Cover Story
Arizona A-Z
Troon’s expansive reach in the Grand Canyon State delivers a game for everyone.
By Judd Spicer
Offering a diversity of desert terrain, the 19 Arizona courses in the Troon Golf Arizona Co-Op portfolio include a full scorecard of daily fee, resort-style, and nationally renowned public plays. Centralized in the Phoenix-Scottsdale golf nexus — and spread from Sedona to Tubac — the roster dishes up a whole host of ways to flesh out your itinerary, whether you’re a full-time resident or visiting for an enjoyable golf vacation. Here, then, are the entrees.
STAY & PLAY
Orient the compass to Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale (Scottsdale) where you’ll discover the 36 holes of the North and South Courses. Navigating through the terrain of the Sonoran Desert foothills and narrated by photo-worthy boulder formations, the pair of award-winning Jay Moorish designs have long proven an area favorite; in recent years, such allure has only amplified, compliments of a multi-million-dollar greens and bunker enhancement project. Accompanied by one of the region’s most popular resorts, the property’s on-site spa, dining, and golf instruction make for a lauded stay & play experience.
Area locals and desert guests alike have long been on the lookout to add Lookout Mountain Golf Club (Phoenix) to the tee sheet. A hot spot for event, tournament, and charity gatherings, the nine-time four-star award recipient from one leading national golf publication plays through exciting elevation changes and borders the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Views of Piestewa Peak and the grounds’ eponymous mountain range only add to the fun, while a prime stay & play opportunity at the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort is curated for a perfect post-round unwind. The resort is known for its excellent dining options, so even a mediocre score on the golf course will soon be overshadowed by a memorable meal.
An annual favorite for luxury desert vacationers, The Phoenician (Scottsdale) continues to prove one of the area’s most sought-after stay & play opportunities. High-end lodgings meet ease-of-access play, with the on-site golf grounds mere steps away from one’s accommodations. Fun and gettable throughout the round, resort-style play is offered unapologetically across the Phil Smith design, making for an all-levels engagement throughout the card. Oh, and for those visiting in the spring season, be on the lookout for all manner of hardballers during Major League Baseball’s Spring Training, as The Phoenician has also been a longtime host to several ballclubs and/or MLB golf guests during the game’s pre-season timeline.
Recognized among America’s “Most Cheerful Golf Courses,” smiles indeed abound across the 27-holes at The Westin Kierland Golf Club (Scottsdale). Sporting the Acacia, Ironwood, and Mesquite nine-hole loops, an array of play from architect Scott Miller winds through lakes, desert washes, and native plantings to present a true diversity of aesthetic tests. On-site accommodations by way of Westin make for an easy room-to-tee segue, and golf guests can enjoy a full menu of single malts and favorite blends at the resort’s renowned Scotch Library.
A couple hours’ drive north of Scottsdale, bright green and towering red rock surround one of the state’s most popular regions and inspired palates at Sedona Golf Resort (Sedona). Coupled with the colors, the test pairs resort-style fun with the demands of a real championship test. Surrounding environs make for a terrific stay & play experience, as four nearby hotels offer golf and accommodation packages; provided the pairing of scenery and respite, it’s no surprise that the resort books an avid wedding calendar, offering options from a Groom’s Golf Package to Daytime Brunch and Evening Ceremonies.
Serving as centerpiece of the on-site JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, The Club at Starr Pass (Tucson) offers 27-holes of play across a trio of nines — the Rattler, Coyote, and Palmer. Its original 18 designed by Robert Cupp and 1982 Masters’ champion Craig Stadler, the grounds enjoyed a redesign and additional nine in 2003, compliments of Arnold Palmer. Home and host to the former Tucson Open from 1987-96, the Tucson Mountain surrounds are well-complimented by the course distinction of being a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary property.
South of Tucson, Tubac Golf Resort & Spa (Tubac) has a history ranging back over four centuries. Spread across 500 acres of the historic Otero Ranch, the property has been a member of the Historic Hotels of America since 2008. With its unique and striking Spanish Colonial architecture and on-site luxury spa, the destination-style resort grounds segue ideally to a laid-back 27 holes of turf time. Unveiled as an 18-hole play in 1959, Tubac enjoyed the addition of nine more holes woven into the original design in 2006. Highlighted by the parkland-style play of the Otero Course, the island-green No. 9 on the view-laden Anza Course, and the riverbank setting of the Rancho Course, Tubac is narrated by a true diversity of getaway play. And for those to whom the setting looks familiar, one may want to revisit some Roy McAvoy, as several of the Arizona scenes from Tin Cup were filmed at Tubac.
SOUTHERN GEMS
Boasting a full mantle of deserved “Best Of” accolades, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club (Maricopa) pairs leveled desert routing with an astute bunkering style which borrows from the famed Australian Sandbelt region. Designed by the mind-meld of Brian Curley and Fred Couples, the high-end venue enjoyed a 2014 renovation which enhanced high-handicap playability to compliment the championship test for scratch players across the grounds’ impressive 320-acre spread.
Fans of Foothills Golf Club (Phoenix) need not wait any longer to return to the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish-drawn play. In early autumn of 2024, Foothills reopened after a five-month facelift which included: a greens renovation that returned all putting surfaces to their original design and replaced turf with TifEagle bermudgrass; leveling of all tee boxes; turf reduction; and an upgrade to the clubhouse and patio.
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Eschewing the target-style element which oft-dictates desert golf, the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club (Cave Creek) pairs generous landing areas with the opportunity to hit recovery shots for those askew from the tee box. Carved and created with a genuine respect for the native flora and rugged desert character, the turf nucleus of the upscale residential community’s 850-acre desert spread proves among the region’s most naturally routed golf experiences, as players wind through an arrangement of saguaro, ironwood, cholla, and palo verde.
Saddle up. Set on a former 1940s dude ranch, Rancho Mañana Golf Club (Cave Creek) is long on regional history and short on distance. Not that a dearth of yardage proves any kind of pushover; rather, the 6,000-yard, par-70 card makes for an ever-engaging round, and a day which evolves across the natural scenery. The course continually extends in elevation along a front nine wind through the Cave Creek Wash (one of the state’s last remaining riparian areas), sporting unique vistas of the Camelback, Mummy, Black, and South mountains, along with stellar views of the Tonto National Forest. On the grounds’ latter side, precision is required beside lake-laden holes which gently route back to the ranch clubhouse.
Inspired views of the White Tank Mountains stand sentry over Sterling Grove Golf + Country Club (Surprise), where a backdrop of West Valley agricultural and farming sets a tone of space and spread across the course architecture (and world-class practice area) from the Nicklaus Design team. Matching daily rate play with high-end club lifestyle amenities and a robust residential community scene, membership opportunities abound in this fast-growing area of the Valley.
Not merely one of the most celebrated golf properties in the state, the pair of Tom Weiskopf-designed plays at Troon North Golf Club (Scottsdale) are annual public-access chart-toppers across the entire Southwest. On both the Monument and Pinnacle courses, premier manicuring of conditions play on par with the natural routing through foothills, ravines, and giant granite boulders, all set amid the awesome shadowcast of Pinnacle Peak. Both courses are pure championship caliber, with most players finding the forced carries, masked fairways, and massive bunkering of the Pinnacle to be a bit tougher task. The Monument (which Weiskopf co-designed with Jay Moorish) was unveiled five years prior (1990) to Pinnacle and proved a game-changer for high-end Phoenix/Scottsdale public golf; often gettable from tee boxes, Monument allows for creativity in club selection before a testy run of homestretch holes toward large, undulating greens is sure to keep scores in-check.
HEADING WEST
Renowned for its high-end playing conditions and natural desert setting, the Golf Club of Estrella (Goodyear) revels in both foreground and background. Designed by Jack Nicklaus II, the routing weaves through manicured desert waste areas, mature saguaros, and native foliage while the Sierra Estrella Mountains overlook play. A mesh of forced carries and desert wash areas dictate much of the course aesthetic in what often proves a forgiving play. A genuine private-club feel in a public-access setting.
EASTERN STARS
Come for the golf, stay for the patio scene at Longbow Golf Club (Mesa). Following its 1997 debut, a full-on grounds redesign and clubhouse enhancement six years later elevated both swing allure and post-round perch. In concert with the expanding of fairways for more playability, the 2003 unveiling of Longbow’s Southwestern-style clubhouse and on-site Grille fast proved to be one of the state’s best 19th holes. With the patio scene sporting course and mountain views, a bustling bar scene, stately fireplace, and 360-degree misting system, the setting is sure to assuage any doubles carded during the day.
Known for awesome views, the terrain’s borrow of subtle undulations and strategically-placed knolling, Power Ranch Golf Club (Gilbert) matches scoring opportunity with a “clean desert” outlining. Designed by Dick Bailey with the intent of homes serving to compliment the course, Power Ranch is one of the best value plays across the southeast Phoenix Valley. For new or return guests: A recent bunker and greens renovation project has received ample applause.
Get ready for the “Wicked Six.” Known for a meaty stretch of finishing holes, SunRidge Canyon Golf Club (Fountain Hills) proves much more than merely trying to stave-off bogeys while rounding uphill back to the clubhouse. Designed by Keith Foster and set upon the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, a bunker renovation in recent years added sod faces to the sandy hazards, providing both a unique look and homage to SunRidge’s links-style roots. Oh, and for those seeking further tastes (or, sounds) of Scotland, be sure to tee off on Friday afternoons, when a live bagpiper soundtracks the desert sunset.
While it may seem a mere moment ago that popular Eagle Mountain Golf Club (Fountain Hills) was filling up “Best New” charts across the Arizona golf scene, the Eagle continues to fly high as the course nears its 30th anniversary. Fair, playable, and lush, the Scott Miller-designed setting amid the McDowell Mountain ravines finds creative undulation with bowled fairways and tiered greens before the closing highlight of a 100-foot elevation drop on the water-laden par-4 home hole.
MORE FUN!
Ready your roll for all-ages engagement and entertainment at the 25,000-square-feet of fun at Putting World Scottsdale (Scottsdale). Perfect for parties, family outings, or some late-night laughs, the indoor, 18-hole “elevated mini-golf” experience combines mini-tests with big pleasures at Bar 19’s menu of chef-driven platings and craft cocktails. On-site putter fittings and professional putting instruction are available for guests ready to enjoy a next-level experience.
