It has been more than 40 years since earthmovers turned over the first dirt for the Rio Verde development.

A lot has changed -- personal computers were barely known, mobile phones were also rare and sometimes came in a suitcase and Baby Boomers were just starting their careers, not necessarily thinking of retirement.

There was golf, however, and that would be the centerpiece of the new community.

It was an economic mainstay to attract active retirees and Arizona was a Mecca. The new community would start with 18 holes, then add nine more and eventually have 36 holes total as the community grew.

In the 1970s the country club lifestyle was a marketing bonanza for retirement in Arizona and Rio Verde rode that wave through severe gasoline shortages even though the community was on the outer fringes of the Phoenix metro area.

Bob Mason first arrived in Rio Verde in 1975 and was among the first community leaders. He was an early president of the Community Association. He recalls in the 1980s they saw a need to plan for the future of the community and long-range planning efforts began.

Those efforts resulted in the upgrade of the community clubhouse, not just once, but twice during the 1990s.

What was originally the Oasis restaurant was converted to the Rio Verde Community and Welcome Center that today has a fitness center, library, card and activity rooms, computer center and art studio.

“The only thing we didn’t foresee (in long-range planning) was the reduction in golf,” Mason said. “More people are coming here for the quality of life, not just the golf courses.”

Rio Verde Country Club is rising to the challenge of attracting new golfers. Over the last five years the two courses have been upgraded under the direction of Tom Lehman’s design team, and new, innovative membership options are taking shape and reaping results.

There are many who find the golf an attractive destination. Mike and Kathy Neuhengen arrived in Rio Verde in 2013 and it was the golf that brought them here and occupies a good part of their time.

When they first arrived the Neuhengens were paired with other members for a round of golf and there was an immediate connection.

“We have made more friends here in the last year and have had more fun,” Kathy Neuhengen said.

Club President Peg Zarlengo calls the lifestyle like college, only without the classes. She said the membership campaign is having positive results.

“We have 84 new members with our campaign,” Zarlengo said. “We are getting an influx of younger people.

“We are having a real rebirth with younger people with a lot of energy.”

For the past two consecutive years the club has won the GEM award as an exemplary club for women’s play and programs.

Zarlengo cited other advantages of the course as it moves to meet the times. It has environmentally friendly features and is being considered for Audubon certification. They are also walkable courses, which many courses do not allow.

A throwback to earlier times is the parkland features of the course, which accommodates all levels of golfers.

Water conservation measures now call for more challenging “target” golf that reduces the amount of turf.

Making a home

As Baby Boomers retire they bring with them new visions for style and amenities for their retirement homes and communities.

Jan and Tom Stegmann are part of a growing segment of Rio Verde residents who moved in and transformed their home to match their more contemporary tastes and lifestyle.

Tom Stegmann says Rio Verde encourages people to do their own thing with their architectural style. The RVCA has an architecture committee, but conformity is not a primary objective.

“It is much less uniform than some retirement communities,” Stegmann said. “People can bring in their own architects and their own ideas.”

The Stegmanns took the home they purchased and virtually rebuilt the structure. They reduced the size and created an open floor plan designed for entertaining outdoors as well as indoors.

Realtor Michelle Holcomb, owner and Broker for Fore Peaks Realty, calls the Stegmanns’ home a “contemporary gem, instead of your grandma’s house.”

Holcomb says the Rio Verde housing market is lagging behind the overall market, by as much as nine to 12 months.

With the onset of the Great Recession the Rio Verde market did not go down as fast as others in the area. However, it came in behind on the recovery as well.

The Rio Verde housing market is somewhat unique, according to Holcomb. She describes what she calls the “Rio Verde shuffle.”

When people first arrive they are looking for something smaller, inexpensive and low risk, Holcomb said.

“They will eventually find something (or build something) they like better,” she said. “It is not uncommon for people to own two or three homes during the time they live in Rio Verde.”

Holcomb also said the changing generations in Rio Verde offers other opportunities. In fact, she said that she and her husband, Gary, recently traded homes with an elderly woman.

“We are younger and were looking for something that would work better for our lifestyle,” Holcomb said. “She was older and looking for something that would be easier for her.”

Real estate in Rio Verde is all about resale homes. Holcomb notes there are few if any buildable lots remaining in the community. That leaves many people buying for the lot on the golf course or a view, or both, and then replacing or significantly updating the structure.

“The community is good about supporting the local Realtors,” Holcomb said. “They are people who know the community and how to sell it.”

“Golf – and a whole lot more” is a slogan for Rio Verde, and next week find out how much more there is.