Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2017 - 15

Tawny, and enjoying the view of a giant
saguaro lit in red, white and blue lights
halfway up a nearby mountain, an adult
bobcat padded softly along the cart
path below. In a rush to exit the other
side with my camera-phone, I heard the
door click shut behind me. Locked out,
I spent a few tense moments under the
faint light of a waxing moon intently
self-refl ecting.
SOUTHWESTERN BITES
Not far from Boulders in Cave Creek-
a small rustic town with a true western
pulse-is Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue.
Bryan Dooley, a Chicago transplant,
smokes his signature ribs at this
award-winning eatery every night.
The 2017
Scottsdale Open
Ryan Asselta, a video producer
for Golf.com's " Golf Live " ; Bryan
Outram, editor with British Columbia
Golf; Joe Passov, senior
editor with GOLF magazine; and
myself were media guests of ExperienceScottsdale.com
and its
6th Annual Scottsdale Open.
The Scottsdale Open is a
I
Boulders
sampled the smoked ribs and chicken
platter along with chili and fries, Bryan's
special cornbread, and homemade ice
cream sandwiches. (I passed on his famous
frog legs, but would have liked to
try the pulled-pork coleslaw sandwich.)
Whether it's the smoky ribs, the romantic
rum bars, or the rugged desert
beauty, there's no denying the pull
of Scottsdale. Passov, senior editor of
GOLF magazine, attributes its draw to
the many touring professionals,
top
instructors, course architects and golf
manufacturers who call the Valley of the
Sun home. But it's in the punchline of
the joke that the game's ubiquitous appeal
is revealed:
" We love the Phoenix Open-we go
every night. " MG
2-person amateur team competition
with gross, net and senior
net divisions, played over three of
the area's fi ner public and resort
courses: the Cholla course at WeKo-Pa
in nearby Fort McDowell;
the Stadium course at the TPC
Scottsdale, home to the Waste
Management Phoenix Open; and
the Raptor course at Grayhawk
Golf Club.
My partner made a valiant
effort in the fi nal round on a glorious
Sonoran Desert morning at
Grayhawk (despite suffering from
mysterious, debilitating fl u-like
symptoms). I feared for my own
health while watching him, very
often doubled over in pain reading
a putt or gathering himself to
make the next swing. Needless to
say, the esteemed press fi nished
dead last in the net contest.
Dates for 2018 are Jan. 11-14.
Visit scottsdaleopengolf.com for
details.
Fun Beyond Golf
While it may seem like most
of Scottsdale's $4 billion
annual tourism dollars are
spent on beer sales at the
16th hole of the Waste Management
Phoenix Open, there
are numerous attractions
beyond golf's greens:
www.mngolf.org
Cactus and Fiesta
Bowls: Dec. 26, 30,
2017. fi estabowl.org
Scottsdale Arabian
Horse Show: Feb. 15-25,
2018. scottsdaleshow.com
The Barrett-Jackson
Collector Car Auction:
Jan. 13-21, 2018.
barrett-jackson.com
MLB Spring Training:
2018 dates TBD.
MLB.com/cactusleague
There are also more than
50 resorts and spas, 66 art
galleries and almost 800
restaurants -plenty of opportunity
to spend the $5
Nassau earned on the links.
Fall 2017 MINNESOTAGOLFER
15
http://www.perienceScottsdale.com http://www.scottsdaleopengolf.com http://www.estabowl.org http://www.scottsdaleshow.com http://www.MLB.com/cactusleague http://www.barrett-jackson.com http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2017

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