If you’re looking at a home inside Desert Highlands, the club is part of the decision, not a separate one. This page covers how membership works, what it costs and what it means for your money when you sell. Julie and Jeff Jurgenson put it together for buyers who want the numbers before they fly out.
Is a golf membership required when you buy in Desert Highlands?
Yes. A golf membership is mandatory to purchase a home in the Desert Highlands subdivision, and it’s paid at close of escrow. Every homeowner in Desert Highlands is a club member with use of all club amenities.
Settle this first, because it changes the math on every home you look at, and the initiation fee sits on top of the purchase price rather than inside it. What that purchase price looks like varies more than most buyers expect, which is broken out by home type and price tier.
How membership is structured
There’s one membership category, and it covers all club amenities. It’s held by one person if you’re single and two if you’re married. Each household has one primary member and one vote.
What membership costs
Two numbers matter here, and buyers mix them up: the one-time cost to join and the ongoing monthly cost. There’s also a question about HOA dues that gets asked on almost every showing, so it’s covered below.
The one-time cost to join
The membership fee is $250,000 as of 1 September 2026, up from $205,000. It’s nonrefundable. The price is set by the board, with guardrails on how much it can rise year over year, so anyone buying here should confirm the current figure with the club rather than relying on what a listing or an older page says.
The ongoing cost
| Monthly dues | $2,050 |
| Capital expenditure assessment | $150 per month |
| Service assessment, semi-annual | $750 |
| Food and beverage minimum | None |
The service assessment covers staff, because the club has a no tipping policy.
On top of that: standard cart fees, optional club storage and an optional locker fee. Two years ago there was an assessment for a major course renovation covering the greens and tee boxes, which is worth knowing about when you ask the club about reserves.
What about HOA dues?
There are no separate HOA fees at Desert Highlands. The HOA and the golf club operate as one entity, so what you pay the club covers the community side too. That includes a guard gated entry, tennis, pickleball, bocce ball, a fitness center, a pool, a practice range, an 18 hole putting green, walking trails and a dog park.
What a membership includes
- Golf. The Desert Highlands course, designed by Jack Nicklaus. Home of the first Skins Game.
- The putting course. An 18 hole grass putting course, groomed the same way as the greens on the course.
- Practice facility. Driving range, short game area, bunker practice, putting green and an instructional range.
- Racquet and court sports. Tennis, pickleball and bocce ball, with league play.
- Fitness and wellness. Fitness center with classes, steam bath and pool.
- Dining. Three dining rooms, one formal and two casual. In season they’re open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.
- Guest privileges. Guests are welcome, subject to restrictions and rates that vary by time of year.
- Reciprocal play. A good number of reciprocal clubs are available during the off season.
Is there a waitlist?
No. Membership is capped by the number of homes in the subdivision, which sits at around 560. If nothing is for sale in Desert Highlands, buyers wait for inventory rather than for the club.
Timing matters more than buyers expect here. When membership is tied to a fixed number of homes, the club question shapes when you buy, not just what you buy. What’s actually available, and at what price, is broken out by home type.
What happens to your membership when you sell
There’s no transfer fee. The incoming buyer pays the initiation fee that’s current at the time, and the seller receives nothing back from what they originally paid.
This is the part that costs people money, and it’s the part nobody reads until they’re selling. Ask about it on the way in. What that means for resale shows up in the current Desert Highlands market numbers.
Have a question this page doesn’t answer? Julie and Jeff have walked buyers through this many times. Call Julie at 480.296.6388 or Jeff at 480.848.4826.
What Julie and Jeff tell buyers to ask before they write an offer
- What does club life look like day to day, and what kinds of events does the club run? This is how you get a read on the pace of the place and whether the calendar matches how you want to spend your time.
- How many homes are occupied year round, and what happens to the ones that aren’t? If you’ll be away for part of the year, ask whether there’s a residential services group that can look after your house while it sits.
- How easy is it to get a tee time? Can I play three or four rounds a week? Access is the whole point of the membership. Get a straight answer on it before you commit.
- Who remodels homes in Desert Highlands, and can you connect me with them? Much of the housing stock is older. If the home you want needs work, you want the names of builders who have already worked inside the gate.
- How financially sound is the club, and are the capital reserves sufficient? Reserves tell you how likely the next special assessment is, and how big it might be.
Why buyers call Julie and Jeff about Desert Highlands
Julie and Jeff Jurgenson work every file together. Two agents, one husband and wife team, on the showings, the inspection and the contract. Jeff handles strategy, negotiation and contract detail. Julie leads the client relationship and the golf community side of the business.
For buyers coming from out of state, they show up when you can’t. Video walkthroughs, photos from the property and someone on the ground at the inspection, so you don’t have to book a flight to look at a water stain.
Here’s the kind of thing that gets caught by being there. Julie and Jeff toured a home for a client with a backyard that bordered a different neighborhood. The lots were all large, so at first glance the space behind the house read as open desert and an open view. It wasn’t. It was a buildable lot in a neighborhood without the same height restrictions as Desert Highlands, which meant the view from the back of that home could be built out at any point.
Talk to Julie and Jeff about Desert Highlands
Membership terms change, and the club is the only source for what’s current today. What Julie and Jeff can tell you is how the membership question fits the rest of the purchase: which homes are moving, what the club structure means for your resale and whether Desert Highlands is the right gate for how you play.
Julie Jurgenson: 480.296.6388
Jeff Jurgenson: 480.848.4826
The Jurgenson Team, eXp Realty. 20551 N Pima Road, Suite 185, Scottsdale, AZ 85255.
