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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Golf in the desert is not all about desert golf.
That fact is likely obvious to those who live closer than 2,000 miles away, but three trips to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area in the last four years - including two in 2024 alone - have helped open my eyes to the variety of golf to be found in the Valley of the Sun.
And I've only scratched the surface.
My most recent visit - in early December - saw me fill in some gaps made the first and second times around, in late 2021 and this past summer. Golf developers in Scottsdale were wise to work in twos over the years, with many of the most worthwhile golf facilities home to 36 holes. This time around, three of my six rounds were at such facilities: The Boulders Golf Club, Talking Stick Golf Club and Camelback Golf Club. The other three comprised two exciting short courses and one private club to which a newly-renovated hotel grants access. I saw the full range of types of desert - and oasis - golf.
Scottsdale golf's rich variety
After landing at PHX, I headed about 35 minutes north to The Boulders to play the renowned South Course, a Jay Morrish design from the mid-1980s that endures as one of the must-play courses in the area. The uphill trek from the airport brings into view the eponymous rock formations, the enormity of which can be difficult to capture in photo or video. They are almost hypnotic to stare at, and a lot of fun to hit golf shots at, starting with the approach to the downhill par-4 1st hole, where Morrish laid the green complex perfectly into a space at the foot of one of the most impressive of the monoliths.
The opening eight holes at Boulders South are as good as desert golf gets. Fairways appear narrow, thanks in large part to some dramatic elevated tee boxes, but are a bit more generous than golfers think, especially because the slight elevation helps the ball fly a little bit farther and straighter than at sea level. Even if you're not playing the back tees, you owe it to yourself to drive up to the boulder-top tips on the 8th hole in order to admire the miles-long southerly views across the valley. Back-to-back par 3s at 15 and 16 are the class of the back nine, along with a par-5 finisher that plays right up to the back porch of the appealing pueblo-style clubhouse.
Another 36-hole facility I was able to round out on my December trip was Talking Stick Golf Club, with its two early Coore & Crenshaw designs on a completely flat patch of desert. I played the O'odham Course in June as a spur-of-the-moment late-afternoon loop for less than $60; it was by far the best bang-for-the-buck golf experience I had all year, and almost single-handedly legitimized the notion of a summer golf trip to the desert. The firm, bouncy turf and the design of the course, reminiscent of Pinehurst No. 2, melded perfectly.
This time around, I played the Piipaash Course, which is an ode to A.W. Tillinghast if O'odham is an homage to Donald Ross. Piipaash's greens are similarly elevated above their surroundings, but smoother-edged bunkers and a greater variety of internal contours sets them apart from O'odham. I give O'odham the slight edge for sheer variety of holes, but individual standouts at Piipaash like the long par-4 5th, short par-3 14th and drivable par-4 18th make the course well worth your time as well.
After two days spent returning to multi-course facilities I'd enjoyed in a prior season, I broke new ground when I teed it up at the Ambiente Course at Camelback Golf Club. Camelback is one of the O.G. Scottsdale golf spots, established in the mid-1960s to complement the nearby Camelback Inn, now a J.W. Marriott property.
Formerly called Indian Bend, Ambiente was redesigned and rechristened in 2013. Architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka tackled an unusual routing quirk; the course heads straight out and back in linear northwest/southeast fashion along either side of the Indian Bend Wash. Such a constraint would typically mean a monotonous march of straightaway holes, so Fry and Straka turned the course into an exercise in clever fairway bunkering that gives interesting lateral movement to every par 4 and par 5. Generous-enough fairway widths help ensure the golfer never feels hemmed in.
As partly a members' club, Camelback has a far more of a private-club feel than Scottsdale's upscale resort golf properties. Everything runs like clockwork, though the feel is thankfully as far as you can get from that of the dreaded "golf factory." At the helm since 2024 is a friend of mine, Oliver Riding, whom I met in 2021 in the Cayman Islands when he was running the Ritz-Carlton course there. As GM of Camelback Golf Club, Riding has injected his attention to detail and boundless energy and enthusiasm throughout the place. Returning to catch up with him and take in Camelback's Padre Course is at the top of my priority list for my next trip.
Short-course golf has become more and more prominent over the last decade. Phoenix/Scottsdale has become a perfect example of how much it can add to local golf culture. The two short courses I played during my trip could not have been more different but they share an important golf-cultural touchstone: competition.
For in-the-know golfers around town, Tuesdays mean the weekly skins game at Mountain Shadows, an 18-hole par-54 loop completely redesigned in 2016. Architect Forrest Richardson reconfigured the original layout by his mentor, Arthur "Jack" Snyder, as part of a massive redevelopment project for the 1960s-era resort on site. Richardson mixed some classic hole design concepts - the 4th is a take on the Biarritz template - with some envelope-pushes of his own creation, including the tiny 12th hole, whose green has as big a tier through the middle of it as golfers are likely to encounter anywhere.
The pure fun of the greens at Mountain Shadows mean plenty of devilish hole locations for the weekly game, which occasionally attracts local mini-tour pros and PGA Tour players like Max Homa, Joel Dahmen and even LIV Leaguer Jon Rahm. Even though I didn't win any money, I had a blast playing with three aspiring pros, one of whom walked away with a $600 skin for an ace on the second hole. Golf courses that attract good golfers have a big advantage over those that do not.
Much of the crowd that turns out on Tuesdays at Mountain Shadows also shows up on Wednesdays at Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills, the Phoenix/Scottsdale area's newest short course. Renovated and rebranded in 2023 and now managed by Troon Golf, Grass Clippings has brought long-overdue night golf to the desert, combining 18 short holes with a happening driving range, food trucks, stylish merch-stocked pro shop and an overall welcoming vibe. The week I was in town, Grass Clippings was preparing to host a team event of pros and golf influencers, which gave my quick 9-hole round a good taste of what the place brings to the local golf scene.
Nine-figure renovation brings new Grand Hyatt to Scottsdale golf resort scene
The last round of my trip came in tandem with my main accommodations. A $115 million renovation, unveiled in November 2024, has turned the local Hyatt Regency into Arizona's first Grand Hyatt, elevating the resort to the second-to-top level of the mega-chain's hierarchy (Park Hyatt being the top). Updates to all of the resort's nearly 500 rooms, plus overhauls of the common areas, have it looking brand-new. The property's dining concepts have also been refreshed, too. I was well-fed during my stay; breakfast at Mesa Centrale was delightful on multiple mornings, and my dinner at the Grand Hyatt's brand-new, Italian-accented steakhouse called La Zozzona, helmed by celebrity chef Richard Blais, was over-the-top in all the best ways, highlighted by a perfect veal chop parmigiana and refreshing romanesco cauliflower. My spacious and beautifully-appointed room overlooking the courtyard and expansive pool complex was excellent, too.
Guests of the Grand Hyatt have access to the otherwise private Gainey Ranch Golf Club, a 27-hole layout with a feel altogether different than all other courses I played in town. Though it sits in a desert region, Gainey Ranch might best be described as an "oasis" golf course. Opened around the same time as the courses at The Boulders, the Brad Benz/Mike Poellot design here could not be more different in feel. It is Arizona's version of parkland golf: wall-to-wall green turf, bright-white bunkers and formal water hazards, including a roaring waterfall protecting the par-5 9th green on the Lakes nine. It's not a pushover golf course by any means, but I did find it the least challenging of the big courses I played in town. For a group playing a similar sampling of courses, it would be a perfect first course for a winter visit.
Other notes from a December Scottsdale golf trip
- The biggest difference between my December and June Scottsdale golf trips was the experience of playing golf courses in their fully overseeded winter state. To be honest, I don't much care for it. It is just less interesting than in the summer because of how soft the turf is due to the watering requirements of the cool-season grasses used. Picking up mud on the golf ball in a place where you know it hasn't rained for weeks is bizarre and frustrating. Every course plays longer, too. I understand the perception that golfers demand emerald-green turf even when it's unnatural, but is this preference strong enough to justify the loss of 10 to 20 yards on every good tee shot? The most persuasive argument is the mitigation of stress from golf carts (cart traffic makes dormant Bermuda thin), but I am not sure whether the negative impact on the playing surface makes up for it. Could a lighter overseed be a happy medium?
- I've developed certain travel rituals over the years. Since I'm not a coffee drinker, early-morning flights mean a Sugar-Free Red Bull. The latest: lunch at In-N-Out as soon as I land in Arizona or California.
- There's something enchanting about the light in the desert, especially in the winter. Even a luddite like me can't take a bad-looking photo of a golf course during the golden hour.
- Phoenix Sky Harbor airport is pretty comfortably the most pleasant large airport I know of. From the sandstone decor to the easy logistics (although the rental car center is a bit of a schlep from the main terminal), it's at the top of my list.
- Part of the reason for my trip was to take in the first-ever GolfPass Academy day, at Orange Tree Golf Resort in Scottsdale. Instructors Blair O'Neal, Nathalie Sheehan, Devan Bonebrake and Cheyenne Woods put on an instruction clinic for a small group of GolfPass+ members, who enjoyed a round of golf afterwards. More GolfPass Academy days are in the works for 2025 - stay tuned!
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