How Scottsdale Became World’s Finest Golf Destination

Scottsdale, Arizona — Scottsdale is known as “The World’s Finest Golf Destination,” and it has fans around the world who heartily agree. The reasons for this are plenty – the exceptional golf courses, abundant sunshine, exotic desert scenery, accessibility, exceptional resorts, nightlife, restaurants, and the list goes on. Those attributes are straightforward and are difficult to argue against.

The story of how this once sleepy, yet scenic western town rose to the pinnacle of the golf world is much less well-known and perhaps far more interesting. It all boils down to a happy convergence of people, places, and events. Let’s take a look:

People

• Herb Drinkwater, Scottsdale Mayor, 1980 to 1996 – Mayor Drinkwater was a driving force behind many of the initiatives that shaped Scottsdale into the thriving community it is today. From a golf perspective, two of the largest were developing TPC Scottsdale as the host site for the PGA TOUR’s Phoenix Open and cooperating with visionary developer Lyle Anderson to create the infrastructure necessary to feed effluent water to golf developments in North Scottsdale.
• Lyle Anderson, Developer – Perhaps no individual has done more to establish Scottsdale’s golf identity than Lyle Anderson. Not only did he secure sustainable water supplies for golf development in the City’s scenic northern reaches, but he also developed Desert Highlands (see below) and Desert Mountain, two of Scottsdale’s most prestigious private golf communities, paving the way for additional world-class golf development in North Scottsdale

Places

• The OG Courses– While not the oldest, no golf courses were more influential in the early days of Scottsdale golf than Orange Tree Golf Resort, Camelback Golf Club and McCormick Ranch Golf Club. Through their affiliations with local resorts and clever self-promotion, these three facilities were Scottsdale’s flagship courses during the 1970s and 1980s. Their innovative approach to the game established the concept of luxury resort golf in Scottsdale that defines the city to this day.
• TPC Scottsdale – TPC Scottsdale opened in 1986 and has hosted the PGA TOUR’s Phoenix Open every year since 1987. It was purpose built as the tournament’s home and the two have evolved together, becoming the single most recognizable representation of Scottsdale golf around the world.
• Troon North – There are a lot of great golf courses in Scottsdale, but few have captured the imagination of the international golf community the way the two gems at Troon North Golf Club have. They display a rare mix of challenge and charm that is capable of captivating players all over the world. Even better, they’re in the middle of one of the most beautiful locations the Sonoran Desert has to offer. Demand was so high upon opening in 1991 that Troon North had Scottsdale resort concierge teams waking up at 5 a.m. to secure tee times for guests 30 days out. Players have been hooked on Troon North and Scottsdale, ever since.

• Grayhawk Golf Club — There’s something special about Grayhawk. Like Scottsdale itself, the vibe at the club is cool, genuine, and friendly. It’s never fussy and never forced and Grayhawk just feels good. The club opened in 1994 with a couple of thousand invited guests and Huey Lewis on stage. It’s hosted a slew of PGA TOUR events, a half dozen or more high-profile celebrity events, and at least a dozen invitation-only, pro-scratch competitions that could rival most PGA TOUR fields. Recently it was home to the men’s and women’s NCAA National Championships three years in a row. If you want to understand Scottsdale’s golf culture, Grayhawk is the place to do it.

Events

• The Skins Game – When discussing Lyle Anderson earlier, we mentioned Desert Highlands, and no discussion of how Scottsdale became the World’s Finest Golf Destination would be complete without mention of the iconic Skins Game competition that was contested at Desert Highlands between 1983 and 1985. Broadcast around the world on Thanksgiving Weekend, The Skins Game featured some of golf’s greatest players – Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Tom Watson – at a time when most courses were shuttered for the season. The made-for-TV event showcased Scottsdale’s spectacular landscape and near perfect climate, as well as its jaw-dropping golf courses to a worldwide audience.
• The Phoenix Open – Grayhawk may have its finger on the pulse of Scottsdale’s golf culture, but it’s the annual spectacle of the Phoenix Open that has captured the imagination of golfers and non-golfers around the globe. In just 36 years, the Phoenix Open has gone from an ordinary golf tournament to a true bucket-list event on par with the Kentucky Derby and Daytona 500. Though the tournament’s host organization, The Thunderbirds, has raised tens of millions for local charities. It’s the tournament’s reputation as “The Greatest Show on Grass” that pulls in record-setting attendance and fills nearly every Scottsdale resort each year.

Honorable Mentions

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many people, places, and organizations that have made huge contributions to Scottsdale’s prominence in the golf world. These include: The Thunderbirds, Karsten Solheim and PING, the men’s and women’s golf programs at Arizona State University, and the many, many prominent PGA TOUR and LPGA players who’ve called Arizona home. However, their influence is more widely recognized and has been much broader than Scottsdale. Plus, we had to draw the line somewhere.

To learn more about the more than 200 courses in the greater Scottsdale area, plus the accommodations and activities for rounding out the perfect golf vacation, check out www.golfinscottsdale.com