USA · Desert
Scottsdale & Phoenix
January and February. Desert golf, resort lifestyle, and excellent courses accessible to all skill levels. The go-to Canadian snowbird trip done properly — pool home rentals, warm nights, and 36-hole days.
BEST TIME TO GO
January–March
EST. COST / PERSON
$2,500–$8,000 CAD
BOOK IN ADVANCE
12–20 weeks
TRAVEL TIME
5–5.5h flight from Toronto
MUST-PLAY COURSES
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium)
Home of WM Phoenix Open. 16th 'Colosseum' hole is unmissable.
Troon North (Monument + Pinnacle)
Among the best public desert courses in the US.
Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor)
Dramatic saguaro-framed fairways. Best pure desert design.
We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (Cholla)
Best value vs quality ratio in Scottsdale.
Quintero Golf Club
Golf Digest Top 100 Public USA
45 minutes from Scottsdale. Worth the drive.
WHAT A TRIP LOOKS LIKE
Arrive & First Round
Check in to the pool home or resort and squeeze in an afternoon nine at We-Ko-Pa's Cholla Course — the best value-per-shot in Scottsdale, and a good way to shake the travel off before the serious days begin.
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium)
The flagship round. TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course is the WM Phoenix Open venue, and the par-3 16th Colosseum is the loudest single hole in professional golf when the bleachers are full. Play it before the heat peaks and save the afternoon for the pool.
Troon North — Monument + Pinnacle
A 36-hole day if the group's up for it — Troon North's Monument and Pinnacle courses rank among the best public desert tracks in the US. Monument in the morning, Pinnacle in the afternoon, dinner on the patio as the sun drops behind the McDowell Mountains.
Grayhawk (Raptor)
Tom Fazio's Raptor Course at Grayhawk is the most visually dramatic round in Scottsdale — desert canyon drops, forced carries, saguaro everywhere. It plays tougher than the scorecard suggests. Recover at dinner in Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Quintero Golf Club
Worth the 45-minute drive west — Rees Jones's Quintero is a Golf Digest Top 100 Public course that most visitors never reach, set in a red rock canyon with almost no development visible from the course. Best surprise of the trip.
Morning Nine & Depart
A quick sunrise nine at We-Ko-Pa or a short course to close the ledger, then airport by noon. Scottsdale to Phoenix Sky Harbor is 30 minutes — no rush.
GROUPS 12+ — Scottsdale is the easiest Canadian group destination in North America to coordinate. Most courses offer group blocks of 16–20 in a single tee-time window. Book the pool home through a vacation rental specialist rather than a hotel — it becomes the trip's home base and saves significantly on food and drink. Budget for an Uber or van service: desert heat and morning tee times don't mix with designated drivers.
BEST MONTHS
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