Phoenix-Scottsdale Golf Courses Worth The Green Fee
During the peak winter season, Phoenix-Scottsdale is unquestionably one of the most expensive golf destinations in the world. The fact that the best Phoenix-Scottsdale golf courses have an ability to earn such high green fees is a remarkable feat when you consider the destination is home to well over 200 golf courses. Despite such incredible competition, golfers from all over the world, and especially Canada and the northern U.S., are willing to travel down for a long golf weekend or even spend the entire winter here booking tee times at the top-shelf facilities.
The most coveted tee times in Phoenix-Scottsdale can cost $150 onwards up to $300-plus during the peak golf season from January-March (tee times are usually the most costly during the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, which often coincides with the Super Bowl). Maintaining desert fairways and greens aren’t cheap, especially when these layouts are over-seeded with a cool-weather rye grass each fall. Semi-private facilities like 36-hole Grayhawk Golf Club are able to tout professional tournament history and relationships with famous golfers like Phil Mickelson.
When Phoenix-Scottsdale golf courses charge such a high dollar for a tee time, they must deliver a special experience. And the following five facilities, whether they are public golf courses, country clubs or resort courses, certainly earn their standing as the most coveted rounds in the Valley of the Sun.
TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course: The host of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course boasts one of the best clubhouses and restaurants around, not to mention a lavish practice facility that lets you hit every shot. There is more grass on the Stadium Course than most other desert layouts, so while there is plenty of desert scenery, it’s not as much of a target-style desert course like its neighbors. The Champions Course is located at a separate clubhouse nearby and is one of the better value courses in the heart of Scottsdale.
Boulders Resort North and South Golf Club: There may be no course in the valley with more spectacular scenery than the Boulders Resort. Massive boulder piles, seemingly mythical in their aura, are up close and personal, especially on the South Course. The facility doubles as a private course for members and an amenity to the Waldorf Astoria-brand resort onsite. It’s tough not to feel small when playing amongst the boulders, but the service staff here will make you feel like a king.
Troon North Golf Club (pictured above): There may be no better-known facility in Phoenix-Scottsdale than Troon North and with good reason: The two Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf designs, the Pinnacle and Monument, really took desert destination golf (and member-for-a-day concept) to a new level. When you consider it’s the home base of Troon Golf, the international luxury golf facility operator, you know that conditions and service will always be on point. There is an excellent practice facility here, so show up early (you can even get fit for clubs here).
Quintero Golf Club: In the Northwest Valley, 18-hole Quintero is actually relatively affordable when compared to the courses in the epicenter of Scottsdale and North Scottsdale. But this unique layout designed by Rees Jones winds through mountains and each hole is its own playing corridor. There are more elevated tees here than just about any other course in the area, and they are particularly spectacular on the par 3s.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Course: It’s a bit of a hike to the east valley from downtown Phoenix-Scottsdale to get to We-Ko-Pa, but at the end of the rainbow are two of the better Native American-reservation golf courses in the country. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw laid out the Saguaro Course, while The original Cholla was designed by Scott Miller and was recently extensively renovated. The rolling desert topography and views make for two very unique layouts. And few, if any courses are as quiet to play in the valley.
Of course, if you want to play these Phoenix-Scottsdale golf courses but aren’t sure you can afford the peak season price, they all stay open in the summer months, so you can book a tee time (ideally in the morning) for a fraction of the cost and still play the same great (and yes, dry) layout.
Phoenix-Scottsdale golf courses features not only some of the most well-manicured courses in America, but also excellent luxury resorts and spas, as well as excellent restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale or at the hotels themselves. The good news, for those clutching their wallet, is Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport is one of the more affordable hubs on the west coast. So at least traveling there should feel like a bargain.