Par for the Course
Picture this. It’s January. You’re wearing short sleeves. Golden beams of sunshine spill onto golf fairways dotted with saguaros, agave and granite boulders. You gaze out at the rugged McDowell Mountains in the distance and think you see — yes, you do! — a lone coyote trot along the greens. You’re standing at the infamous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, home of the PGA’s WM Phoenix Open, a spot at which most of the sport’s greatest players in history have also stood, and you’re about to tee off. You swing, then smile. Bucket list item officially checked off!
With more than 300 golf courses and just about that same number of sunny days per year, it’s no wonder that Arizona is a coveted destination for golfers — pros and amateurs alike.
Many of the state’s public, private and resort courses boast world-class facilities and unique course designs by legendary architects, not to mention showstopping Southwest vistas where the landscape itself factors into play. Then there’s the state’s thriving golf culture, a scene rife with pro shops, professional-led lessons and clinics for both beginners and experts, indoor golf hotspots like TopGolf and plenty of post-game places for “19th hole” eats and drinks.
The best part: Arizona’s renowned courses often drop their rates in the summer, making some of the most sought-after courses in the world an affordable reality.
So pack your clubs and schedule your tee time. It doesn’t get more memorable than an Arizona hole-in-one.
