Top 5 places to play in Scottsdale

We had the pleasure of spending a couple weeks in Scottsdale, Arizona earlier this year and it did not disappoint. The weather, as to be expected, was perfect and the golf wasn’t far off. If you’re planning a winter golf getaway this year, look no further, Scottsdale is the perfect place to go! Below are our top 5 places to play in the Scottsdale area!

Number 5 – We-Ko-Pa Resort

This place is great, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore designed and they did a great job. The course fits the landscape very well and everything was in impressive condition. The Fairways were lush and the greens were close to perfect, not too fast which is important in the desert. The service at this place is also a selling point. They did a great job accommodating our large group and everyone has great things to say about their time spent on the property. We highly recommend you and your foursome give this place a try! You won’t regret it.

Number 4 – Grayhawk

Grayhawk Golf Club is the home of two great golf courses Talon and Raptor. The service at Grayhawk was top notch and I loved the fact that they had music at the range. The practice facilities were as good as it gets with a giant range and three different putting/chipping greens.

We played the Talon course, which was in great condition. It was a beautiful course with scenic backdrops and panoramic views. The back nine was definitely a highlight of this course. My two favourite holes on the back were No. 13 named Heaven or Hell a risk reward 300-yard par 4 and no. 17 a 126-yard island green par 3. We had a great time and the round was capped off with an eagle on 18 by one of our Cloud 9 golf crew.

I can’t wait to come back to Grayhawk and play the Raptor course next. The whole cloud 9 team had a great time here.

Number 3 – TPC Scottsdale

The last course and finale of our Scottsdale trip was playing the famous TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course host of the Waste Management Open. There’s a special feeling when you’re warming up here knowing Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory Mcilroy have practiced there.

TPC Scottsdale definitely provides a TPC experience with a great clubhouse, practice facilities and a topnotch course. This course was a different style than the desert courses we played it had a lot more grass with wider fairways. Even though there’s more greenery don’t expect an easy round here if you put your approach shot on the wrong side of the pin good luck 2 putting.

The finishing stretch provides a couple really fun risk reward holes with the par 5 15th over the water and 17 the drivable par 4. Of course the most well known hole on TPC Scottsdale in the par 3 16th hole. After I missed the green I could hear the boos in my head. It was funny to see it without the stadium around it just looks like such an average par 3.

TPC Scottsdale was an overall great experience and I would definitely recommend you playing it.

Number 2 – Troon North

Our first round of golf was at the beautiful Troon North Golf Club. Troon North is host to 36 holes of desert golf designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. We played the Pinnacle course, which is said to be the better track. We were also told the monument course is great too so you can’t really go wrong at Troon.

We woke up bright and early for our 7 am tee time to avoid the desert heat. The staff was great getting us organized for the round and set up at the practice facility. By the time 7 am rolled around we were all warmed up and ready to play some golf.

Pinnacle, at Troon North, is a classic desert golf course with some spectacular scenery, giant boulders and cactuses everywhere. The greens and fairways were in great conditions. Make sure you use good course management because this course can be very tricky for first time players. You’ll find blind shots, elevated tee boxes, sloping fairways and well-protected greens with big bunkers. The great conditions and challenge make this course so much fun!

After the round we had a great meal and a couple beers at the Dynamite Grill. All in all Troon North was a great experience and recommend it to any golf enthusiast.

Number 1 – The Boulders

The Boulders is a beautiful 36-hole classic desert golf resort. It is definitely appropriately named; it has the coolest, biggest boulders I have ever seen in my life. Some of the boulders are so precarious it seems to defy the laws of gravity. The Boulders is a semi-private golf course that alternates daily between the North and South course.

We ended up playing at 7 am in the morning to stay out of the heat. After an iced coffee and some world-class practice facilities we were ready to play. We ended up playing the South Course, which is supposed to be a little more scenic than the North course. We were not disappointed the signature 5th hole had a super cool giant rock formation named “the Boulder Pile” and “Rosie’s Rock” on number 7 was amazing.

This course is a challenging track and with very narrow fairways. Make sure to bring lots of golf balls. The highlight was definitely the scenery on the front nine. I would highly recommend playing golf here and can’t wait to come back. The Boulders takes our top spot for places to play in Scottsdale, when you play there, you’ll understand why!

Check out our Youtube page for highlight videos from our days at Troon North, Grayhawk, TPC Scottsdale and The Boulders!