Overview
Scottsdale gets treated like one long bachelor-party punchline, but underneath the pool clubs is some of the best desert golf in the country and an Old Town bar scene split evenly between century-old saloons and strip-mall spots that have fed the same regulars for generations. Go in the winter — the courses and the patios both make a lot more sense below 90 degrees.
Courses worth playing
- We-Ko-Pa Golf Club (Saguaro) $225+ A Coore & Crenshaw design that Golfweek ranks as the best public course in Arizona. No houses, no cart paths cutting the views — just desert and the Four Peaks in the distance.
- TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) $399+ Home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the infamous 16th. Play it once just to stand in the stadium hole.
- Troon North $220+ Tom Weiskopf design threading giant granite boulders below Pinnacle Peak. Tough, and one of the best-looking rounds you'll play in the desert.
Where to eat
- Los Olivos Mexican Patio Old Town Four generations of the same family serving Sonoran food since 1946 in Old Town. The green chili has a genuine cult following.
- Chula Seafood Scottsdale The owners run their own fishing boat out of San Diego and drive the catch straight across the desert. Better seafood than a landlocked city has any right to have.
- El Original Tacos Jalisco Scottsdale Strip-mall spot most people drive right past. Corn tortillas grilled fresh to order for every plate.
Where to drink
- Rusty Spur Saloon Old Town A registered historic landmark with actual saloon doors and taxidermy on the walls. Live country music seven nights a week. 19th hole pickThe Prickly Pear Margarita — as Arizona as a drink gets.
- Coach House Old Town The oldest dive bar in Scottsdale — cheap drinks, holiday lights up year-round, a local crowd that keeps it honest. 19th hole pickAsk about the secret menu. Ask a few times — they'll let you in eventually.
- TT Roadhouse Scottsdale Unmarked green door, no sign to speak of. Regulars show up at all hours for a reason. 19th hole pickThe Trash Can — a Hamms or PBR with a well shot, $4.50. Sundays it's a buck a can.
Getting there
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is 15-20 minutes from Old Town — about as easy as airport access gets for a golf trip. Stick to November through April; the desert heat from May on makes walking 18 a genuinely bad idea.