News

Spring Fling

1. The Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa
Since 1929, the legendary Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa has been providing quality accommodations, activities, cuisine and service. Located in Phoenix’s burgeoning West Valley, The Wigwam’s unique, garden-like setting seems a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Exceptional golf has long been a hallmark of The Wigwam experience. Steeped in tradition, the Wigwam’s three 18-hole championship golf courses offer a diversity that cannot be matched by any other Arizona resort.Here, the golf enthusiast has their pick of three 18-hole courses—54 holes of championship golf including two courses designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Sr. And, in true Wigwam style, each course—The Gold, The Blue and The Red—offers a unique challenge that adds spice and variety to one’s stay at this timeless and relaxing retreat.
The Wigwam offers guests a choice of 331 spacious accommodations from guestrooms to luxury suites spread across a residential-style campus. The resort offers dining pleasures that are as diverse as they are inspired. They include two AAA Four Diamond-rated restaurants—The Arizona Kitchen, featuring fine Southwestern cuisine, and the contemporary, upscale Red’s Steakhouse. The Grill at the Wigwam offers a contemporary take on casual, country club fare.
And the crown jewel of relaxation, the Red Door Spa. The two-story spa facility mirrors The Wigwam’s historic, signature adobe-style architecture and offers relaxing massages, rejuvenating wraps and other signature treatments. Many of the treatment rooms feature outdoor patios and three offer outdoor treatment areas with comfortable lounge chairs and amazing views.
www.wigwamresort.com
2. The Omni Tucson National Resort
Nestled in the foothills of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains and inspired by the natural environment and scenic desert setting, the Omni Tucson National Resort is Tucson’s true, legendary destination.
Following a $70 million transformation, the resort will unveil a masterful blend of nature, inspiration and luxury throughout 2009. The Omni Tucson National Resort’s new luxurious guest accommodations include well-appointed rooms and suites—all with a private patio or balcony, and extravagant views of lush vegetation, sparkling pools or breathtaking mountains. Additionally, guests can take in the emerald fairways and the pure air of this legendary golf retreat, and experience native Southwestern aromatherapy in a worldclass spa.
Selected as one of Golf Digest’s 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America, the Omni Tucson National Resort is, quite simply, a revered destination retreat featuring two distinctly different championship 18-hole courses. A mere chip shot from the back door lies a rare find—one extraordinary facility and two of the game’s most sought-after challenges.
On the original course, Catalina, championship golf awaits. This 18-hole course, designed by Robert Bruce Harris, offers the gentle contours and treelined fairways of a traditional course. Home to the PGA Tour’s Tucson Open for decades, players measure their game against champions past as they stride manicured fairways where Nicklaus, Trevino and Palmer battled for glory.
The breathtaking Sonoran course is a legend in its own right. Designed by Tour champion and Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman to fit its native desert setting, this target-style course demands precision at every turn, on every hole. Featuring dramatic elevation changes, there isn’t a more dynamic golf experience to challenge golfers of all skill levels.
www.tucsonnational.com
3. Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club
Winding through the canyons and arroyos of this 600-acre high Sonoran Desert preserve are two Tom Fazio-designed championship golf courses. The golf experience at Ventana Canyon offers a unique blend of challenge and playability. Both the Mountain and the Canyon courses meander from one unique hole to another. Four sets of tees allow each player to test his or her ability on a well-marked and manicured course.
The Mountain: The most photographed hole west of the Mississippi, the celebrated Mountain Number 3, plays across 107 yards of cactus and canyons and the tee offers a breathtaking panorama that stretches for a hundred miles across the Sonoran Desert into Mexico. A classic desertstyle, target course, the Mountain has many changes in elevation and several elevated tees. Putting is a challenge because the greens are undulating and typically fast.
The Canyon: The Canyon Golf Course winds through the inspiring beauty of Esperro Canyon and incorporates the massive rock formation known as Whaleback Rock. Golf at Ventana is a challenging and memorable event. It’s a visit with nature that not only includes the beauty of the desert foliage, but also a visit with wildlife such as deer, roadrunners, quail, rabbits, bobcats and birds of every description.
www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com
4. Camelback Golf Club
Luxury comes naturally at Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Scottsdale. You’ll find 36-holes of championship Arizona golf, a signature Spa and lavish meeting space for conferences and events. Hotel casitas with traditional Southwestern décor are spread throughout the resort’s desert landscape. The resort includes an extensive pool complex ideal for family vacations. In November 2003, The Spa at Camelback Inn was re-opened boasting an $8 million “tothe-walls” renovation. The award-winning Spa at Camelback Inn blends the indulgences of a full-service destination spa within a spectacular resort offering the ambiance and magic of the Sonoran
Desert. Featuring a full complement of spa offerings, the 32,000-square-foot world class Spa includes a state-of-the-art fitness center, 32 treatment rooms and Scottsdale’s only spa restaurant, Sprouts. Panoramic views of crimson-hued Camelback and Mummy mountains, fiery Arizona sunsets and the picturesque, desert landscaping can be enjoyed from the Olympic size lap pool and outdoor Jacuzzi.
Padre Course: From the mind of world-renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills comes a course that promises an enjoyable and unforgettable golf adventure. The Padre Course features towering trees, subtle landforms and impressive bunkering to sharpen your game. This 6,903-yard, par 72 design is known for its strategic layout, challenging water holes, recently having had its 9th hole voted the best water hole in the state by Arizona Golf Magazine.
Indian Bend Course: This traditional American links-style course has been created in a breathtaking setting with magnificent mountain backdrops, lush palm and eucalyptus-lined fairways and scenic water holes. The 7,014-yard, par 72-course is a dynamic layout that will be sure to test your skills while offering a friendly golf experience.
www.camelbackgolf.com
5. Arizona Golf Resort
Experience warm, inviting hospitality among fine accommodations, great dining options, picturesque golf course and lush landscaping. Enjoy amazing landscape amidst one hundred foot palms, cottonwood and eucalyptus trees, sparkling swimming pool, relaxing Jacuzzis, luxurious sleeping rooms with full kitchenettes and outdoor barbecue grills. The setting is charming, tranquil and friendly. Vacationing at the Arizona Golf Resort can be just as laid back or active as you desire. Arizona activities include horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, shopping, desert tours, golfing and more.You can also do absolutely nothing but relax poolside or on your patio, enjoying the peaceful surroundings and beautiful scenery.Vacationers and business travelers
alike will enjoy local shopping (Superstition Springs Mall), restaurants, nightlife and entertainment just minutes from your front door.
Exceptional Golf is a tradition at the Arizona Golf Resort.Well renowned for some picturesque and challenging par three holes, the Arizona Golf Resort offers 18-holes of PGA-rated Championship Golf. The lush fairways are lined with massive cottonwood and eucalyptus trees, serene lake settings, mature vegetation, expansive fairways and gently sloping, well-manicured greens. With our championship tee over 6,500 yards, this par 71 resort course is a challenging outing for any level of player. This traditional course offers a great test of accuracy with its tree-lined fairways, bunkers and other hazards.
www.azgolfresort.com
6. Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa
Opened Feb. 23, 1929 to great fanfare, the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa was the original Arizona resort that set the stage for the development of the state into a major tourist destination. With its luxurious facilities and distinctive Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design, from the beginning it has been a playground for the rich and famous. At the same time, it has long been a destination of choice for discriminating travelers, whether couples seeking a pampered getaway in an historic setting or families looking for amenities and services for all ages. After 78 years, the Biltmore remains Arizona’s historic Grande Dame—the state’s best-known retreat for a complete luxury resort experience and a storied landmark recognized around the world.
Biltmore guests enjoy preferred tee times at The Links and the Adobe, both located at the adjacent Arizona Biltmore Country Club and set in the shadow of the impressive peaks of Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The Links, the younger of the Biltmore family, is smart, fresh and a bit precocious. Rolling fairways lined with luscious pines meander through the homes in Phoenix, well-bunkered greens demand precision shot selection and the contoured greens roll as they come. The Adobe course is considered stately and grand, a forefather of modern design. The Adobe offers a simplistic beauty hard to find in an era when trickery is a goal in golf course architecture. The lush, 50 year-old fairways and spacious layout are a reminder of the game the way it was meant to be—a time when graphite was for pencil lead and golf balls only came in one color.
www.arizonabiltmore.com