The oldest rule in real estate is location, location, location. If you’re headed to the Phoenix/Scottsdale desert and seek a turfgrass oasis ringed by the region’s classic urban creature comforts—shopping, dining, nightlife, the arts—there is the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. The handsome hotel sports a fistful of distinctive offerings, including a golf facility that smiles on serious sticks and wannabes alike. Yet, Kierland achieves next-level status because of its central locale.
Dozens of star- and diamond-winning golf resorts dot the landscape in these parts, and they’re all worthy stay-and-plays. Some of them are, well, out there, entities unto themselves. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But for a full-service retreat with a vibe, however, one that embraces the pulse of its surrounds, Kierland crushes it.
The hotel sits adjacent to Kierland Commons, home to North Scottsdale’s trendiest shops and restaurants. It’s also just nine miles from Old Town, Scottsdale’s original tourist hub. There are so many enticements to stay on property that not every guest ventures out, but with nearby retail therapy and meal options available in abundance, it’s hard to resist.
The resort has nearby retail and restaurants galore yet also plenty of reasons to stay in. / Courtesy Westin Kierland Resort
Big-time amenities at Kierland span the gamut, starting with the 27-hole golf course. Designed in 1996 by Scott Miller—a former Jack Nicklaus associate who also created We-Ko-Pa (Cholla), Eagle Mountain and Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Resort course, Kierland serves up the Acacia, Ironwood and Mesquite nines, each named for an indigenous desert tree. While Acacia might be the most dramatic of the three nines, each features mountain panoramas and watery closing holes.
When I get asked by folks who are bringing a golf group to Phoenix/Scottsdale and they’re looking for a course that can accommodate the tournament-ready 2 handicap as well as the once-in-a-while 20, Kierland always springs to mind. Nancy Dickens, who arrived at Kierland in 2005 as director of agronomy and who has been GM since 2013 explains the attraction.
“Kierland isn’t your typical desert target course,” she says. “It’s a little more forgiving. It’s the perfect course from the scratch handicap golfer to the beginner, because it’s playable, with friendlier bounces and lies than many courses. It’s flexible, with five sets of tees from 5,200 yards up to 7,000. It’s got beautiful mountain views, but it’s less penal than you’ll find in a lot of golf courses.”
Put another way, it’s pure fun. Miller built up the sides of many holes to help enhance playability by containing errant shots. Desert accents spice the proceedings, though it all resembles traditional resort-y golf, replete with big, bold bunkers and a fistful of lakes. There’s also surprising elevation change, notably on the Acacia nine, which concludes with the most memorable hole on the property, featuring an 80-foot plunge from tee to fairway, plus water, bunkers and the iconic hotel in the backdrop.
Locally, the chatter is growing louder that the Mesquite nine might go bye-bye, and while it would be missed, it’s generally acknowledged as the least admired, due to its level terrain and lack of drama. For now, whether you tackle 18 or all 27, know that you’ll encounter day-to-day conditions which invariably rank at or near the top for public-access courses in the region. In summer, Kierland opts for TifEagle Bermuda greens and 419 Bermuda fairways, while in winter, they overseed with perennial ryegrass and poa trivialis on the greens. “With the wintertime overseed,” says Dickens, “the deep dark green contrasted with the desert landscaping is just really appealing to people.”
Also appealing is Kierland’s award-winning pro shop, superb practice area and Brittlebush Bar & Grill restaurant. Nevertheless, make sure to take the five-minute walk back to the hotel, where a new bar and gathering place, Antidote, debuted earlier this year. Placed at the back of the hotel’s patio, where a massive, 300-square-foot, SkyWatch TV screen commands your attention if you’re looking south, Antidote overlooks Kierland’s signature holes, Acacia 7 and 9, the lake between them and the mountains beyond to the north and east. Now that’s a picture worth framing.
Antidote is so named because, as they say, “we have the remedy for what ails you.” Indeed, cleverly named and concocted signature cocktails do just that. On a recent visit I sampled an “Anecdotal Old Fashioned,” consisting of Buffalo Trace Single Barrel Bourbon, House Sarsaparilla Syrup, Nopal Cactus and a Palo Santo Smoked Finish. Edibles include the Scottsdale Hot Chicken Wings, tossed in Arizona Citrus Garlic Aleppo Pepper and the Brussels sprouts accented with jalapeno bacon.
Granted, those of us who have reached a certain age may well prefer a classic single malt after a satisfying round; if so, you’ve come to the right place. The hotel houses The Scotch Library, off the lobby, home to one of the finest collections of whiskies from the old country in this part of the world. If you’d rather heal the modern way, Agave, The Arizona Spa is fresh off a comprehensive makeover that has boosted its stature even further. Kudos to Kierland—an idyllic escape in the middle of everything.
For an additional slice of golf with a perfect location—close to the airport, close to attractions, and loaded with the mountain and desert aesthetic you came to Arizona to experience—check into the Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Then tee it up next door at the resort’s Lookout Mountain Golf Club.
The 10th hole at Lookout Mountain. / Courtesy Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort
The hotel itself hugs a rugged crag in the North Phoenix Mountains, 15 miles north of downtown. Its golf course gets up close and personal with those same rocks and cacti. Designed by Bill Johnston and Forrest Richardson in 1989 and revamped and improved by Richardson over the years, the 6,515-yard, par-72 Lookout Mountain layout opens with six traditional parkland holes. Numbers 7 through 12 embrace mountainside desert target golf—the kind you can’t get anywhere else in the country. The final six holes blend the two styles.
If you crave variety and high elevation views of the Valley below at a price that won’t cause sticker shock, be on the lookout for Lookout Mountain.
