SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – The arid desert landscape of the U.S. state of Arizona, seems an unlikely destination for golf fans.
But here in the Sonora Desert, against a backdrop of dry red mountains and cacti, this nation of golf fans has created around 200 lush green fairways.With great expertise, and plenty of water, green keepers have created fast, rolling golf courses so perfect they look as if they have been cut with nail scissors.Golf is now an established part of Arizona’s tourist landscape. There are around 200 courses, ranging from accessible public fairways costing a “green fee” of around 60 U.S. dollars to spectacular private clubs costing more than 200 dollars.The most exclusive are the Stadium Course, belonging to the Tournament Players Club (TPC), which hosts the Phoenix Open, and the 18-hole Monument and Pinnacle courses in Troon North.Visitors to Arizona are attracted by the beneficial, dry climate. Many people from the north of the U.S. spend the winter months here in the region around Scottsdale and Phoenix. They are following in the footsteps of the architect Frank Lloyd-Wright (1867-1959) who made Scottsdale his winter residence. Over the years, many decided to stay all year round, which is how the region gradually grew to a metropolis of more than a million people.The golf courses of Arizona are challenging. The two greens in Troon North have a slope rating – difficulty level – of 147 to 155. The nearby Stadium Course has a 133 slope rating. The two courses in Troon North were created by golf designer Tom Weiskopf and golf architect Jay Morrish, who built championship courses that fit harmoniously into the grandiose nature of the Sonora desert.But golfing here is different to elsewhere in one respect: if you accidentally hit your golf ball off course into the dried out roughs along the fairway, you have to risk the “jumping cacti” to find them. The prickles from these cactus balls the size of mandarins can easily pierce through socks, trousers or even leather. When in doubt, it is safer to give up a ball as lost.The quality of the hotels in Scottsdale and Phoenix is equal to its golf courses. The Scottsdale Fairmont Princess Hotel and the Four Seasons Hotel are both built in villa style. In the main building are restaurants and the wellness areas. The Fairmont Princess even has a rooftop swimming pool with a view over the valley. The Hyatt Hotel has an impressive oriental water garden.The top hotels cost up to 650 dollars a night for a double room in the high season from January to April. But there are much cheaper offers to be found. Gold Canyon Golf Resort charges 200 dollars a night, and the golfing here is not disappointing. The Dinosaur Mountain Course (slope rating 140) was recently voted the number one public course in Arizona by “Arizona Business Magazine”.Information on the Internet: http://www.fairmont.com,Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at http://www.fourseasons.com, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at http://www.scottsdale.hyatt.com, Gold Canyon Golf Ranch at http://www.pgatour.com, Troon North Golf Club at http://www.troongolf.com, Gainey Ranch Golf Club at http://www.gaineyranchc.com
