast for the staff, which often involves omelets the size of footballs. Playing abilities of every description are witnessed on the course that day, but there’s no competition, so there’s no pressure. Afterward, everyone retreats to El Encanto in Cave Creek for one last bit of mixing and bonding. That, also, is the Mirabel way.

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David Engram observes that permitting staff and employees access to the golf course on a space-available basis is a great recruiting tool, because not many other clubs in the Valley are so accommodating.

It’s not just the golf staff that can take advantage of the opportunity, but all staff.

FA M I LY A N D F R I E N D S Unquestionably, however, one of the inestimable pleasures for Mirabel Members is simply being with each other. It’s where the club’s remarkable culture of relaxed fun revolves. No one tiptoes around Mirabel as if walking on eggshells. This is a place to congregate, clink glasses, share stories and celebrate life. What follows is a taste of the joy experienced by the families and friends that gather at Mirabel.

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VIII

A TRIUMPHANT TRANSITION Winds of change were whistling across the

desert in 2008 and into 2009. The local and national economies had nosedived, leaving a trail of turbulence among clubs and

developments. Mirabel was no exception. At the same time, Mirabel was confronted with potential ownership issues that could have changed the entire character of the club.

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Further, a transition loomed from being a developer-owned club to Member-owned. Uncertainty swirled. Fortunately, the Mirabel membership was well-equipped for the battle. Thanks to the competence and confidence of united committees and a dedicated membership, Mirabel successfully navigated the choppy waters and forged ahead.

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A SW E E T A N D SA LT Y T U R N OV E R Inevitably, the club that Discovery Land Company developed would be turned over to the Members. It had happened with the first eight DLC-developed clubs. Mike Meldman wanted to create a brand that was more Member-friendly than developer-friendly. “There was a lot of controversy with turnovers in Scottsdale and I wanted to make sure we had seamless turnovers,” explained Meldman.

“The Mirabel turnover was a big success.”

In the end, perhaps that was true, but at turnover time, Mirabel wasn’t dealing with the developer.

Instead, it had to negotiate with the actual owner, Terrabrook. That process wasn’t as seamless.

At a predetermined, though fluid, point in time, Terrabrook would transfer ownership of the club to the Members. The trigger for that event was three-fold: 90 percent of the lots sold; 90 percent of the memberships sold; and a break-even in cash flow or else four consecutive quarters of profitability—all of this no later than December 31, 2012.

By the end of 2008, that automatic trigger had no chance of being pulled anytime soon. Positive cash flow? Hardly. Terrabrook had to cut a check for $2.5 million in 2008 to keep the club operating.

Membership was only around the 225 mark (of a 350 ceiling), and dropped another 60 or so when the economy soured in 2009.

As Nick Calise recalls, “Everything was going smoothly until the Great Recession, when real estate and membership sales dried up. The owner wanted to stop the loss of money and wanted the Members to take over immediately.”

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Whispers began circulating that Terrabrook might sell Mirabel before the turnover and a new set of rules and regulations would be imposed. To raise the membership numbers and revenues, there was talk from the owners about allowing corporate memberships, where companies could buy in and grant 10 memberships to its designees. Undoubtedly, these actions would have changed the character of the club, and diluted the “Mirabel Experience.” Faced with these unwelcome possibilities, Members were encouraged to assume control of their club, to control their own destiny.

According to Calise, under these changed circumstances, everyone recognized that the original concept of turning over control would not work. A reconstituted Board of Governors of 12 Members was created to negotiate with the owner, Terrabrook.

From that group, Bob Sheppard, Stew Morick and Nick Calise surfaced, with Sheppard and Morick doing the actual negotiating and Calise handling the legal language required. Expectations were low for a favorable outcome—that is, until the proceedings were apparently sprinkled with Mirabel magic.

The process was nearly as smooth as one of Jeff Goren’s putting greens. “To be honest, they were very accommodating,” says Bob Sheppard. “Stew and I spent a lot of time talking to the Terrabrook guy, Danny Gilpin. They felt they had already made their money in the real estate. Also, they knew that there were plenty of Mirabel Members who were also members at other Discovery properties. They didn’t want a bunch of unhappy owners over this. The loan package was comfortable and they honored their commitments.”

Stew Morick had a sense all along that Terrabrook didn’t want to keep paying for Mirabel’s expenses. He also calculated that Mirabel shouldn’t have to pay the $2 million asking price over 10 years to become Member-owned. “Trust me, they want out,” he said back then, after learning from the Estancia experience, where Estancia paid a healthy sum to gain its freedom. Echoes Nick Calise, “I think they wanted to do the right thing and get out. They were fair to us.”

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Negotiations continued for approximately six months in 2009 and the final proposal for early turnover was submitted to the Members for a vote on September 23, 2009. It was overwhelmingly approved. On October 1, 2009, Mirabel completed the transfer of ownership from the club’s development partners, Terrabrook and Discovery Land Company to its Members.

As part of the negotiated deal, Terrabrook gave the club cash to add two additional Har-Tru tennis courts (they had only built two to start) and to resurface the swimming pool and also provided funds to the HOA to repave all of the roads. And because the club didn’t have a treasure chest of cash on property, under the turnover agreement, Terrabrook agreed to loan the club $1.4 million at 7.5% interest for five years. All unsold memberships were turned over to the club. While the club could retain the proceeds of the first 10 memberships sold, thereafter 100% of

net membership sales were used to pay the annual minimum payment of the loan. It soon became apparent that this arrangement wouldn’t work, because there simply weren’t enough memberships being sold in that difficult economy. Mirabel Members went back to the drawing board, to see if there was another way to climb out of the financial hole.

After about a year, the Members approved “the last option,” an assessment of $5,000 per golf membership and $1,667 for each social membership to pay off the bridge loan. The assessment was in the form of a non-interest-bearing bond, known as a supplemental equity ownership certificate (“SEOC”). The borrowed amount would be returned to the Member when their membership was resold to a new incoming Member. Applied against the loan from Terrabrook, the assessment freed the club from debt.

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T H E ROA D FO RWA R D “The Members saw the benefits, and it wasn’t a struggle to get everything approved,” says Sheppard. “The real struggle was when we had the downturn. That was a difficult time. As a Board, we were under a lot of pressure because people were failing to pay their dues. There was pressure to cut costs, to take it down to a less than elite club. To the Board’s credit, they resisted that.”

Undeniably, there were worries among Members about what the club experience was going to be like going forward. Club leaders offered solid reassurance. Both Sheppard and Morick credited Board Vice-President Dave Brown as a calming influence, someone who communicated regularly with the membership on behalf of the Board, with convincing honesty, cheer and compassion.

Maintaining the “Mirabel Experience” was the highest priority, but of equal priority was showing fiscal responsibility.

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Understandably, however, a careful calibration occurred with any suggested change in operations.

It was easy to be spoiled when Discovery/Terrabrook was paying for every extra, as to them, it was simply another “marketing expense.” With the Members now absorbing these costs, everything was scrutinized. One early cost-cutting endeavor, remembers Nick Calise, was the elimination of complimentary beef jerky at the comfort stations, which saved approximately $40,000 per year.

Stew Morick recalled that the ornamental ice sculptures at meals and parties were shaved from a $40,000 expense down to $5,000. To those who voiced their displeasure, he volleyed back, “We’re in survival mode.”

Survival wasn’t assured. Independence came with numerous challenges, especially in a down economy. Marketing initiatives revolved around boosting membership numbers, mostly through Members introducing their friends to the club. However, to accommodate the additional growth needed to increase revenues, facilities would have to be expanded, notably the clubhouse— estimated costs were $6.5 million. Then another out-of-the-box idea emerged, perhaps inspired

by Mirabel magic. Instead of overhauling the clubhouse, the board proposed an intriguing alternative: reduce the capped membership to 275 for golf and 50 for social and to maintain the intimate environment so cherished by Members.

“Limiting our size puts a premium on retaining the Members we have, by providing a level of service that’s second to none,” said Mike O’Donnell in 2012, when he was Board President. “But we also have to make sure we provide that service in a cost-effective manner, to create the reserves that will ensure adequate cash flow so we can maintain our infrastructure at the proper levels, without future assessments.”

Belt-tightening continued through 2013, but the crisis had finally passed. By 2014, membership growth had produced dues revenues that covered the club’s expenses.

The transition era had ended.

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P E R S P EC T I V E In the end, the early turnover proved not only fortuitous for Mirabel, but was central to its existence. “The culture was what drove us to become Member-owned,” explained Ken Baker.

“The Members liked the culture. They liked the fabric and the feel and they wanted to figure out how to preserve that. I think it’s a richer club when Members own it. There’s a real pride that you don’t get any other way other than being owners. I think everything worked out fine. Here we are, debtfree, and we’ve got this whole new modernized clubhouse, under budget. The future’s great.”

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UNIQUE FACETS Take a step in any direction at Mirabel, or peel back any layer in its history and something inevitably sparkles. There are some items, however, that are so inspiring, so noteworthy or so one-of-a-kind that they glitter in their own spotlight.

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HERE’S THE BEEF Two or so decades ago, health-conscious consumers stumbled onto beef jerky as a very acceptable way to satisfy hunger pangs, thanks to its high protein content, while being low fat and low carb. It was also easy to transport and eat, in grab-and-go fashion. Jerky’s increasing popularity continues unabated worldwide.

Certainly that’s the case among members and guests at Mirabel, but for one extra-special reason:

Mirabel’s beef jerky may well be the best anywhere.

In fact, in 2003 this delectable concoction helped spread the virtues of Mirabel nationwide.

A haze surrounds the origins of “Mirabel Signature Beef Jerky,” as it was known in the early days, but it’s not an especially dense haze.

Mirabel’s original General Manager, Michael Ryan, recalls that the recipe was derived from one that Chef Tim Fields’ mother used to make in Tucson, Arizona. “The basic premise, like so many other good cooking results,” says Ryan, “comes from starting with top-quality ingredients. For us, that was USDA Choice Skirt Steak. The precise manner in which we cut and marinated and cured the beef meant we could reproduce a tender, delicious product with absolute consistency. No wonder to this day I still get requests for the recipe.”

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According to a contemporaneous account, published in the Scottsdale regional version of the Arizona Republic on June 24, 2003, Chef Tim Fields ladled co-credit onto his bartender, Al Marlinga. Two years earlier, the two men had thought it might be a big hit.

“Al’s wife was the first one to make it in her kitchen,” Fields said. “Now it’s our signature snack. We make it all right here (at Mirabel) from scratch.”

The flavorful jerky proved so popular, that it quickly became a staple in the on-course Comfort Stations and inside the Golf House, which served as the interim clubhouse prior to the Desert Lodge opening. Among the most smitten was baseball pitching legend Roger Clemens, then with the New York Yankees. Clemens sampled the beef jerky during a February 2003 round of golf, prior to the start of spring training.

“He loved it so much that he ordered five pounds and sent it to the Yankees clubhouse for his teammates to try,” Fields said at the time. “That (shipment) disappeared in five minutes, so now he orders 32 pounds a month.”

Looking back on those days nearly twenty years later, Michael Ryan marvels at what Mirabel’s beef jerky meant to the club and its reputation. “Sometimes people would come up to me and refer to Mirabel as ‘the golf course with the amazing jerky,’ he said. “It was ironic to think that despite the multimillion-dollar Faziodesigned golf course, we were sometimes known more for our beef jerky.”

Mirabel’s remarkable legacy of incomparable beef jerky remains strong. In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the club sold 750 pounds at $40 per pound (one member alone bought 450 pounds.) and realized $22,000 in Christmas sales alone. Perhaps Steve Adelson’s current take provides the proper perspective. “Everybody has jerky at Discovery now,” he said, “but the Mirabel jerky was the leader and the first.”

Many would add that the Mirabel jerky was and is the best. At the very least, it made the club famous from coast to coast.

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M I R A B E L M AG I C CO O K I E Chef Tana Hepburn

Tana Hepburn, Mirabel’s first Pastry Chef, developed this wonderful recipe in collaboration with Steve Adelson.

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon Pinch of salt 2 cups old-fashioned oats 1/3 cup white chocolate chips 1/3 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins) 2 1/2 oz. Heath Bar Bits

PREPARATION In a kitchen mixer, scraping the bowl after every addition: Lightly cream the butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar & vanilla. Gradually add eggs 1 at a time. Add the dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt, then the oats—and mix well.

Add in the Heath Bar Bits, Craisins & chips; fold it in — do not over-mix.

Scoop onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees, convection mode, low fan for 10 minutes.

Rotate and bake for 4-5 more minutes.

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M AG I CA L LY D E L I C I O U S Steve Adelson explains that from the beginning, Mirabel actually had two signature food items.

There was the incomparable beef jerky, of course, but also a sweeter offering: the Mirabel Magic cookie.

Mirabel Magic and chocolate chip cookies are always available, but the club also offers four other semi-regular cookie styles: M&Ms, Oreostyle, white chocolate chip with Macadamia nuts, and double chocolate fudge.

“A dear friend of mine from Morehead, Minnesota made the first Mirabel Magic cookie,” says Adelson. “It’s an oatmeal raisin cookie, with milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, ‘craisins’ (dried cranberries) and toffee. That was the Mirabel Magic cookie and that was always in the cookie jar.”

The magic doesn’t stop with cookies, however.

Frozen-food fans can also delight in the Mirabel Magic ice cream, which is vanilla flavored and chock-full of the same goodies that are embedded in its namesake cookie. And then the inevitable happened. Someone married these two sweet treats, creating the Mirabel Magic ice cream sandwich. Charyn Hoffman takes credit for the idea.

Twenty years after its debut, the magic is back.

While the fabled cookie never disappeared, its ingredients evolved over time. “Not too long ago, we found the original recipe,” says Matt Proch, Mirabel’s food and beverage director. “So Jean Claude, our pastry chef, is currently using that recipe.”

Even as the Mirabel Magic cookie acquired a few companion cookies over the years, it remains at or near the top in popularity. “It’s a close battle for first and second between that and the classic chocolate chip cookie,” says Proch. “We mostly make them every other day, and it’s roughly about 90 to 120 at a time. They’re dispersed between the locker rooms and the comfort stations on the golf course. Probably a third of the cookies consumed are the Magics.”

“It’s my invention,” says Charyn. “Our pastry chef, Jan, started making them because I asked her to.”

The Mirabel Magic ice cream sandwich is one scoop of Mirabel Magic ice cream smashed between two Mirabel Magic cookies and wrapped in a paper bag. On average, the club produces 50 ice cream sandwiches per week. The week of the Maui Jim golf tournament, however, is anything but average. The college kids collectively devour 600 Mirabel Magic ice cream sandwiches during their stay. Oh, to be young again!

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T H I S S OA K WA S N O J O K E Not every Mirabel innovation was a smashing success. Take the soaking tubs in the men’s locker room. No, you take them—away—said the majority of Members as the club prepared to renovate the clubhouse in 2020. “Getting rid of the tubs was the number-one item on the Members’ survey,” says Marcie Mills. “Then it was to get a new bar.”

The soaking tubs had been the brainchild of Steve Adelson. He admits this wasn’t his finest hour. “I thought it’d be cool to have these old Western tubs, where you’re in your own tub, with a drink, and there are four or five guys in different tubs,” says Adelson. “Obviously, it was very impractical,” he says, laughing. “But it was talked about. When Mike Meldman first started to get to know George Clooney, he brought George in there and they had a good old time, talking and laughing about the tubs.”

Meldman, a friend and business partner of Clooney’s, confirms the tale. “One year we celebrated George’s birthday at Mirabel and he got in one of the tubs,” recalls Meldman. “A few friends got in the other three tubs and celebrated his birthday Brett Maverick style. I thought it was appropriate, since Scottsdale is America’s most ‘western’ city.”

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Adelson defends the original decision to install the tubs. “You’ve got to push the envelope a little and see what sticks,” he says. “The tubs didn’t stick, but it was our effort to try to do something besides the standard Jacuzzi that every men’s locker room has. It was a try.”

The soaking tubs have floated downriver for now. There’s good news for the weary, however.

The headrests above the urinals have been refurbished and remain in place. “People actually use those,” said a high-ranking club official with a wink.

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EVOLUTION Marcie Mills arrived as Mirabel’s general manager in August 2016. While the facilities had impressed her during previous visits, it was the Members she would meet that exceeded every expectation.

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“We have an incredible membership that is very passionate about their club, that wants to see it thrive,” says Mills. “They give back to the community—they’re very philanthropic—but they also care about the people that work for them and serve them, in a way that differentiates itself from other clubs.”

Mills would need that passionate, caring membership to help her navigate two daunting, concurrent challenges: an extensive clubhouse renovation and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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T H E M A ST E R FAC I L I T I E S P L A N To Marcie Mills’ recollection, the idea for the most substantial renovation in club history came to light at a 2017 board retreat when Bruce Nicholson was president. While brainstorming in the private dining room, the idea of a facility upgrade emerged.

Working with Suzi Baker, Chair of the House Committee, Mills commissioned a Members’ survey.

Baker remembers that topping the Members wish list was “getting rid of those silly tubs that were in the locker rooms that took up a lot of space and didn’t get used.” Also high on the list was a bigger bar. “We felt that the bar we had was really underserving the membership,“ says Baker. “It was always crowded.” An expanded and improved fitness facility and the addition of pickleball courts were high on the list as well.

Mills and Baker met with acclaimed architect Erik B. Peterson from PHX Architecture, who presented eight different plans for an expanded clubhouse and a new bar. Not one resonated with the ladies.

Past president Mike Bailey entered the room and suggested that perhaps they needed to be more ambitious. “You’ve got one shot at this,” he said. “You can always scale back.” It was the “Eureka!” moment for Mills.

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She informed Peterson that the new bar had to have a wow factor. “Erik, we’ve got to have another option for this bar,” said Mills. “It’s got to be spectacular, and be the focal point of the club.”

Peterson quickly roughed out a new, ninth option, one so special, it gave the ladies chills.

In August 2018, the Core Committee of Mills, Baker, Stuart Broeren, Greg Maanum and Christy Stockton took the proposal to the board, and the feedback was thumbs up. The committee solicited contractors’ bids to determine the cost of the work and then the board went to work, to sell the project to the membership. A Communications Sub-Committee formed to help spread the word.

Jo Ann Redding and Tony Paoni played a key role in informing and educating Members, assisted by Nissa Sjoberg and others. Focus groups were convened and staff members’ input was included, too.

The idea was to show transparency, to get as many Members on board as possible.

At a Town Hall on April 1, 2019, Marcie Mills remembers making it a point to have everyone who had touched the project to stand up. A considerable number took to their feet. Mills believes that gesture affected the feel and the trust level in a very positive way. Serious money was at stake, with a project cost of $6 million, or $17,200 per membership. This time, there was no Mirabel magic required. The Members recognized the value in the proposition. On May 16, 2019, the Master Facilities Plan won approval, with 67 percent of the vote.

CO N ST R U CT I O N I N T H E T I M E O F COV I D Mirabel Members got quite a package for their investment. The new indoor/outdoor, peninsula-style bar featured seating for 20 people and gorgeous down-valley views. Casual dining seats increased from 38 to 110. Outdoor patio areas and fire pits were added. A new private dining room included a private patio that opened up to the event lawn. An expanded kitchen featured enhancements in food storage and preparation. One refurbished and one new wine cellar flank each end of the dining space. A larger fitness center, upgraded spa and salon, clubhouse entry/ landscape touch-ups and new outdoor activities, including pickleball, completed the offerings.

Construction began in the late spring of 2020—right as the pandemic had started to shatter lives and shutter much of the country. No one knew if the MFP project would be built that summer—or whether the club would even keep its doors open.

Once management figured out that they could proceed, it was a matter of adapting. Furniture would now be sourced locally, rather than from outside the US. Department heads had to figure out how to engage without being able to congregate. Mills credits Jenny Hill and the fitness team for doing a brilliant job of immediately getting on Zoom and offering classes.

Golf proved to be a saving grace for Mirabel Members in 2020.

“Golf provided an outdoor space for people to be normal,” says Mills. “We took all the cautious steps a prudent business would take. We tried to mitigate touch points and to allow our Members a safe space so they could keep their spirits up.”

Construction kept pace and by February 2021, every task was completed. Under any circumstances, executing this MFP was a huge success. Amid the pandemic panic, the achievement was sensational. “The Members are thrilled with it, just thrilled,” says Suzi Baker. “I think the group knocked it out of the park.”

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THE WELLNESS CRAZE A heightened emphasis on wellness at Mirabel parallels the progression in society. Mirabel’s first fitness facility opened in January 2004. In February 2013, it underwent its first significant upgrade when an outside patio was enclosed to form another classroom. By 2021, after the clubhouse renovation, the space had more than doubled from the original size to 6,000 square feet.

The reconfiguration of the fitness center created a more flexible and open gym with improved natural lighting. This expansion added 2,400 square feet, including 1,400 square feet of studio class space and dedicated areas for stretching, free weights and Pilates reformers.

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Among the most popular offerings in recent years have been the men’s and women’s fitness challenges, aqua aerobics (especially in summer and during COVID), aerial yoga, box-fit, and Zumba. The fitness challenge was partly responsible for getting men to try out new classes. “That’s how Jenny Hill got men involved,” laughs Suzi Baker. “Make it a game, make it a competition, and they signed up.”

The challenges lasted for about five years, and were instrumental in affecting positive lifestyle changes.

SW E E T C H A R I T Y The shared set of values among Mirabel Members is illuminated in the commitment made to charity and service. Mirabel Members selflessly devote time and resources to worthy causes. Two of the most worthy are Hope for the Cause and the Foothills Food Bank.

The first Hope for the Cause event, a women’s golf tournament in 2009, raised $25,000 for breast cancer research at Scottsdale Healthcare. Over the years, ancillary events were added to complement the main event, including men’s golf, a 5K run, and a reception and dinner with silent and live auctions, with the beneficiary now known as the HonorHealth Research Institute. The festivities in March 2021 generated $485,000, for a total of nearly $4 million raised in 13 years for cancer research. Specifically, these funds have contributed to real results in clinical trials, new FDA-approved drug therapies and increased survival rates.

The Hope for the Cause Mirabel Charity Classic operates with a motto: This is What We Do. This is Who We Are. Mirabel Members prefer to downplay the credit, but for this herculean effort over 13 years, the membership deserves to take a bow.

This same motto applies to feeding the community’s hungry citizens. An alliance of the St. Mary’s Food Bank, the Foothills branch, serves eleven different communities with efforts to fight hunger. Mirabel is a champion in that fight. The initial Foothills Foodbank charity fundraiser took place in January 2013 and raised $7,200. In January 2021, during the pandemic, Mirabel still managed a record haul of $165,000, for an eight-year total of more than $600,000.

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E N GAG E M E N TS There is a dizzying array of options to entertain Mirabel Members when they’re not playing golf or working out.

From tennis and the new pickleball courts, to the Car Club, the 4WD Club and the Book Club, there are countless diversions to indulge in a hobby or foster a new interest.

A formal Hiking Club debuted in 2020; less strenuous pursuits include Canasta, Mah-jongg and Bridge.

Each of these pursuits is predicated on pure fun and camaraderie. Take it from the Car Club: “Remember, if you are a Member of Mirabel and own something with wheels, you are automatically a member of the Mirabel Car Club.”

Mirabel’s most enduring, cherished tradition is the Wave.

Much more than a gesture of greeting, it symbolizes the warmth and respect that community members have for one another.

T H E M I R A B E L WAV E The ubiquitous Wave is as old as Mirabel itself. Credit for its creation goes to Bob Lomax. “The Wave tradition was born at an envisioning session in 2001,” says Lomax, “where we talked about ways we could make the community feel welcoming and inclusive. At the time, the sales team, including me, drove white BMW X5 SUVs to take prospects through the property, as the golf course, roads and infrastructure were under construction so it was a little bit of a four-wheel-drive obstacle course out there.”

“I suggested that when anybody working in the community, including the construction workers, saw the white SUVs that they would make it a point to wave at us. The team liked the idea and everyone was asked to do so. When we would drive around with prospects, most everyone would stop and wave at us as we drove by.

And the people loved it. As we started having Members and our first residents moving into the community, it stuck. I can tell you prospects still comment on it as I am driving them through the community, and I believe it has sold a lot of real estate for Mirabel.”

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A LO O K I N TO T H E F U T U R E Jim and Maxine Coyne have been Mirabel Members since October 2002. Jim compares the entire experience to a legendary amusement park. In the go-go Discovery Land Company days, it was Fantasyland, with huge ice sculptures and free Silver Oak wine. When the Members took over the club, it entered Frontierland.

“At this point,” says Jim, “we are now comfortably in Adventureland, with a fabulous remodeled clubhouse, great management and staff, a very active events calendar, and many new Members. Now, we look forward to Tomorrowland.”

As the first female Member and currently longest term Member, Anne McCainEardley has witnessed the club’s entire evolution. She remembers the “best carefree parties with the silliest games.” She also remembers when times weren’t as carefree.

However, she’s clear about where the club is now and where it’s headed: “I chose to remain at Mirabel because I knew what it could be,” she says. “I love the direction now.”

Greg Maanum, Mirabel’s current Club President, sums up the journey over the past two decades perfectly. “Mirabel has come a long way from our early days 20 years ago. Over the years there have been many successes and a few challenges as well. But certainly, many amazing memories have been made along the way. We understand and believe in the formula for our continued success - great members, great staff and great amenities. We are very excited for what the next 20 years will bring.”

With its rock-solid foundation and remarkable people, Mirabel will undoubtedly continue to prosper.

So raise a glass and toast “Cheers” to the healthy future of Mirabel, for the next twenty years and beyond.

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AC K N OW L E D G E M E N TS This book has been a labor of love many months in the making.

Our thanks go out to the current and former Mirabel Members, Team Members and others who enthusiastically provided their time, recollections and photographs to help tell Mirabel’s story – this would not have been possible without them.

We especially appreciate the involvement of Jeff Goren and Bob Lomax, two of the earliest employees of Discovery Land Company. They gave generously of their time, both in initial interviews and later with numerous follow up questions. Tom Fazio, Mike Meldman, Steve Adelson and Michael Ryan also provided a great deal of historical detail and fun stories for the book.

When we started this project, we were fortunate to partner with one of the great golf writers of the last three decades, “Travelin’” Joe Passov. Joe resides in Cave Creek and knew much about Mirabel before it was even Mirabel! Joe’s deep knowledge of golf clubs, resorts, travel, and golf course architecture gave him tremendous insight into just how special our culture is. Joe spent countless hours interviewing many people to help tell Mirabel’s story.

Lastly, we thank the incredible team at Pipeline Marketing, Shannon Herschbach, Joyce Tan and Olivia Krueger; they are the creative visionaries behind the final product you hold in your hands.

— The Mirabel Magic Book Team Deanna & Tom Jones • Jo Ann & Doug Redding • Nissa Sjoberg

THE MIRABEL CLUB www.mirabel.com 480.437.1500