Arizona Golf Scene

The four-man scramble is one of the most enjoyable formats for team competition in golf. After all, finding one decent shot out of four is a welcome proposition to many golfers. Beginning this spring, golf clubs across the country will be able to compete in The Great American Scramble and vie for the coveted title of National Champions in Las Vegas.

After the longstanding Buick/Oldsmobile Scramble shut down in 2005, golfers were left without a national scramble competition. PGA Professional Wayne Stone decided to change that. Stone created an event aimed at bringing excitement, camaraderie and team-building experiences back to golfers through the scramble format.

Stone, who is the director of Golf at Windermere Country Club in Windermere, Fla., decided there was enough interest to create a national scramble just by gauging the response of his members to the loss of the Buick event. Encouraged by the feedback, Stone set out to create the national tournament that was currently missing from the golf world.

When it comes to looking for a destination to enjoy golf and the great outdoors, the Hilton Golf Academy at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort, Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and the Hilton Santa Fe Resort & Spa at Buffalo Thunder offer special package rates that allow you to bask in the warm sunshine, while experiencing spectacular golf courses.

With a wide variety of packages that fit most everyone’s budget, there is no reason you shouldn’t grab your clubs, learn to improve your game and stay at award-winning golf resorts.

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak and Tapatio Cliffs Resorts are luxurious all-suite mountainside resorts in Phoenix, Arizona, with a wide variety of activities and amenities for both business and leisure travelers. With golf, spa services, fitness facilities, acres of swimming pools, extensive conference space and a variety of restaurants, Pointe Hilton Resorts are the perfect location for business or rest and relaxation. 

Golfing With The Stars!

The Phoenix Celebrity Classic is the newest event on the fertile Arizona golf landscape. A nationally televised, celebrity golf event, the Phoenix Celebrity Classic will feature numerous high-profile actors, athletes and entertainers, past and present.

The event will be held on May 7-10, 2008 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix. Golf will be played at the Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Tapatio Cliffs. This magnificent par-71 course has been named by Golf Digest as one of the 450 best public courses in the country. Additionally, Lookout Mountain has been consistently voted one of the top 25 golf courses in Arizona. Lookout Mountain has hosted many prestigious golf events including the 1989 Arizona Senior Classic and NBC Skills Challenge in 1994, 1995 & 1996. 

When you catch your first glimpse of the Valley’s newest golf course – Encanterra, A Trilogy Country Club – the thing that strikes you is just how green it is. True, it’s a golf course. It’s supposed to be green. But, most courses built over the past few years, seem almost bashful about that fact by comparison. Not Encanterra. It just unfolds in front of you. Wave upon wave of emerald fairways accented by trees, flowers, white sand bunkers and flowing water.

And, unlike many other modern private Clubs, Encanterra’s membership is not limited to the residents of the community it anchors, and it is not age-restricted.

Rather, Encanterra Trilogy Country Club offers a variety of non-resident membership options with flexible financing, making it an ideal choice for those looking for an affordable private country club in the East Valley that can hold its own against the very best Arizona has to offer.

A big reason for Encanterra’s advantage over other club’s is its unique “core golf” routing, which maximizes the quality of the overall golf experience by limiting interaction with the residential component of a community to the periphery. It’s an old-school technique which was sacrificed on the altar of expediency by far too many modern developers. 

Given the stunning landscape and unforgettable vistas of Arizona’s golf courses, it takes a special course to stand out from the crowd and embed itself into the lasting memory of all who play it. One trip to The Pines Golf Club at Marana, and you will see this is just such a course.

Taking unique to a whole new level, the back nine at Pines at Marana actually runs deep down into an old abandoned sand and gravel quarry, providing a golf experience unlike any other in the Arizona desert.

Located just northwest of Tucson off I-10, The Pines at Marana is taking its place, in the words of the design team of Gilmore/Graves, as “one of the most prominent and unique courses in Arizona, known as a joy and an adventure to play.” 

Tom Lehman-designed course the first to open in Arizona this year

Arizona-based developer Shea Homes recently unveiled Encanterra, a Trilogy Country Club.  Designed by PGA Tour veteran and former Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, Encanterra, located in Queen Creek, Arizona, is the first new private golf course to open in Arizona this year.

 “We are extremely proud of the work that our team and Lehman Design Group have done at Encanterra,” said Hal Looney, area president for Shea Homes. “The course is truly magnificent, perfectly groomed and expertly laid out. Mr. Lehman spent a lot of time on the property and has given us a golf course that is well beyond anything we imagined. This golf course is going to be a wonderful experience for our members, and I believe it will come to be recognized among the top golf venues in the state.”

The new golf course is the centerpiece to the Encanterra, a Trilogy Country Club community currently under development by Shea Homes in the southeast Valley near the new Loop 202 South. As a testament to its quality, the golf course already has been selected as the host site for the 2008 Gateway Tour Winter Series Championship, one of the most prestigious events on the nation’s third largest men’s professional golf tour.

CACTUS AND PINE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION TO RAFFLE OFF CUSTOM CHOPPER BENEFITING THE FIRST TEE OF PHOENIX 

LUCKY WINNER WILL TAKE HOME CHOPPER VALUED AT $50,000

The Cactus and Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association recently unveiled a new custom-built chopper (motorcycle) which will be raffled off to the general public, with all proceeds of the ticket sales benefiting The First Tee of Phoenix. The custom chopper, locally built by Evolution Custom Cycles of Tempe, Arizona, features a unique golf theme and has an estimated value of $50,000.

The chopper will be on display at a number of special events and venues throughout the Valley now through April 2008. Raffle tickets will be sold for $20, and will be available for purchase anywhere the chopper is being displayed. Tickets also can be purchased directly through the Cactus and Pine GCSA by calling 480.609.6778 or by logging on to their website at www.cactusandpine.org. The drawing for the chopper will take place on Friday, April 19, 2008, at The First Tee of Phoenix South Mountain facility.

A Luxurious Authentic Arizona™ Resort with Southwestern Charm

Beautiful star-filled nights. Warm days, basking poolside. Romantic dinners. Spectacular sunsets. And, a luxurious oversized casita with outstanding amenities. These are just a few of the charms awaiting guests at the legendary Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa in Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Since 1929, the legendary Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, nestled on 75 acres of pristine landscape, has been providing the highest quality accommodations, activities, cuisine and service. Just 25 minutes from Sky Harbor Airport and the cultural attractions of downtown Phoenix, the Wigwam’s unique, garden-like setting seems a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It offers a relaxed, intimate atmosphere where guests can shed their cares and rediscover the romance in their lives.

SunCor Golf is one of the U.S.’s premier golf course management companies and is based right here, in Phoenix.

SunCor’s devotion to the great game of golf is mirrored in the splendor of their fine facilities, commonly known as the “Magnificent Seven”. Each course has a distinct personality - a special draw that attracts golfers from around the country to some of the most captivating areas in the Southwest. Designed by some of golf's most notable course architects, SunCor’s Arizona and Utah golf courses blend equal amounts of beauty, thrill and challenge.

New Membership Opportunities Available

Selected as one of Golf Digest’s 75 “Best Golf Resorts in North America”, Tucson National is quite simply a revered destination retreat featuring two, distinctly different championship 18-hole courses.

The finest way to enjoy Tucson National and all that it offers is through its distinct Club Membership. And now is the perfect time to reward yourself with exclusive access to one of the world’s premier golf clubs, in the heart of the Sonoran Desert.