You might have passed this logo on the road as you entered the community of Troon North, seen it on a sign as you pulled into the bag drop, or even noticed it on the merchandise that surrounds you now. This figure is actually more than a logo. The symbol you see before you is a recreation of a petroglyph. Petroglyphs are images that were etched into large boulders by American Indians 300 to 700 years ago. This petroglyph is an etching of a horned lizard. Also referred to as “horny toads” or “horned frogs,” horned lizards are actually a type of reptile. Since reptiles primarily depend on their environment for body heat, North Scottsdale provides the perfect climate because they like it HOT! While many horned lizards make Troon North Golf Club their home, they can still be difficult to spot on the course. You’ll have to look real close to find them because despite their love for warm temperatures, they can still get too hot and will crawl into shady areas under plants, rocks and burrows for relief.   Horned lizards have many features that distinguish them from other lizards. The most obvious characteristic is their body. Unlike most lizards that have a sleek tubular shape, horned lizards have a wide, flattened body that is well adapted for camouflage and burrowing. Horned lizards are noticeably spiny, with a crown of horns adorning the back of their heads and spines all over their bodies.

 

Since the desert is also home to many predators that hunt from both the air and the ground, the horned lizard defends itself by driving its body into the sand, inflating itself and by shooting a stream of blood at attackers from its eyes. Humans and horned lizards have shared each other’s company for thousands of years. This relationship is even recorded by the ancient Hohokam people, who inhabited Phoenix from 300 B.C to A.D. If you find yourself scouring the desert for an errant tee shot, make the most of your time and pay close attention to what’s hiding under the rocks or lying in the shade of a barrel cactus. You might spot a horned lizard before you spot your ball.