The Grayhawk Lifestyle
Grayhawk is a 1,600-acre master-planned community in North Scottsdale, built around two championship golf courses, 30+ distinct sub-neighborhoods, and a genuine everyday-life infrastructure that most golf communities don't bother with — an on-site elementary school, a neighborhood park with lighted courts, and direct trail access into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It's not a resort community residents visit a few weeks a year. It's a place people live full-time, raise kids in the Paradise Valley Unified School District, and rarely leave once they're in — Grayhawk's resale market runs largely on residents moving between villages rather than leaving the community altogether.
If you are comparing Grayhawk with nearby master-planned and golf communities, the Tackett Team's North Scottsdale lifestyle guide explains the broader area's golf, trails, schools, shopping, and community choices.
How Grayhawk Is Laid Out
The community's 1,600 acres break into three named districts built around Grayhawk Golf Club's two courses: The Park, Raptor Retreat, and Talon Retreat — each with its own cluster of villages.
The Park sits on the community's west side, closest to Pima Road and the Scottsdale Healthcare campus. Raptor Retreat wraps the Raptor Course to the north and east, home to villages like Firenze, Los Vientos, and Encore. Talon Retreat wraps the Talon Course to the south, home to Crown Point, Talon Fairways, and Avante among others. A network of paved Grayhawk Walk trails and multi-use paths links all three districts — though portions run through gated neighborhoods and are only accessible to those residents.
Two Championship Golf Courses
Grayhawk Golf Club's Talon and Raptor courses have distinct personalities — which one backs up to a buyer's home matters more than most agents let on.
Talon Course
Designed by 1979 PGA Champion David Graham and architect Gary Panks, opened 1994. 6,973 yards. Ranked among Golf Magazine's "Top 100 You Can Play in the U.S." The back nine is built around a series of deep box canyons, with holes laid out along steep drop-offs through mesquite, palo verde, and ironwood — views stretch to the McDowell Mountains and the Scottsdale/Phoenix skyline.
Raptor Course
Designed by Tom Fazio with Dennis Wise, opened 1995. 7,221 yards, par 72. Plays as a lush parkland-style layout with wide fairways and crowned greens. One of only two Scottsdale courses to host a PGA TOUR event — the Frys.com Open, 2007–2009 — and hosted the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Golf Championships from 2021 to 2023.
Trails, Parks & Greenbelts
Grayhawk was platted with more than a dozen linked greenbelts, and the community sits minutes from some of Scottsdale's most-used desert trailheads.
Grayhawk Neighborhood Park
A dedicated community park with a playground, lighted tennis courts, a sports court, a ball field, and a volleyball court — separate from Grayhawk Golf Club's private amenities and open to residents across the community's villages.
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Grayhawk sits a short drive from the Lost Dog Wash and Gateway trailheads, two of the Preserve's five major access points into more than 230 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails across 30,500+ acres — open sunrise to sunset, free of charge.
Dining In & Around Grayhawk
From clubhouse dining at Grayhawk Golf Club to the sit-down spots residents actually use on a Tuesday night.
The Grill at Grayhawk serves lunch and dinner inside the golf clubhouse with patio seating overlooking the Talon Course, and Quill Creek at Grayhawk Golf Club (Yelp) rounds out the on-site dining options for residents who don't feel like leaving the community.
Shopping & Everyday Life
Grayhawk sits just off the 101 near Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, a few minutes from two of the Valley's best open-air retail districts.
Kierland Commons (opened 2000, Arizona's first true lifestyle center) and the adjacent Scottsdale Quarter combine for 200+ stores and 40+ dining options within a short drive of Grayhawk — Anthropologie, Athleta, Madewell, Apple, Design Within Reach, True Food Kitchen (Yelp), and an iPic cinema among them. It's the kind of everyday convenience that keeps Grayhawk residents from having to drive south into Old Town for basics.
Schools
Grayhawk is served by the Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD), with an elementary school built directly into the community.
Grayhawk Elementary sits at 7525 E. Grayhawk Dr., inside the community itself — a rarity for a master-planned golf community this size. PVUSD serves 98 square miles across northeast Phoenix and a portion of north Scottsdale, from 7th Avenue to Pima Road, generally bordered by Northern Avenue to the south and Jomax Road to the north.
HOA & Community Structure
Grayhawk's HOA is layered, and buyers who don't ask about it up front are usually surprised at closing.
Every homeowner pays into the master Grayhawk Community Association, and most villages layer a second, sub-association fee on top of it — covering things like private gates, smaller pools, or added landscaping specific to that enclave. Gate access varies: Grayhawk mixes guard-gated sub-communities with open, non-gated villages across its 30+ neighborhoods, so "is Grayhawk gated?" doesn't have one answer — it depends which village a home sits in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What golf courses are in Grayhawk?
Grayhawk Golf Club has two championship 18-hole courses: the Talon Course, designed by David Graham and Gary Panks in 1994 (6,973 yards), and the Raptor Course, designed by Tom Fazio in 1995 (7,221 yards, par 72). Raptor hosted the PGA TOUR's Frys.com Open from 2007-2009 and the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Golf Championships from 2021-2023.
What school district serves Grayhawk?
Grayhawk is served by the Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD). Grayhawk Elementary School sits inside the community at 7525 E. Grayhawk Dr.
Is Grayhawk guard-gated?
Some of it. Grayhawk is a mix of guard-gated sub-communities and open, non-gated villages, so gate access varies by which of the 30+ neighborhoods a home sits in.
How does the Grayhawk HOA structure work?
Grayhawk uses a two-layer HOA: every homeowner pays into the master Grayhawk Community Association, and most also pay a separate village or sub-association fee specific to their neighborhood, which covers things like private gates, smaller pools, or added landscaping.
Who is the best agent to buy or sell in Grayhawk?
Darren Tackett has sold more homes in Grayhawk than almost anyone in the market and knows the difference between every village, golf-front view corridor, and HOA's quirks. Call 480-418-6500 or email darren@thegrayhawkgroup.com.
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