The city of Scottsdale, in the state of Arizona, has long been regarded as a favourite location for golfing vacations. When it comes to easily accessible, high-quality public golf courses with an abundance of sunshine that allows for year-round play, there is no major city in the United States that can compete with this growing hot spot — or, by extension, its adjacent metropolis of Phoenix.
The summers in Arizona are indeed blisteringly hot, but prices adjust appropriately, frequently falling by 75% or more to create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a great deal on top-notch entertainment venues "if you can stand the heat."
Scottsdale offers several beneficial features for those who have the time and the motivation to fit in a round or two of golf during their stay in the city, regardless of whether they are there for business or for a family vacation that does not involve golf.
What makes Scottsdale stand apart from other places?
Unique desert architecture
The environment of the Sonoran Desert is perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of Scottsdale. There are many different types of deserts, ranging from the deep red sands of the Australian Outback to the towering dunes of Namibia, but the Sonoran Desert is the stuff that "Road Runner" cartoons are made of. It is home to the iconic "don't shoot, my hands are up" saguaro cactus, in addition to an endless variety of smaller cacti and vegetation.
It brings to mind the surreal beauty that may be seen in the ocean below, with its rock formations that resemble reefs. It's possible to find a cactus or shrub that looks exactly like any sponge or coral you've ever seen while diving.
There are only a few spots in the Sonoran Desert, which stretches from the southwestern United States down to Mexico's Baja peninsula, where you can play great golf. The word "desert" conjures up images of desolation, but this is nature at its most breathtaking. There are no other major cities in the Sonoran Desert. Because of this, the entire architectural movement known as desert golf originated right here and has since seen a lot of success as a result.
"If you haven't ever had the opportunity to play in the desert in Arizona, you are in for a life-changing adventure. According to Robert Pedrero, the founder and previous editor of The Golf Insider travel publication, "You just don't get that view anyplace else, and it's probably the ideal location for desert golf." (There is no other area that offers such a breathtaking landscape.)
Related: A review of the Andaz Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, praising the state of Arizona
Sustainable approaches
Desert golf has always had a "restricted turf" strategy, which decreased the footprint of water-intensive grass by planting it just where it was needed for tees, greens, and fairway landing zones. This was done even before the current droughts and worries about sustainability.
Desert waste sites that are exposed not only improve functioning but also display the natural beauty of the region. You won't find the typical tee-to-green and tree-line-to-tree-line soft grass carpet as you would elsewhere; instead, you'll find islands of grass located in the desert, and you'll play from one to the next of them. There will also be several sandy, rocky, and cactus-strewn cross hazards.
The game that results from this is sometimes referred to as "target golf," although it is far easier to play than it sounds. Few water hazards, no forests in which to lose your balls, and waste areas that, most of the time, let you locate your ball and get back into the game quickly are all advantages of this course. Because most courses are set in valleys in the middle of boulder-strewn mountains, the scenery that surrounds you at all times will take your breath away.
Related: Bill Marriott considers this to be his favourite hotel: Here are some of the reasons why the TPG team adored it:
Access and readiness are both available.
The golf courses in Scottsdale are also situated in a convenient region and are not too difficult to get, in contrast to the situation in many other cities, where the courses are located in the suburbs and can take anywhere from one to three hours to reach from the centre of the city.
Even if you don't make any plans ahead of time, you may be able to suddenly tee off on an exceptional course here, which is something that doesn't happen very often in metropolitan regions.
Although it has the air of a closed-door club, anyone may go there.
There are several highly ranked and historic golf courses in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles; however, the vast majority of these courses are located in extremely elite private clubs, making it nearly difficult to play golf there without first knowing a member of the club.
The golfing industry came up with the concept of "high-end daily fee" or "member for a day" courses as a way to provide the amenities and services of private clubs to the general public. Troon North was one of the first courses in the country to implement this concept. As a result of Troon's rise to prominence as a global leader in golf course management, the level of service, the state of the courses, the clubhouses, the food, the club rentals, the practice ranges, and all other golf-related amenities in the area have all remained at an extremely high level of quality.
When you check-in, you will customarily be presented with a free yardage book and a little gift bag. For these items, you would be required to pay an additional twenty dollars in Pebble Beach.
You always have a choice of two courses under one roof since virtually all of the finest golf courses in Scottsdale are located at 36-hole complexes. This means that no matter where you choose to stay, you are likely to be near at least one of these courses.
Related: There are several reasons why golf enthusiasts should consider applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Many deals may be found.
Another thing that a lot of people that travel don't understand is how wonderful the bargains throughout the summer are. When the peak season arrives, playing courses such as the Boulders will cost you nearly $300 for a round. The vast majority of the best course designs cost more than $250 to play, but during the summer months, you can get a round on those courses for between $55 and $60. We're talking about reductions of over 75% here, and the same goes for hotel rooms, even at high-end establishments.
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess typically offers stay-and-play packages during the summer months that include a hotel room, lunch, and golf for two for slightly more than three hundred dollars altogether. However, during the winter months, the cost for just one person to play golf is the same, and this does not include any additional amenities or accommodations. There are no other opportunities available in this nation to play on elite courses for less than $70 per round.
To our good fortune, the peak winter season is rather brief here, lasting just from January to the middle of April. Moreover, even spring and autumn see large (about 35%) price discounts, and the best weather and bargains occur in late April, May, and October through December.
The top courses available to the public in Scottsdale.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess — TPC Scottsdale
This five-star resort with complete amenities is the kind of place where executives and other businesspeople are likely to stay when attending a conference or other event of this kind. It also has a golf club that is conveniently positioned for individuals who are staying in the downtown area of Scottsdale.
The WM Phoenix Open, sometimes known as "The Greatest Show on Grass," is played at the TPC Stadium Course, which is located on the Fairmont property. This tournament draws the largest spectators of any golf tournament held anywhere in the globe. It is to professional golf what Mardi Gras is to urban festivals; it is the largest and noisiest of them all. With concerts, late-night party tents, and well over 600,000 yearly live spectators, it is the loudest of them all.
Because of this, almost all golf fans have seen it on television, and golf enthusiasts enjoy recreating the courses they've seen on television the most when they play. More than the quality of the course itself, what makes it appealing is the lengthy history of tournaments that have been played there and the familiarity that comes with it.
Because it is a Tournament Players Club, or TPC, course, it was designed from the ground up to play host to tournaments and accommodate large numbers of spectators. As a consequence, the terrain is relatively uninteresting and straightforward. The 16th hole, a par three, is the only one on the PGA Tour that is played in its stadium, which is an enclosed amphitheatre with seats that are the size of a Major League Baseball field. This hole is without a doubt the most memorable aspect of the course. It is widely considered to be one of the most renowned golf holes in the world, and it was here that Tiger Woods once made history by achieving the elusive perfect score.
The Championship Course is the second 18 holes at TPC Scottsdale. It is even less fascinating than the first 18, and its primary attraction is as an add-on during the summer when rates decrease, and bargain-priced "replay" rounds are offered for those who wish to play all 36 holes in a single day.
It was the Phoenician who
This five-star resort is the closest one can go to the pedestrian-friendly Old Town Scottsdale, which is the next most probable location where business visitors will find themselves. Because of its proximity to the boundary that separates Scottsdale and Phoenix, it offers the greatest level of accessibility to golfers who are staying in Phoenix.
The Phoenician golf course featured three nines for many years, but in recent years, they have permanently reduced the number of holes to 18. The layout of the golf course is a hybrid one, with a desert environment that plays more like a parkland course. There are no blind shots, hazards that are concealed from view, or terrifying surprises on the course.
The course is kept in immaculate condition, and even though it does not offer the epic Sonoran drama that many golfers are seeking, it offers a pleasant and high-quality golf experience, is friendly, and is the least difficult or daunting of any of these courses. It is a simple decision to make whether you are staying nearby or in this area.
Related: 9 of the most stunning hotel pools in the United States
Golf Course at We-Kopa
The actual action may be found at one of Scottsdale's 36-hole desert golf courses, and this particular course is the very best of the very best. It is the top facility that is located the farthest to the east and has a suburban location that is a little further out.
In addition to being owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, We-Ko-Pa features an on-site casino resort of the more low-key style, and it is located in a rather remote area. Both courses, which were designed and are named after different types of cacti, have made it onto Golf Magazine's list of the top 50 public courses in the United States. This makes it the highest-ranked pair of courses in Scottsdale.
The Cholla course has a slight edge over the Saguaro course, but only just. The Saguaro course was designed by the acclaimed team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who are consistently ranked among the world's best and most famous designers. If you can only play one, the Cholla course is the better option. This may come as a surprise to visiting golfers because the Cholla course was designed by a lesser-known architect. Both of these courses emphasize strategic value and blend the most stunning aspects of the surrounding desert scenery with a variety of risk-reward choices.
These are not the kinds of golf courses where you can "simply grab the driver again," since practically every hole is either a par 4 or a par 5, and you have many clubs from which to pick when teeing off, including everything from a low iron to a fairway wood. These are courses for the thinking golfer. They are also the most walkable in an area that is dominated by carts, so if you prefer to walk the route, there is still another incentive to pick We-Ko-Pa as your destination.
Both of the courses at We-Ko-Pa are of the highest calibre, and the resort makes it possible to play all 36 holes in a single day by providing a special package that ranges in price from $600 during the high season to $165 during the summer.
A Golf Club Called a Talking Stick
This one is much more focused on housing and services, and the hotel is first class all the way through, with fantastic restaurants and entertainment options. Talking Stick is another casino resort that features a 36-hole golf course of a very high grade, and it also features a casino.
It is often considered to be the greatest casino golf resort in the United States that is located anywhere other than in Las Vegas. It is also the most conveniently placed of all the great alternatives, being smack in the centre of Scottsdale and just off the motorway. This makes it much simpler to get from the majority of the area's overnight establishments.
The upshot of the collaboration between Coore and Crenshaw, who created both courses at Talking Stick Golf Club, and Troon Golf, which manages those courses, is an experience that is both incredibly pleasurable and reliable.
The topography is distinct from the great desert courses that are located further north, such as Grayhawk, Boulders, and Troon North, due to the proximity of this course to downtown Scottsdale. Both of these flatter courses have wall-to-wall turf and nearly no trees, which is a departure from the typical desert target style of golf.
Here, what you see is what you get, in contrast to the blind shots across steep hills at We-Ko-Pa. In typical Coore-Crenshaw fashion, there are several risk-reward decisions, but they are more subtle than at We-Ko-Pa, and you do not need to be a student of the game to enjoy a round at this course.
On almost every hole, you may choose a more constrained driving line, which will reward you with a far less difficult approach shot. It's possible to make some easy bogeys if you play it safe off the tee, but it's also possible to get some birdies if you take some chances. On a number of the holes that are shared by the two sets of golf courses, there is one enormous and noticeable bunker in the fairway. You have to choose whether to play short of, over, or around this bunker.
Although the O'odham Course is considered to have the premier layout, the quality gap between the two courses is quite narrow. On the other hand, it is notably more difficult, as the greens are strongly bunkered, and there is denser undergrowth around the fairways. The Piipaash Course is more picturesque, diverse, and enjoyable than the other course, however, it does include a handful of water hazards (unusual in the area). The O'odham region is devoid of moisture.
O'odham is the better choice for players with lower handicaps, while Piipaash is the better choice for players with higher handicaps. However, it is best if you can play both games, as they do complement each other.
Grayhawk Golf Club
Grayhawk is another well-known Scottsdale facility with 36 holes, and its location, just to the north of the Fairmont and its TPC Courses, is quite handy for many tourists. The fact that the course does not have any associated hotel makes it unique.
Both of its courses, Talon and Raptor, have been used for prestigious competitions, such as the Fry's Electronics Open, which was won by Masters champion Mike Weir, and the Williams World Challenge, which was won by local legend Tom Lehman. Both of these tournaments took place at the Talon and Raptor courses. In addition, it has hosted the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf three separate times; the tournament was won by Barry Lane, Greg Norman, and Colin Montgomerie, respectively.
Raptor is a par-72, a little over a 7,000-yard course that was created by the legendary architect Tom Fazio. It has broad fairways and big greens that are guarded by deep bunkers and water on the greenside. David Graham, a champion of both the US Open and the PGA Championship, and Gary Panks, a golf architect who specialises in the Southwest desert, collaborated to build Talon. It is famous for its expansive greens with many tiers, which allow for some margin for error but put a high emphasis on precision to get good scores.
Grayhawk is one of the most well-liked daily-fee facilities in the surrounding area. With streams, ravines, elevation changes, mountain vistas, deep pot bunkers, and do-or-die heroics, these massive, in-your-face courses are designed to demonstrate the shock and awe that can be experienced in the desert. Even the island of Talon has its little golf course. Grayhawk is a more difficult course than We-Ko-Pa and Talking Stick, but both of those courses are difficult memorably and dramatically, and virtually everyone who plays them has a great time and enjoys the challenge of playing them. Grayhawk is not a star in terms of architectural design or strategic planning.
The Four Seasons Resort and Club at Scottsdale Troon North
You do not have to be a guest at this premium facility to play at the Four Seasons, as the courses there date back to before the hotel was built.
Troon North was the first high-end public course that Troon Golf Management developed, and it is largely credited with putting the firm on the map. Both courses are physically magnificent, noted for showing gigantic granite boulders and creepy rock formations with regularly elevated tee boxes, and there is a surprising amount of elevation variation. Both courses also give frequent vistas of the nearby landmark Pinnacle Peak.
Golf Magazine has placed both of these courses among the best one hundred in the world. Monument was the first course that Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf ever dreamt of, and it was their design that brought the attention of golfers all over the globe to Scottsdale's desert courses. It is well-known for the enormous boulder that bears its name and is located in the centre of the third fairway.
The Pinnacle, the restaurant's second dish, did not prove to be as popular. It was a lengthy gap between two holes that made it impossible to walk, and ten years after it first opened, the two courses were reconfigured to fix the problem.
Today, the majority of the two original front nines make up Monument, and the majority of the two back nines make up Pinnacle. As a result, the course features two distinct nine-hole layouts that are both walkable and of equal quality. Although Golf Magazine gave a better ranking to the new Pinnacle course, the majority of out-of-town players just cannot pass up the opportunity to play Monument's picturesque iconic hole.
The Boulders Resort & Spa is located in the city of Scottsdale.
Carefree is the name of one of Scottsdale's northern suburbs, which also happens to be the location of one of the region's most enduring luxury resorts: the 1,300-acre Boulders Resort & Spa, which is part of the Hilton Curio Collection hotel.
The resort underwent a significant makeover in 2017 that cost many millions of dollars, and in 2022, the golf courses received an upgrade that cost four million dollars and featured brand-new greens, bunkers, and cart pathways.
An interesting new feature is an optional caddy programme, which is unusual for courses in the area but may be a lot of fun if you've never tried playing caddie golf before.
All of the housing at The Boulders is provided in oddly shaped, freestanding adobe casitas that have the appearance of having been transported from an episode of "The Flintstones." This is in keeping with the spirit of the resort's name, which alludes to the rocky, wild desert landscape.
The Boulders Golf Club is one of the courses that is located the farthest from the city centre. Because of this, it is sometimes disregarded by tourists who are not staying in the area, but it is an attraction that should not be missed. Both the North and South courses were designed by Jay Morrish, an architect who has a great deal of expertise designing courses in the Sonoran Desert. Both of these courses are considered to be among the best in the world. Even before the current makeover, they had a reputation for having attractive and strategic designs that were kept in excellent condition and had superb greens. Even more recently, they underwent a facelift.
It is difficult to decide which one to go with. Both courses have towering stacks of rocks that are situated behind greens to frame approach shots and feature rock formations that are 12 million years old. It is usually agreed that Boulders North has a minor advantage; nevertheless, even though Boulders South is a little bit shorter, it contains more water hazards, and both of them are hard. In addition, there is a world-class training centre within the resort.