FEATURE STORY

Phoenix, Scottsdale golf resorts are made for luxury lovers

By William K. Wolfrum,
Staff Writer

Few golf destinations will press your luxury buttons like Phoenix and Scottsdale. Arizona golf's main mecca has the golf courses and the amenities that keep travelers coming back season after season.

Comfort is the currency here. Resorts in Phoenix and Scottsdale will pamper visitors off the course and treat them to name-brand golf on it. Here's a taste of what awaits you in the golf-resort capital of the world.

Great golf resorts in Phoenix and Scottsdale

The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale aims to give guests "the essence of Arizona." This is the Grand Canyon State experience jacked up on steroids, and you get the royal treatment to boot.

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At Agave, the Westin Kierland's full spa, you're plunged into a world of traditional native treatments designed to invigorate and refresh the mind, body and soul. The indigenous agave plant is a source of many treatments.

The local flora is also a theme for 27 holes of Scott Miller-designed golf, encompassing the Acacia, Ironwood and Mesquite nines (each named for its predominant plant life). Air-conditioned carts and an on-course bagpiper set the tone for a unique golf experience.

"Kierland's attracted a reputation as something of a different thinker in Phoenix-Scottsdale golf," Chris Baldwin wrote in his GolfArizona.com review. "Maybe that explains why the crowd seems to be a little more diverse here."

Step into the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix and you'll quickly see why they call this the "Jewel of the Desert." At the foot of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, the Biltmore offers 738 rooms and villas along with eight swimming pools and a full-service European spa and salon.

Convenient to numerous area courses, the Biltmore also offers two championship tracks of its own. The Adobe, the fourth-oldest run in Arizona, offers a luxurious and pleasant round, while the Links presents a more modern feel and an extra challenge.

Scottsdale's The Phoenician cranks up the luxury level to 11. That's the number of restaurants and lounges here, offering some of the region's most captivating cuisine. The Centre for Well-Being, the full-service on-site spa, offers personalized programs along with a variety of treatments and services.

Regarded as one of the most scenic courses in the area, the Phoenician's 27-hole USGA championship facility is made up of three nines named for the surrounding landscape - Canyon, Desert and Oasis. The latter has a more tropical feel and offers the toughest challenge; the Desert and Canyon are primers in the spectacular intricacies of desert golf.

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The names "Troon" and "Four Seasons" are synonymous with great service in the golf and resort worlds, respectively, so no look at Phoenix-Scottsdale golf resorts would be complete without Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North.

Offering two of the top daily-fee courses in the state - Monument and Pinnacle - Troon North remains the gold standard in resort golf.

Four Seasons style plus two of TravelGolf.com's top 10 Arizona tracks yields "a combination that's harder to beat than Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson in their primes," Baldwin wrote.

"If a stay here doesn't result in one of the best golf experiences of your lifetime, you're a very spoiled duffer indeed."

May 23, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.