Pioneered in Arizona due to water conservation and wildlife issues, “target golf” allows flora and the natural desert landscape to remain largely intact. For golfers, that means forced carries over dry riverbeds and arroyos, and maneuvering around boulders and cacti and across sandy, rocky wastelands to patches of turf. Nonetheless, at the resort courses in Scottsdale and Phoenix, multiple tee boxes give every golfer a chance to enjoy the stunning desert settings.

Monumental Formations
At 2,500 feet in elevation, the climate at The Boulders is ten degrees cooler than in metropolitan Phoenix, thirty miles away, and the air is clean and crystal clear, perfect for exploring the desert by jeep, hot-air balloon and on foot. (more…)

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Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort

Location - Tuscon

Details - Etched into the base of the rugged Santa Catalina Mountains, the smoke free Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort basks in a Sonoran desert setting…..

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Career summary

Early years through college
Mickelson was born in San Diego, California and raised there and in Arizona. Mickelson swings a golf club left-handed, which he learned by watching his right-handed father swing and mirroring it. He is right-handed otherwise. He graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988, then attended Arizona State on a golf scholarship, where he graduated in 1992. During his time at Arizona State, Phil became the face of amateur golf in the United States, capturing three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards (1990, 1991, 1992) as the outstanding collegiate golfer. He was the first collegiate golfer to earn first-team All-American honors all four years. In addition, in 1990, he became the first left-hander to win the U.S. Amateur title. Perhaps his greatest achievement, though, came in 1991 when he won his first PGA Tour tournament, the Northern Telecom Open. He did so as an amateur, becoming only the fourth in PGA history to accomplish this feat and the first since Scott Verplank, who won the 1985 Western Open in Chicago. (more…)

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One of the hottest destinations figuring in almost every golf package, The Valley of the Sun is the undoubted golf capital of the American Southwest. With close to 200 courses, the Valley can make a legitimate claim to being the most golf-rich region in the United States. Each year millions of golfers plan golf tours to this sun-splashed golfing pantheon to test their mettle on desert courses that yield more lost balls than birdies.

Although Scottsdale is where most golf travel begins, Tucson has pulled up its socks and offers true desert golf to entice the golf vacation population. Case in point is the Starr Pass Golf Club in Pima County. An 18-hole Bob Cupp design, Starr Pass opened in 1985 and has been attracting hundreds of golf holiday makers each year for its year-round impeccable greens and a tricky layout that demands a skilful golfer. Youd be parting with $100 to $250 from your golf vacation budget for a days play at Starr Pass but we think it’s worth it.

Some of the best public courses in Tucson like the Robert Trent Jr. designed The Arizona National Golf Club came up in the late 1990s and are still figuring top of most golf packages. Carved out of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the rugged natural terrain dictates every hole on this course and elevation changes offer stunning views of the town. Green fees range from $55 to $165 depending on the time of year you plan your golf travel. Other courses your golf tour in Tucson must include are Tom Weiskopf designed Golf Club at Visoto and the Arthur Hills masterpiece, the 6900 yards Heritage Highlands Golf Course.

All that said, it is not an Arizona golf vacation if your golf package does not include Scottsdale. And if your golf travel leads to Scottsdale, spend $275 on the Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish designed Troon North Monument ranked in Americas Top 100 by Golf Digest. Both tracks on the course The Pinnacle and The Monument are traditional desert style championship layouts that offer unparalleled challenges at each one of their respective 18-holes. Another Scottsdale showstopper you must include on your golf package is the Grayhawk Golf Club. One of the most enjoyable and testing courses of South west, Grayhawk offers two tracks the Talon and The Raptor. Talon is a 6973 yard par 72 David Graham/ Gary Panks design that would cost a golf tour stop $155 in the coming summer months. Raptor is a daily fee course, easy on the eyes and tough on ball control. A Tom Fazio design, this 18-hole trickster runs to 7,108 yards, par 72 and can make grown men cry.

If you are feeling the pinch of the lack of really affordable golf in the Valley of the Sun, route your golf tour to southern Arizona for some challenging tracks including Torres Blancas, San Ignacio, Canoa Hills and Canoa Ranch. Golf travel moving north in Arizona may not have sensational golf like Phoenix or Scottsdale but a golf holiday maker can rest assured he will see a completely different set of challenges, landscapes, and (for the budget minded) price points.

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Mayfair was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona where he plays out of Estrella Mountain Range Golf Club. He went to Arizona State University and won the 1986 U.S. Amateur Public Links and the 1987 U.S. Amateur Championship.

On July 31, 2006, Mayfair was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He had surgery on August 3 and it has been reported that the cancer was contained.

Professional career
Mayfair turned professional in 1988 and has won five events on the PGA Tour, including the 1995 Tour Championship. He has featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings. He holds the distinction of being the only player to ever beat Tiger Woods in a playoff on the PGA Tour (1998 Nissan Open).

Amateur wins
1987 Pacific Coast Amateur
1988 Pacific Coast Amateur

PGA Tour wins (5)
1993 (1) Greater Milwaukee Open
1995 (2) Motorola Western Open, The Tour Championship
1998 (2) Nissan Open, Buick Open

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