At Home with Legendary Golfer Tom Lehman

by Danielle D'Adamo

For a former PGA Tour Player of the Year and winner of a British Open and five PGA Tour events, designing a home off the 10th green in the prestigious DC Ranch community seemed like a natural fit. Not only did legendary golfer Tom Lehman lend his architectural skills to more than a dozen courses including redesigning DC Ranch’s 18-hole, 5,872-yard course with John Fought, he and his wife Melissa took up the challenge to make a dream home a reality for themselves and their four children.

“We were living at Scottsdale Ranch at the time and weren’t in a big hurry to move,” says Lehman. “We started designing the home in 1999 and moved in November of 2001. We knew exactly what we wanted and actually had to redirect the architects halfway through the process. We saw the renderings of the exterior and had to take a step back to ask what kind of style it was.”

For Melissa Lehman, building what was common for the area was not an option. “They said it was Mediterranean and Santa Barabara style, and I immediately said ‘No, scratch that!’” she says. “The problem with a Mediterranean style home is that everyone is doing it. We wanted something different; we didn’t want to be like everyone else.”

After a little revision, the 8,500 square-foot home with five bedrooms and five baths and an intimate back yard casita was unveiled. Characterized by a fusion of Spanish Colonial and Mission-style architecture, the elevation has elegant full arches, hand-painted tiles and smooth stucco. A heavy paneled door set in elaborately carved portals welcomes visitors in distinctive Southwest style. The result is the perfect Spanish mission—a chip shot away from the green.

Blending Styles

Dabbling in different eras of Spanish and Mexican architecture, the Lehmans wanted to incorporate a variety of interior design styles rather than being limited to one particular fashion. “My wife and I have some strong opinions,” Lehman laughs. “We wanted the house to reflect us and have a nice collaboration of design styles. We didn’t want it to be a strict Kitchell or David Michael Miller design.”

“Bottom line: It had to be our design,” says Melissa. “There is a part of me that would have liked a decorator to do it all; but then, how hard is that? I love looking for the pieces.”

Going against the grain of almost every designer the couple spoke with, the Lehman’s designed most of the home around pictures they saw in magazines. The two took elements they found attractive, such as a grand staircase in the entry hall, and integrated them into the home, making the design process all the more enjoyable and distinctive. The kitchen, for example, was based on a home they saw in Mexico.

“The kitchen is our family room,” says Lehman. “We spend a lot of time in there as a family and we love to entertain guests there. I always say, you can either overdo things or under-do them. So instead of trying to go halfway, we decided on all tile and it fits us.”

Determined not to fit anyone’s mould, the Lehmans’ love of antiques also helps bring character to the home. Collecting various paintings and artifacts from vacation hotspots, they decorated their walls and mantels with pieces of history.

“We’re always looking for things that strike us,” says Melissa. “I have no problem waiting until that perfect piece jumps out at me. We even went three to four years without a dinning room table!”

Although the home is peppered with rustic furnishings, Lehman admits he never used to be fond of antiques. “But my wife’s love of them got me to change my mind and I started to appreciate the history behind them,” he says. “I love finding out who sat in that chair and what they were doing. It just adds so much character.”

Amid soaring ceilings, a large kitchen at the hub of the home and intimate courtyards, the Lehmans’ successfully created an inviting and open environment. With plenty of alfresco gathering spaces, the home has a spacious and fluid feel. “We didn’t like the idea of walking into a house and having everything compartmentalized,” says Lehman. “We wanted an open floor plan so we designed wide hallways with open spaces, which, of course, add to the square footage.”

Designed to have a comfortable and cozy atmosphere, the home has to live up to everyday, family living as well as high-profile festivities. “We always planned on hosting charity events, birthday parties and weddings,” says Melissa. “We’ve had everything under the sun right here and it’s great.”

The home certainly has a “Kool-Aid House” atmosphere, evident in family photos, oversized furniture and a giant trampoline in the back yard. Whether the kids are sneaking down the back stairs to the Jacuzzi or gathering around the dining room table for a big Thanksgiving dinner, the presence of family can be felt throughout the home. A whimsical Spanish vista, the Lehmans’ dream home was brought to life with intimate gathering spaces, a blended style and, most importantly, a love of family.

Danielle D’Adamo is Managing Editor of New Homes Today.