FEATURE STORY

A walk in the desert? Top Phoenix-Scottsdale golf courses declare why not

By Chris Baldwin,
Contributor

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - When you show up at the the TPC Champions Course and the clubhouse attendant asks if you want to walk, you know things are changing in Arizona's golf capital.

Getting out on the golf course and seeing just how many golfers are strolling, hauling their own bags around, it's clear that the change is catching on. What was pretty much unheard of only five years ago in the Phoenix-Scottsdale golf resort corridor - walking golf courses - has now found a niche.

And it's not limited to local munis or other places where budget golfers are trying to save a buck. Instead you're seeing the option of walking being promoted at the top newer golf courses and other high-end palaces, places where they used to practically carry you from your rental car to the golf cart.

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This might seem like a strange spot for the trend to catch on. After all, Valley of the Sun isn't just a nickname. Walking in the desert? Who walks in the desert besides extras in "Lawrence of Arabia?"

Well, it turns out a number of golfers who still want the high life but not the cart life.

"You get a lot more out of the day if you walk the course," said Charlie Slansky, a businessman in town who sought out the TPC Champions Course in part because he heard it encouraged walking. "The exercise for one thing. You can almost justify the time spent golfing if you actually get a workout while doing it.

"The only thing I ever worked out while riding in a golf cart is my beer grip. I tend to drink a lot more beer when I'm riding a cart.

"Besides, I think it's just beautiful walking out here. Being in the desert can give you a complete sense of solitude. It's calming."

In Arizona, this is a fall and winter high season thing. You don't want to be walking 18 on a midday 118-degree August round. Unless you yearn to walk right into the emergency room after.

But when the Phoenix-Scottsdale golf resort corridor is at its best - when you want to be here anyways - it can be a surprisingly friendly walking locale. Sure, the terrain can be a little rugged with some climbs and dips. But you're a golfer.

If you just wanted to walk in straight lines on a smooth path, you'd join those old folks who shuffle around malls in the hour before they open.

With that in mind, here are some of the best walking golf courses in Phoenix-Scottsdale's land of golf riches.

• Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa: Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed the second course at We-Ko-Pa to be a walking golf course back when no one thought anyone would ever want to walk in Arizona. The year was 2006.

Because the designers set out to make Saguaro a walking course from the beginning, it plays out unlike most of the signature courses from the 1990s building boom in greater Scottsdale. Its holes are close together and there's something of a natural rhythm to the round - though you'll have some climbs up green, green fairways.

The best thing about Saguaro though is it's a great golf course that takes you well out in houseless desert and let's you see some of the most striking blue sky you'll ever come across. Golf carts?

Here, they only detract from the vibe - even if way too many Saguaro players still use them.

• Troon North Pinnacle Course: This is the best overall golf course in Phoenix-Scottsdale. But just a few years ago, walking it would have been as convenient and practical as going down the freeway in a rickshaw.

Holes were separated from each other by long cart path trips. There was no way a walker could have kept up with other players in carts in his group - or maintained anything less than a six-hour round - even if he ran like Forest Gump.

A redesign of both golf courses at Troon North by original designer Tom Weiskopf - one in which he essentially rethought the entire layout - transformed Pinnacle into a continuous 18-hole course where the walks aren't endless between greens and tees, one where you don't return to the clubhouse after nine.

"Both courses can now be played exactly as the land dictates," Weiskopf said.

Suddenly, Pinnacle's a fun walking challenge. Just don't be surprised if you're one of the only ones not taking a cart the day you play. When the price is close to $300, golfers tend to jump on every perceived luxury perk they can get.

• TPC Champions Course: Formerly known as TPC Desert Course, Randy Heckenkemper took a mundane golf course in the shadow of Scottsdale's small private jet airport and turned it into an enjoyable challenge. Heckenkemper particularly shored up the finishing stretch.

Your legs aren't going to be burning from walking to the end either. TPC Champions may be the most level desert golf course you'll ever play.

• Wigwam Blue Course: Not much over 6,000 yards, Wigwam Blue makes for a short walk through green parkland that's anything but desert like. Its tight fairways and quirky holes where driver is often taken out of your hands insure you cannot walk all over it though.

On the scorecard, that is.

• ASU Karsten Golf Course: College golf teams have to walk, so it's no surprise that the home of Arizona State's vaunted golf program is staunchly pro strollers. Just turn down the cart that's included in the greens fee and be on your way.

You don't play Karsten to walk in Phil Mickelson's spike marks, though. You play it because it's one of the most reasonably priced good courses in the Valley. This Pete Dye links-style design changed to a par 70 from a par 72 last winter with a few holes becoming noticeably more strategic from the back tees. What hasn't changed is the Dye railroad ties.

Or the fact you don't need a golf cart.

There's definitely a new wind blowing in the desert. Who needs to sit through a round?

November 18, 2008

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.