The Golfer’s Guide to Spring Training ValleySouth

South In A Hurry

When the golf-mad members of the Rockies, Angels, Cubs and other Cactus League teams—and their devoted fans—want a challenge, they head down I-10 to Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, about a 40-minute drive from Scottsdale and 30 from Mesa and Tempe. The 7,546-yard design by Brian Curley, Lee Schmidt and Fred Couples remains a test worthy of Golf magazine’s Top 100 U.S. Courses You Can Play, and each May it hosts a U.S. Open local qualifier. No homes intrude on this Australian Sandhills-inspired course owned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community and managed by Troon. Unlike most clubs, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at its Arroyo Grille Look into stay-and-play packages from the Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort, a 529-room Caesars-managed resort six miles down the road. akchinsoutherndunes.com

NEED A SHIRT?

One of the 28 Troon properties to earn the 2023 Association of Golf Merchandisers Platinum Award as one of the top 100 golf shops in the world, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club shared that distinction with five other area Troon-managed public/ resort golf clubs in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area: Papago, The Phoenician, The Westin Kierland, Troon North and Whirlwind. Another public/resort Arizona winner is The Boulders in Carefree. AGM also singled out the retail operation at Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale as “Best of the Best” among its Platinum Award winners announced at January’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. troon.com

PAPAGO- À GOGO

Phoenix’s municipal Papago Golf Club, which turns 60 this year, has transformed itself into a go-to spot not only for superb golf—the Billy Bell design serves as the home course for the Arizona State University men’s and women’s teams—but for food and drink at Lou’s Bar & Grill and group events on Evie’s Pavilion.papagogolfclub.com

Pour Houses

Papago isn’t the only untapped gem in the area—and we’re not just referring to Papago Brewing, which is no longer open but lives on through a line of beloved Papago beers (Orange Blossom, Desert Sage) produced by former co-owner Leah Huss at Huss Brewing ’s taprooms and restaurants (hussbrewing.com). Five miles west of Papago Golf Club, in a converted derelict bungalow with a rebuilt garage and guesthouse, you’ll find what beer cognoscenti consider the best brewery in the Phoenix area: Wren House Brewing Company. Chill on the Prairie Patio with a Spellbinder—a Great American Beer Festival gold medalist—and order in from a menu of QR codes. wrenhousebrewing.com

Rustle Up Some Grub

Much like Denver, the golf and glitz of in the Valley of the Sun sometimes overshadows the area’s cowboy origins. For a big juicy taste, hightail it to the Rustler’s Rooste, an old-time steakhouse set atop a butte in the South Mountain foothills near the Raven Golf Club Phoenix

Legendary for its steaks, ribs, chicken, seafood and, yup, rattlesnake, the Rooste features live music every night, great views and a genuine saloon on its second floor.

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