High on Scottsdale’s High Desert

by Katharine Dyson
illustration by Calder Chism

It’s been rumored that Scottsdale is a pricy place to stay and play. It can be. But we’ve found a way for you to tee up in this golf Mecca without having to take up a collection around the water cooler.

In Scottsdale, winter is the most expensive season while spring and fall have great mid-season rates and summer rolls out green fees discounted up to 75 percent. Sure, July and August can be sizzling enough to fry eggs on your cart hood, but nights cool down dramatically, so play early in the morning and later you can take in the Frank Lloyd Wright Museum or get custom-fitted for clubs like the pros do at Hot Stix in air-conditioned comfort. Or find new energy under the waterfalls in the canyon oasis of Willow Stream Spa in the Fairmont Scottsdale. A 60-minute off-peak massage starts at $135.

With annual temperatures averaging 72.6 degrees, more than 330 days of sunshine each year and close to 200 area courses, Scottsdale is a golfer’s slam dunk with top-notch desert courses such as Legend Trail, Eagle Mountain, The Raven at South Mountain, Grayhawk and TPC’s Stadium and Champions courses. Shots over vast desert washes, massive rock outcroppings, huge bunkers and undulating greens mixed with vistas of mountains, the vast Sonoran desert, cacti and sky all add up to one great golf high.

New finds just outside Scottsdale such as Vista Verde with stunning desert views, Trilogy at Vistancia (a Gary Panks design rating five stars from Golf Digest) and Southern Dunes Golf Club (a splendid Troon-managed track designed by Fred Couples and Schmidt-Curley), are well worth playing and a good value.

Check into Xona Resorts Suites in North Scottsdale, where newly renovated rooms and public areas like the lobby and restaurants have really ratcheted up the travel experience. The difference between the old and the new is kind of like walking into a movie with your mother-in-law and leaving with Megan Fox. Rooms and suites have been rendered in rich desert colors, plus you get a large kitchen, sitting room and one bedroom or more. Cool off in four pools, heat up in three jacuzzis, work out in the Fitness Center and be sure to try the knock-your-socks-off beverages in the Asada Desert Grille or the indoor-outdoor Orange Iguana where a blazing fireplace warms cool desert nights. In-house golf specialists can arrange tee times from a seemingly endless list of superb courses such as Troon North, We-Ko-Pa, ASU Karsten, Trilogy and Grayhawk.

For romance and luxury along with a first-rate spa, try the Camelback Inn, The Phoenician or the Fairmont Scottsdale. Just down the road, in Carefree, The Boulders is one of our all-time favorite places to play and stay with two courses, great spa, mind-bending spiritual walks and private casitas with views of the desert punctuated by behemoth sequoia cacti and an occasional coyote tripping by in the distance. FG

Published in FG Magazine, March 2010

Good News
First, your ball flies 10-15 percent farther in the desert — who said you couldn’t hit a 300-yard drive? Second, Scottsdale has great local breweries and restaurants like Four Peaks Grill in Tempe, home of our new favorite beer, Kilt Lifter. Gotta love the name.

Rants
Renting a car in Scottsdale can have its pitfalls. You can get the best deal around but when you see the taxes they pile on, it’s meltdown time. Taxes can more than double the cost. We got a car for five days at $90, but the tax was $74. Ouch. Car rental offices are also about a 10-minute shuttle ride from the airport.

Hot Deal
Xona Resort Suites’ Grip It and Rip It Package includes suite accommodations, golf at the TPC Champions Course and breakfast, starting at $229 per night. www.xonaresort.com

AMERICA'S MOST HONORED MAGAZINE AT ING AWARDS
It’s getting to be a habit, and we can’t seem to help ourselves. For the fourth straight year, FG racked up an impressive load of hardware at the International Network of Golf Media Awards announced at January’s PGA Merchandise Show. We scored six awards in all, besting writers and photographers from such national publications as GolfWeek and Sports Illustrated. First-place honors went to Vic Williams in Competition Writing for his piece on Tiger’s historic U.S. Open victory (July-August 2008), Joann Dost for her epic shot of Tiger’s 72nd hole putt on Open Sunday; and Calder Chism for his “Weekend Wisdom” drawing of Vic in the May-June 2008 issue. Outstanding Achievement awards went to Williams and Darin Bunch for Travel Writing. Other FG contributors who took home awards included Tony Dear and Bob Seligman. Next year, look for the clean sweep.