Pin itFour nights, four courses, and the complete spectrum of Sonoran Desert golf architecture from Coore-Crenshaw minimalism to PGA Tour spectacle.
Photo courtesy of Experience Scottsdale · Experience Scottsdale
5 Days
Bucket List Trip
$3500–$5500/person
4
Moderate
This itinerary collects the four courses that define the upper tier of Scottsdale golf. Each represents a different expression of desert architecture, and together they cover the range from Coore-Crenshaw minimalism to PGA Tour spectacle to Weiskopf links-influenced strategy. The routing moves between the Fort McDowell reservation northeast of the city and the foothills and tournament facilities to the north and northwest, with accommodations positioned to minimize driving on course days.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Trip at a Glance
Fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor and drive northeast on the Beeline Highway to We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, a forty-five-minute transfer that passes through the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and establishes the desert context before the first round. Check in, drop your bags, and head to the Saguaro Course for an afternoon tee time.
Morning round on the Cholla Course, Scott Miller's bolder, longer counterpart to the Saguaro. At 7,225 yards, the Cholla demands more forced carries and more aerial golf than the Saguaro, and playing the two courses back to back reveals the range this landscape can produce under different architectural hands.
Check into the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, which sits adjacent to TPC Scottsdale. Morning tee time on the Stadium Course, home of the WM Phoenix Open since 1987.
Drive twenty minutes north to Troon North for a morning round on the Monument Course. Tom Weiskopf transplanted British links principles to the boulder-strewn desert at the base of Pinnacle Peak, and the result is a course that rewards positioning, trajectory control, and the bump-and-run approach.
Check out of the Fairmont and return to PHX, twenty-five minutes south. Flights from Sky Harbor connect through most major hubs with high frequency.
Trip Logistics
Plan the Practicalities
The two-base approach, We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort for Days 1 and 2 and the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess for Days 3 and 4, minimizes driving on course days. A single base at the Fairmont works but adds forty-five minutes each way on the We-Ko-Pa days. A rental car is necessary throughout. The We-Ko-Pa courses and the resort share a single property, which makes Days 1 and 2 essentially car-free after arrival.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our editorial recommendations.
