Golf: TROON NORTH AND THE FOUR SEASONS SCOTTSDALE: A Sublime Golf Experience

No golf trip to the Sonoran desert would be complete without a stay at the Four Seasons Scottsdale and a play at the legendary Troon North course nearby. The welcoming Southwestern-style hotel sits in the high desert at the base of Pinnacle Peak, in the northern reaches of Scottsdale, just down the road from the golf club. Made up of adobe casitas that meld beautifully into the desert landscape, the much-lauded hotel boasts a world-class restaurant, a top-notch spa, and views, amazing views, especially in the early morning, when the moon still hangs over the mountain in the dawn’s light, that will take your breath away.

Get up early to hit the links at Troon North and you’ll be rewarded with the sight of fuzzy rabbits bounding across the greens; they are fearless when it comes to golfers! And word is that now and then a bobcat turns up, too, just to make things exciting. If you have played Troon North in the past, be ready for a big change, as the two courses (Monument and Pinnacle) that have been there for 20 years have been completely renovated and reconfigured by pro golfer Tom Weiskopf. He is the original designer (and a local resident) and returned to rethink both courses. By blending the two, changing the layouts, and changing or removing bunkers, Weiskopf strove to make both courses play “more like Mother Nature dictated.”

Scottsdale's Troon North golf course.
The result is a wonderful melding of long, brilliant-green fairways juxtaposed against a desert landscape of saguaro cacti, mesquite, sand, and large rock formations. Both courses offer five sets of tees to chose from with Monument a par 72 and Pinnacle a 71. Perhaps the best hole of all is the 10th on Pinnacle, a par 4, bunker-filled bear that give the illusion of teeing off right into Pinnacle Peak’s mountainside; and virtually every hole on that now links-style course has a challenging set up juxtaposed against a scenic view.
The Four Seasons Scottsdale.
Troon North Golf Club features a Southwestern-style restaurant called the Grille, as well as a huge golf shop, jam-packed with everything you could ever need to look good playing the game. Stop in for a 19th hole cocktail, but save most of your room for your return to the Four Seasons, where an astonishingly good meal awaits at the newly opened Talavera restaurant. Led by Mel Mecinas, the extremely talented Executive Chef, this kitchen is cooking up some of the best food West of the Pecos.

Restaurant at the Four Seasons Scottsdale.

Begin with a tarragon-infused Lobster Bisque, or indulge in the Taste of American Caviar, three different (and delicious) caviars served with sweet corn blini and smoked salmon. Make sure to sample the Warm Tomato and Burrata Cheese salad with eggplant and olives; it is simply sublime. The entrée menu is meat heavy, with choices ranging from Nebraska corn-fed prime beef to Australian wagyu to Colorado lamb to Arizona grass fed beef (try the short ribs from that section, they are perfectly prepared and dripping with an incredible chipotle sauce). And make sure to sample at least one wine from their extensive wine list that emphasizes organic and biodynamic wines.

And if the combination of the golfing experience and a world-class meal takes a bit out of your body, then wander down to the beautiful spa at the Four Seasons Scottsdale and indulge in one of their signature desert-inspired treatments. You’ll find it is the ultimate capper to a truly incredible day.

A treatment room in the spa at the Four Seasons Scottsdale.

For more information on this spectacular golfing resort destination go to www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale and www.troonnorthgolf.com.