First class golf club with great topography. Elevation changes and the surrounding desert make this course what it is. I would not call this the most challenging course around (or the easiest), but if you wanted to put it at the top of esthetics it's a winnable argument. Clubhouse is perfect. Membership and dues are pricey, but I suppose the members want it that way.

Customer Service

Pefect from the parking lot, to the lockerroom, to the proshop.

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Visually I guess The Golf Club of Scottsdale, maybe the Boulders, Troon North, and Troon Country Club are similar. I'd rank this the highest of that group.

Given there is no club summary above, I'll start by discussing the club and course. Estancia is a elite private club in North Scottsdale. It has a relatively small, wealthy membership, many of whom live in the massive houses on the Estancia property. Membership is equity based and memberships are usually available for purchase from exiting members at "market" rates, no land ownership required. The golf course is one of the many Fazio designed courses in the N. Scottsdale area.
I've played this course a couple of times as a guest during reciprocity, and enjoyed it. Each time we played, there was no more than one other twosome on the entire course. It was great to rip through in about 2:30...
The land is awesome- the course wends its way around the northern base of Pinnacle Peak, giving expansive views and some wonderful elevation changes. The back tees span over 7400 yards, giving a stern test for most golfers. This is a very traditional desert design (not really a "target" course), with few difficult areas of carry and moderately wide fairways.
The practice areas are really good- I would love to belong to a club with short game and putting areas of this caliber.
The conditions of the grass in mid-summer were mixed. The greens were perfect- the best conditions I've seen in Arizona all year. Amazing. The fairways? Not so good. There were a number of burnt spots and the overall quality was lower than average. This is not tremendously surprising though; the poor mineral rich water in N. Scottsdale is a problem for many courses. I'm just amazed at how well they did with the greens...
Overall I like the layout of this course; it would be very hard to go wrong w/ the incredibly beautiful piece of land it is situated on. But AGAIN, this is another moderately boring Fazio design, with low levels of excitement and intrigue. That said, there were a couple of holes that stood out as more interesting then the rest. The second hole is an excellent par 4 with an uphill second shot to a raised green. The 18th hole is really interesting, with a longish carry to an angled fairway. Definitely a tough challenge from the back tees! The greens were very straight forward, with low to moderate break.
Overall, due primarily to the location, this is one of the best golf courses in Arizona, hands down.

Customer Service

The staff here is great- professional and courteous. Kudos.

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Pretty much every "peer" private course in the valley. Estancia competes with any of them. The land is similar to Troon Country Club. The layout is pretty similar to any Fazio design in AZ.