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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Arizona and the Southwest for Golfers
The space beckons, the wide Southwestern sky calls: Come here to play golf. There is no debate that this region of the United States defines a kind of golf greatness. From the Red Rock area of northern Arizona south through Phoenix and on to Tucson, and in the neighboring state of New Mexico, golf highlights abound and inspire. Sedona, Arizona So beautiful is the landscape here that a golfer might be forgiven for taking his or her eye off the ball. Four Sedona courses welcome the public, although two are only nine holes and a third is semiprivate. A good choice is the 18-hole Sedona Golf Resort, a perennial favorite since its opening in 1988. The Gary Panks design has a links-style feel and exploits the stunning topography to alluring effect. You'll want to use your camera on the par-three tenth, which plays downhill to a green spectacularly guarded by some of the region's famous red rocks. Phoenix If you include the city as well as its many suburbs, you'll count more golf courses here than anyone could hope to master in a lifetime. And they are almost all fun to play, with great golf weather all year long—remember to tee off early in the morning or late in the afternoon during the hot summer months. While some of the city's—and country's—top-ranked courses are private, the public-access choices include some of the best places on anyone's list. At the top of that list would be Troon North Golf Club's Pinnacle and Monument courses, in the suburb of Scottsdale. Arguably the model for other high-end daily-fee golf courses, these give the visitor a sense of playing at a private country club. With service that begins the moment you drive in, a real locker room where you can leave your street shoes in your own temporary locker, and a welcoming, well-stocked pro shop, Troon North is one classy operation. And then there's the two manicured courses, each with its own distinct personality and both designed to challenge everyone from the beginner to the scratch player. (One warning: If you lose a ball in a cactus, don't go poking around looking for it!) Like Troon North, the Tournament Players Club, in Scottsdale, offers two courses, but the one you'll be most interested in is the Stadium. Site of the PGA Tour's annual Phoenix/FBR Open, held in late January and early February, the Stadium presents an unusually creative layout, considering it's laid out on ground that's virtually flat. Spoil yourself and spend the night at the adjacent Fairmount Princess, or be on the lookout for other Phoenix golf resort play-and-stay options at such excellent places as the Boulders Resort, in Carefree, or the Marriott Camelback and The Phoenician, both in Scottsdale; there's also a Four Seasons at Troon North. Tucson More laid-back than Phoenix, the smaller city of Tucson features some fine golf, including at the venerable Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa, site of the PGA Tour's annual Chrysler Classic, and the newer Arizona National, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.—designed classic. The Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club's two scenic courses, both by Tom Fazio, are sporty and gorgeous. And the adjacent Lodge at Ventana Canyon is a lovely place to stay, with the golf operation under the aegis of the same company that owns and runs Troon North. A highlight of Ventana Canyon is the Mountain Course's third, a very short par three where the tee has a view that's to die for. New Mexico With the fairly recent construction of a number of new courses, New Mexico is gradually earning a well-deserved reputation as a golf destination. And not all the courses are wallet busters. An enjoyable, economical option is the semiprivate Santa Fe Country Club, a fairly level layout where lots of the holes run side by side—so you can be a little wild off the tee and still hit a good recovery shot. Pueblo De Cochiti Golf Course, about 45 minutes south of Santa Fe at Cochiti Lake, is very pretty and has some great holes made even better by the typically windy conditions. Save time for a tour of historic Santa Fe itself, and if you're adventurous, explore other golf destinations in the state, from Taos Country Club, north of Santa Fe, to Albuquerque's Arroyo del Oso Municipal Golf Course, another bargain. After your round, make Bumble Bee's Baja Grill your 19th hole for a great deal on made-from-scratch Mexican food. Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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