Scottsdale Golf
Overall:
Accommodations:
Golf:
Night Life:
Value:
Scottsdale, AZ
Hotel: Fairmont Scottsdale
Princess
Courses:
The Boulders Resort-South Course
We-Ko-Pa-Cholla/Saguaro Courses
Troon North Pinnacle/Monument Courses
Grayhawk Golf Club Talon/Raptor
Courses
Review
Wiz: The Fairmont
Scottsdale Princess is an opulent hotel with a slightly casual feel.
Everything is first rate without being ostentatious. Think Richard Branson not Queen Elizabeth. The
sprawling hotel seamlessly integrates indoors and outdoors spaces to capitalize on the desert
climate.
10kk: For me, a good meal with good company is one of life's greatest
pleasures. Scottsdale has a lot of great choices. Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse is one of them. The lobster mashed potatoes there
are pure decadence. For even more upscale dinning, after your round at the famed Troon North head
over to Talavera which is inside The Four Seasons Resort. This resort is excellent but, the rates were quite a bit
higher and the reviews were in line with the Fairmont. Insider Tip: Try the 12 oz. Elk Chop, topped w/Fried Oysters and Almond
Butter.
The Fairmont Princes has a
decent upscale Mexican restaurant, LaHacenda. Local flavor and you can walk home after a few blood orange
margaritas. Another great feature of the hotel is the little bar located outside the hotel. This is
a great place to meet your group before heading out on the town.
Our favorite dinning choice
in Scottsdale has to be Cowboy Ciao. I really liked the Maytag margarita- made with real Maytag blue
cheese. It is unique and a perfect start with appetizers. I am normally a purest, Jack and a
little water is the ultimate libation. A great friend fondly refers to this nectar of the gods simply as
"brown water". The ambiance of Cowboy
Chow is noisy and lively. A great place to unwind after a beautiful day frying in the sweet Arizona
sun.
Wiz:
: Let the frying begin...all of the courses are breath
taking. The condition, scenery and service are beyond
reproach. The Boulders resort derives its’ name from the
enormous boulders strewn about the area. Some are precariously
perched on minuscule pedestals. Fred Flintstone and his “dinocrane” would be right at home here.
The unnatural juxtaposition of a lush green carpet of grass and the stark
bareness of the desert is remarkable. The amount of water and
energy required to maintain this must be phenomenal. I love desert
golf but, it is about as eco friendly as a Ferrari. Of course I
think most people would rather take a spin in a Ferrari than a Prius.
The courses were teaming with rabbits in
near swarm like numbers. It was like a jail break from a magician’s
convention. Approaching one of the tee boxes, I found it amusing
that the rabbits were perfectly aligned in the shadow of a cactus.
Ironically, while waiting on the tee box a couple holes later, the four of us were unknowingly standing in a
perfectly straight line in the shadow of a cactus. I guess the locals know
best. I felt sure that the bountiful rabbet buffet was sure
to attract slithering, scaled diners. This made
searching for errant balls in the scrub a thrilling
proposition. Peering into the brush, you never knew
if the thing staring at you is cute bunny eyes or a reptile that would give a brief warning
rattle before administering a venomous injection. In
reality, I never sighted any serpents and the jumping cactus proved to be a far more formidable
threat.
We made this trip during the fall
shoulder season (i.e. late August). Before you ask what kind
of idiot goes to the desert in August, take into account that the price increased dramatically the following
week and the temperature didn’t drop appreciably for another month. Pocket the savings because
I doubt you can tell the difference between 98 degrees and 102 degrees without a
thermometer.
10kk: Who in their right mind would go to Arizona in August to play
golf??? answer...guys who want to play the top tier courses and spend like they are playing a couple of
municipals. You can save almost $400 per golfer on a 4 day trip by enduring a little heat and shopping the
hotels for specials.
Wiz: My home is in the southeast where humidity and heat are as
inseparable as Oprah and a Twinkie. Twenty minutes in the August sun
will cause a prodigious injection of sweat into your Fruit Of The
Looms. The desert sun is exponentially more intense than anything in the land of
Dixie. Standing under the heat lamps in the McDonald’s holding bin
would be a welcome blast of cool air by comparison but, at the end of the day I was dry as a
bone. I had an insatiable thirst that 2 gallons of Gatorade
couldn't quench but, I smelled like a daisy (albeit slightly wilted). The climate is so dry, perspiration pirouettes off you instantly.
Grayhawk Golf Club has one of the 50 best 19th holes in the country.
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