With more than 300 days of sunshine per year, and 200 plus golf courses in the area, Scottsdale is a natural choice for a golf vacation.

TPC Scottsdale

Flanked by the McDowell Mountains to the east, TPC Scottsdale is home to the popular PGA Waste Management Phoenix Open and allows visitors to golf on two pro-level courses, The Stadium and The Champions.

Play the famous par 3, 16th hole of the Stadium course—minus the raucous fans enthusiastically cheering great shots like Tiger’s hole-in-one in 1997.

Or play the Randy Heckenkemper-designed Champions Course, 7,115 yards from the tips. The 15th hole on The Champions is a classic risk/reward—play it safe and take the longer dogleg right or risk a 200-yard carry-over desert. Hit a decent drive and it’s a short chip onto a sloped green.

The advantage of a stay-and-play, like the packages offered by the Fairmont Scottsdale, is that everything is nearby—two TPC courses, pools, spa and dining. It’s like a small town inside an urban metropolis.

Only you won’t find food like this in any small town. La Hacienda’s nouveau Mexican cuisine includes a roasted cream corn soup decorated with chocolate-coloured stripes of huitlacoche syrup and small dumplings. Huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on white corn, is a Mexican delicacy. The pomegranate guacamole, lobster tacos and flaming coffee complete the favourites list.

La Hacienda’s Tequila Bar offers aficionados the choice of more than 200 bottles, including the smoother and more complex amber-coloured aged varieties.

The on-site Well and Being Spa offers golfers an hour-long “golfers performance massage” endorsed by pros David Leadbetter and Charles Howell III, and said to improve flexibility.

Troon North

At the base of Pinnacle Peak, British Open winner Tom Weiskopf took full advantage of the natural ravines and foothills of the Sonoran Desert to plant well-groomed fairways and bentgrass greens on Troon North’s two tracks.

If you have a choice between the Pinnacle and Monument courses, opt for the latter. The Monument course has elevated tees from six locations (so all can enjoy) and giant boulders on the fairways. In a hurry or playing with kids under 15? Check out the executive 9-hole Monument Express where kids play for free.

Just south of Troon North, the Four Seasons Scottsdale comprises adobe casitas built into the hills with dramatic sunset views of Pinnacle Peak.

Hiking and biking trails join the on-site interpretive trail populated with towering saguaro cacti found only in the high Sonoran desert. Thoughtful touches like free sunscreen and condensed versions of the The New York Times enhance the pool experience.

Proof restaurant at the Four Seasons specializes in American comfort food in a casual setting—a particularly good choice for breakfast.

Previously published on AOL

Travel Planner

• TPC Scottsdale  17020 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Az.
• Fairmont Scottsdale Princess  7575 E Princess Dr, Scottsdale, Az.
• Troon North  10320 E. Dynamite Blvd. Scottsdale, Az.
• Four Seasons Scottsdale 10600 East Crescent Moon Drive, Scottsdale, Az