Scottsdale AZ Golf Weekend
Links Magazine/PGATour.com, 2/10
Golf Digest, 5/09
Destination: Scottsdale
Links Magazine
The area surrounding TPC Scottsdale, home of one of the most exciting, most popular PGA Tour events on the schedule, has plenty to offer visitors, whether they're playing golf or just watching it.
Where to Play
Grayhawk Golf Club: Opened in 1994, the 36-hole facility that was the site of the Frys.com Open for three years helped to set the standard for quality and service that marked the country-club-for-a-day experience.
Kierland Golf Club: The 27 holes at the Westin Kierland Resort is one of the few facilities offering the singular thrill of riding the golf version of the Segway to roll down the fairways in distinctive style.
Legend Trail Golf Club: Rees Jones designed a test that isn't long at 6,845 yards, but the hazards presented by the desert and Jones' strategic holes make it difficult to shoot a low score.
Where to Stay
The Boulders: The casitas, villas and haciendas are spread over a property that features 36 holes that meander through a desert landscape dotted with gravity-defying rock formations that give the resort its name.
Fairmont Scottsdale: Attendees of the Waste Management Phoenix Open may like hanging out at the Bird's Nest, located next to the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, but the real scene is at the resort's Stone Rose Lounge.
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale: Located at the foot of iconic Pinnacle Peak, this resort is a bit away from the bustle and provides easy access to the two courses at Troon North Golf Club.
Where to eat
Mastro's Steakhouse: Offering a large variety of steaks, chop and seafood, this restaurant, which also provides private dining for special events, is the perfect way to cap off a day on the links.
Rancho Pinot Grill: This trailblazer in the area's slow food (think opposite of fast food) scene has meals anchored by selections like flat iron steak and diver scallops that no diner will want to rush through.
Zinc Bistro: This classic eatery in Kierland Commons, an upscale shopping and dining center near the Phoenix border, features Continental favorites like short ribs and roast chicken.
If you're heading to TPC Scottsdale...
Don't have your TOUR card yet? No problem -- an unforgettable PGA TOUR experience is closer than you think. Walk in the shoes of golf's greatest legends at TPC Scottsdale, home to the FBR Open, where two award-winning championship layouts and an array of exclusive amenities let everyday golfers emulate a day in the life of a PGA TOUR player.
Named by Conde Nast Traveler one of the "Top 50 Golf and Resort Destinations in the World," TPC Scottsdale's Jay Morrish/Tom Weiskopf-designed Stadium Course and the recently added Randy Heckenkemper-designed Champions Course were woven into the Sonoran Desert, with stunning panoramic views of the McDowell Mountains.
Featuring beautiful desert fauna and immaculate conditioning, this exceptional pair of golf gems is complemented by a professional walking caddie program; the renowned TOUR Academy instructional facility; and The Grill -- named the #1 steak and seafood eatery in Arizona. For more information, visit www.tpc.com/scottsdale or call (480) 585-4334.
Golf Travel Guru Jeff Wallach says Eddie V's (www.eddiev.com) is the best steakhouse in Scottsdale.
Away Game
An Arizona Affair
TPC Scottsdale, Champions Course #15
By Matt Ginella, Golf Digest
Photos by Jensen Larson
May 2009
It wasn't exactly love at first sight. On past trips to Scottsdale, I've found golf there overpriced and claustrophobic: long, expensive rounds and too many prayers for tee shots to "get a kick" off a rooftop.
My most recent visit was different. It took a sweet deal, some nice surprises, a conscientious forecaddie and a couple of close encounters with coyotes (see "Local Knowledge"), but this was an affair to remember.
One of my goals this time was to keep the cost down. Staying at the recently renovated Xona Resort Suites in north Scottsdale, I used its "golf experts" to help me coordinate my itinerary.
I asked for "good golf at about $100." They were willing to work with me, but this was peak season in Arizona (Jan. 1 through April 5), and even in to-day's economy it looked as if $100 was unrealistic. So I increased the target price to $125. Now I was getting closer.
We decided on the Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale, which is down the street from the hotel and about half the price of the Stadium Course, site of the FBR Open and golf's closest thing to a rock concert -- where thousands of scantily clad, screaming fans have been known to throw things on the stage of the enter-tainers. (It would be fun to say I've played there, but not for north of $250.) The rest of my itinerary included both courses at Talking Stick and a final round at Dove Valley.
I wasn't one hole into the trip before I started thinking about making an adjustment. On the steering wheel of the cart at the Champions Course there was a little card: "$149 per person on the Stadium Course! 46% savings!" Was I reading this right? It listed a number to call and the details of the deal. The card was good for two golfers and included a forecaddie, range balls and a cart. There was a catch: The tee time had to be made within 24 hours of when I was planning to play. So I put the card in my pocket, and I finished my round at the Champions Course.
If there's one thing that all TPC courses have in common, it's good service. During my visit I encountered courteous staff, an impressive golf shop, a good bar, terrific food options and an efficient tee sheet. As for the Champions Course -- a complete redesign of the old Desert Course -- it's a good one to include but not a course you'd want to build a trip around. Too many times I wasn't sure where I needed to hit my tee shot. The steady stream of low-flying private jets landing in the neighboring airport was aerial entertainment and evidence that the recession hasn't hit everyone, but it didn't help my score.
Talking Stick's two courses were designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, the team behind Bandon Trails at Oregon's Bandon Dunes Resort, among others. The North Course is an appreciated attempt at links golf in the flatlands of the desert, and it comes close.
There's grass from tee to green, no water, and if I have one criticism, it's that the par 4s are a little repetitive.
I preferred the North Course to the South, which was tighter, with water, and didn't have the links feel. Like We-Ko-Pa, the one Scottsdale-area course I'd played before and liked enough to recommend, Talking Stick is owned by American Indians, it isn't surrounded by houses and features an inviting clubhouse. Both have neighboring casinos.
Between rounds and during lunch at the Wildhorse Grille -- you can eat on the porch over-looking the seventh tee of the North Course. I called the number on the card I got during my round at the Champions Course (480-585-4334, ext. 1). After a short series of prompts I had an 8:30 tee time on the Stadium Course the next day. It was a quick and easy decision. I'll have to try Dove Valley ($109) on another trip. The week before the FBR Open, I would be taking my game to a tour stop.