Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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rental an additional $20 or so. In New Mexico, fees range from $20 to $145, with most
averaging about $60, and with reduced rates in winter. (Cart rentals run about $15.)
For more information on golfing in Arizona, contact the Arizona Golf Association
( & 800/458-8484 or 602/944-3035; www.azgolf.org), which publishes a directory list-
ing all the courses in the state. You can also access the directory online. In addition, you
can pick up the Phoenix Golf Guide and the Tucson Golf Guide (www.azgolfguides.com)
at visitor centers, golf courses, and many hotels and resorts. Also check that website to
find Web pages for the Arizona resorts listed below.
For spectacular scenery at a resort course, it's just plain impossible to beat the Boul-
ders ( & 480/488-9028 ), north of Scottsdale in the town of Carefree. Elevated tee boxes
beside giant balanced boulders are enough to distract anyone. Way over on the east side
of the valley, in Apache Junction, the Gold Canyon Golf Resort ( & 480/982-9449 ) has
what have been rated as three of the best holes in the state: the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th holes
on the Dinosaur Mountain course. Jumping over to Litchfield Park, on the far west side
of the valley, you'll find the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa ( & 800/327-0396 or
623/935-9414) and its three 18-hole courses; the Gold Course here is legendary. The
Phoenician Golf Club ( & 800/888-8234 or 480/423-2449) is another noteworthy
resort course in the area. It has a mix of traditional and desert-style holes. The semiprivate
Troon North Golf Club ( & 480/585-7700 ), a course that seems only barely carved out
of raw desert, garners the most local accolades (and charges some of the highest green fees
in the state). If you want to swing where the pros do, beg, borrow, or steal a tee time on
the Stadium Course at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) of Scottsdale ( & 888/
400-4001 or 480/585-4334). The area's favorite municipal course is Phoenix's Papago
Golf Course ( & 602/275-8428 ), which has a killer 17th hole.
Tucson may not have as many golf courses as the Valley of the Sun, but the courses
here are every bit as challenging and memorable. Among the city's resort courses, the
Mountain Course at the Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club ( & 520/577-4015 )
is legendary, especially the spectacular 107-yard, par-3 3rd hole. The 8th hole on the
Sunrise Course at El Conquistador Country Club ( & 520/544-1800 ) is another of the
area's more memorable par-3 holes. If you want to play where the pros have played,
reserve a tee time at the Omni Tucson National Resort ( & 520/575-7540 ), which, for
many years, was home to the Tucson Open. Randolph Golf Course ( & 520/791-
4161 ), Tucson's best municipal course, has been the site of the city's annual LPGA
tournament. The Silverbell Golf Course ( & 520/791-5235 ) boasts a bear of a par-5
17th hole; and, at Fred Enke Golf Course ( & 520/791-2539 ), you'll find the city's only
desert-style municipal golf course.
Courses worth trying in other parts of the state include Los Caballeros Golf Club
( & 928/684-2704 ), which is part of a luxury guest ranch outside Wickenburg. Golf
Digest has rated this course one of Arizona's top 10. For concentration-taxing scenery, few
courses compare with the Sedona Golf Resort ( & 877/733-6630 ), which has good
views of the red rocks; try to get a sunrise or twilight tee time. Way up in the Four Cor-
ners region, in the town of Page, you'll find the 27-hole Lake Powell National Golf
Course ( & 928/645-2023 ), which is one of the most spectacular in the state. The fair-
ways here wrap around the base of the red-sandstone bluff atop which sits the town of
Page. South of Tucson, the Tubac Golf Resort ( & 520/398-2211 ) has cows grazing
along its fairways for a classic Wild West feel. For dramatic views near the Colorado River
in western Arizona, check out the Emerald Canyon Golf Course ( & 928/667-3366 ),
5
 
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