No. 1
Scottsdale, Arizona
$500/round
TPC Scottsdale Stadium
Weiskopf & Morrish, 1986Home of the WM Phoenix Open and its roaring par 3 16th, the loudest hole in golf.
Arizona · 3 courses to build around
Scottsdale Golf Holidays
Two hundred desert courses under year round sun, a tournament stage that draws the loudest crowd in golf, and resorts built for the buddies trip. Scottsdale is the easiest great golf trip in America to organize. Here is how we build it.
Nov to AprBest season
30 minSky Harbor to town
200+Courses in the valley
$150 to 500Indicative green fees
4 nightsTypical length
4 roundsComfortable pace
N. ScottsdaleBest base
< 40 minMost transfers
Buddies & corporateWho it suits
$2,800+From, per head
Who this trip suits
Scottsdale is the American buddies trip in its purest form. The golf is target desert golf, emerald fairways framed by saguaro, rock and the McDowell Mountains, and there is so much of it that you can play four very different courses in four days and barely scratch the surface. North Scottsdale holds the headline names, with TPC Scottsdale, Troon North and We-Ko-Pa all within a short drive of each other.
It suits groups who want quality golf without complication: short transfers, fly and drive logistics, big resort suites, a steakhouse and a long evening on Old Town. The same setup works just as well for a corporate day or a milestone birthday. Couples are well served too, with spa resorts and gentler resort courses alongside the championship tests. The one rule is to come in the cooler months, because summer in the Sonoran desert is a different proposition.
The shortlist
Three courses to build around
No. 1
No. 2
Scottsdale, Arizona
$325/round
Troon North Monument
Weiskopf & Morrish, 1990The course that defined Scottsdale desert golf, named for the lone boulder beside the third fairway.
No. 3
Fort McDowell, Arizona
$325/round
We-Ko-Pa Saguaro
Coore & Crenshaw, 2006Minimalist Coore and Crenshaw desert golf with no houses in view and a course you can walk.
A sample four night structure
Day one, fly into Sky Harbor, pick up the car and settle into a North Scottsdale resort. Day two, Troon North Monument in the morning, then the pool and a steakhouse. Day three, We-Ko-Pa Saguaro out toward Fort McDowell, walking if the group is up for it. Day four, the big one at TPC Scottsdale, standing on the 16th tee where the grandstands rise, then a final night on Old Town before flying home.
When to go
November to April is the season, warm days, cool nights and the courses at their best, which is also peak pricing. February brings the WM Phoenix Open and the busiest, priciest week of the year. Summer is fierce, often over one hundred degrees, but dawn rounds are cheap and quiet for those who can take the heat.
Green fees and what a trip costs
These are third party green fees for the 2026 season, gathered at the time of writing and offered as a guide, not a quote. Scottsdale runs dynamic pricing, so rates move sharply with season, day and tee time, and twilight is much cheaper. Always confirm directly before booking.
| Course | Designer | Par | Indicative 2026 green fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| TPC Scottsdale Stadium | Weiskopf & Morrish, 1986 | 71 | $340 to 580 in winter |
| Troon North Monument | Weiskopf & Morrish, 1990 | 72 | $100 to 325 by season |
| We-Ko-Pa Saguaro | Coore & Crenshaw, 2006 | 71 | $95 to 325 by season |
As a package, a four night, four round Scottsdale trip on a four star resort typically lands from about $2,800 per head, excluding flights, depending on group size, hotel and season. We cost tee times, the right resort and the hire car as one all in number per person, with no obligation. Tee times can also be booked individually through our partners: [TEE_TIME_AFFILIATE_LINK]. For where to stay, [HOTEL_AFFILIATE_LINK].
Plan my golf trip
Tell us the brief
A concierge replies within one working day with a costed Scottsdale itinerary. No fee, no obligation. Eight fields or fewer, because every extra one costs you time.
Scottsdale golf questions, answered
When is the best time for a golf holiday in Scottsdale?
November to April is the prime season, warm and dry with the courses in peak condition, which is also when green fees are highest. Summer from June to September is very hot but offers cheap, quiet dawn rounds.
How many courses are there in Scottsdale?
Greater Scottsdale and Phoenix hold more than two hundred courses, one of the densest concentrations of resort golf in the world, from the tournament layouts of North Scottsdale to the Sonoran desert designs further out.
How much are green fees in Scottsdale?
Indicative 2026 green fees run from about $150 at the value courses to $500 or more in winter at TPC Scottsdale. Twilight and summer rates are far lower. Always confirm directly before booking.
How do you get there?
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the gateway, about thirty minutes from central Scottsdale. The North Scottsdale courses sit a further twenty to forty minutes north, so a hire car is the easiest way to string a trip together.
More to plan with: our ranking method, the full course index, who we are on the about page, a warm weather alternative in Mexico, and a sunshine option across the Atlantic in Mallorca, Spain.
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