Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
valley, 300 Wigwam Blvd. (
&
800/327-0396
or 623/935-9414; www.wigwamresort.
com). In high season, greens fees are $129 on the Gold Course and $109 on the Blue
and Red courses.
•
Gold Canyon Golf Resort
This course, way over on the east side of the valley at
the foot of the Superstition Mountains, has been rated the best public course in the
state. It's located at 6100 S. Kings Ranch Rd., Gold Canyon (
&
480/982-9449;
www.gcgr.com). Greens fees on the Dinosaur Mountain course range from $185 to
$210 in winter. The Sidewinder course is more traditional and less dramatic, but
much more economical. Greens fees are $95 to $115 in winter.
•
Phoenician Golf Club
Set at the base of Camelback Mountain (6000 E. Camel-
back Rd.;
&
800/888-8234
or 480/423-2449; www.thephoenician.com), this club
has 27 holes that mix traditional and desert styles. Greens fees for nonresort guests are
$200 in winter and spring; reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance.
•
Troon North Golf Club
Of the valley's many daily-fee courses, the two
18-hole courses at this club garner the most local accolades. This is the finest example
of a desert course that you'll find anywhere in the state. It's located at 10320 E. Dyna-
mite Blvd., Scottsdale (
&
480/585-7700;
www.troonnorthgolf.com). Greens fees are
$245 to $295 in winter and spring.
•
Tournament Players Club (TPC) of Scottsdale
If you want to swing where
the pros do, beg, borrow, or steal a tee time on the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish-
designed Stadium Course. The TPC's second 18, the Desert Course, is actually a
municipal course. It's located at 17020 N. Hayden Rd. (
&
888/400-4001
or
480/585-4334; www.playatpc.com). Stadium course fees top out at $272 in winter
and spring, while Desert Course fees are a reasonable $130 in winter and spring.
•
Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club
If you want to take a crack at a desert-style course
or two but don't want to take out a second mortgage, try this club at 33750 N. Dove
Lakes Dr., Cave Creek (
&
480/488-0009;
www.dovevalleyranch.com). Designed by
Robert Trent Jones Jr., it was voted Arizona's best new public course when it opened
in 1998. Greens fees are $99 to $109 in winter.
•
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
This golf club is on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and
the name is Yavapai for “Four Peaks,” which is the mountain range you'll be marveling
at as you play. Unlike at other area courses, fairways are bounded by desert, not luxury
homes, so make sure you keep your ball on the grass. The two 18-hole courses are
located off the Beeline Highway (Ariz. 87) in the northeast corner of the valley (18200
East Toh Vee Circle, Fort McDowell;
&
480/836-9000;
www.wekopa.com). Greens
fees are $180 to $210 in winter. Reservations are taken up to 90 days in advance.
•
Papago Golf Course
One of the municipal courses in Phoenix, Papago offers fine
views and a killer 17th hole. This is such a great course that it's used for Phoenix Open
qualifying. It's located at 5595 E. Moreland St. (
&
602/275-8428
), at the foot of the
red sandstone Papago Buttes. In winter, greens fees are $115.
HIKING
Several mountains around Phoenix, including Camelback Mountain and
Piestewa Peak, have been set aside as parks and nature preserves, and these natural areas
are among the city's most popular hiking spots. The city's largest nature preserve,
South
Mountain Park/Preserve
(
&
602/495-0222;
www.phoenix.gov/PARKS/southmnt.
html), covers 16,000 acres and is one of the largest city parks in the world. This park
contains around 50 miles of hiking, mountain-biking, and horseback-riding trails, and
the views of Phoenix (whether from along the National Trail or from the parking lot at
the Buena Vista Lookout) are spectacular, especially at sunset. To reach the park's main
445
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