Baseball and golf are in the air in spring in Arizona

By GolfPublisher Staff, Staff Report

Twenty years ago, a tour of the Cactus League could be completed in two or three days. With just five baseball teams hosting Spring Training in Arizona, fan interest was limited mostly to Cubs followers heading to Arizona in hopes of seeing Harry Caray in the flesh.

But now the trip to the desert is more complicated and, for the baseball fan, more interesting and varied.

Twelve MLB teams now play in Arizona, including the hometown Diamondbacks. The resulting spike in fan support has made buying advance tickets a necessity. It's also important to make restaurant reservations unless you wish to linger two hours or more, surveying the scene from a barstool. Arizona in winter and early spring is a hot destination in more ways than one.

Just as you'd expect under the circumstances, there's more competition for a spot on the golf course. Be smart and make an itinerary before traveling to Arizona. Reserve your tee times well in advance and you won't end up cursing yourself for the oversight.

A golfing and baseball trip to Arizona can easily turn into much more. Scottsdale, especially, is a fine-dining and nightlife mecca, plus there are dozens of art galleries and boutiques to browse through. The city reeks of money and feels almost like an extension of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. Phoenix is funkier and more demographically varied. Tucson, 100 miles down the road, has the great outdoor desert museum and an old barrio section worth exploring. All three cities offer golf aplenty.

One more imperative: Wear sunscreen so you don't fall victim to the merciless desert sun. Arizona is huge fun if you play your cards right.

Mariners & Padres

Stadium: Peoria Sports Complex
16101 N. 83rd Ave.
Peoria, Ariz.

Padres
Ticket info: 480-784-4444

Best nearby golf options

Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia
Gold Course, Wigwam Resort & Golf Club
Blue Course, Wigwam Resort & Golf Club

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

Peoria isn't the most booming town in the Phoenix-Scottsdale resort corridor. In fact, it's sort of a sleepy place in a land of hip, happening areas.

There are a few budget hotel options right in town, including La Quinta (623-487-1900) and Holiday Inn Express (623-853-1313). If you want to feel like you're actually on vacation, a better bet would be to stay at one of the surrounding resorts.

Wigwam Resort & Golf Club (623-935-3811) is a good option that's only about 20 minutes drive from the stadium. You have two just-renovated Robert Trent Jones Sr. courses here, a brand new Red Door Spa and flat-screen TVs in an old-school resort setting.

Dining out

If you're looking for a steak within a few streets of the ballpark complex, Cattlemen (623-764-8299) is probably your best local option. For some more interesting dining, make the trip to Scottsdale. The greater Old Town Scottsdale area hosts many of the best restaurants in Arizona. Chef Nobuo Fukuda works wonders with his counter-side tasting menus at Sea Saw (480-481-9463), producing dishes every bit the equal of New York's more famous Nobu at a third of the cost.

Dining out

It's Arizona in February and March: You're going to want to spend some time lounging by the pool. When that gets old, it's hard to beat Old Town Scottsdale for food and shopping. The area's only a few streets long but you can spend hours there. There's also a nearby park with fountains and benches, right near the library. In Peoria, your hangout central could become Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Lake Pleasant is one of the largest lakes in Arizona and offers many water sport activities.

Yes, you can get on the water in Arizona.

Giants

Stadium: Scottsdale Stadium
7408 E. Osborn Rd.
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Ticket info: (800) 225-2277

Best nearby golf options

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
Troon North Golf Club
Grayhawk Golf Club

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

Scottsdale may have more high-end resorts per square mile than any other spot in the world. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (480-585-4848) is one of the best of the best, with 24/7 pools, interesting restaurants and great golf access.

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort (602-997-2626) is far enough away from the hustle and bustle to provide a relaxing getaway retreat and close enough to easily reach all the areas you want to visit. This sprawling complex includes a meandering, slow-raft-lounging pool and a putting practice course.

Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center (480-991-9000) provides distinctive, comfortable accommodations at cheaper rates (albeit still well over $100) than some surrounding resorts that aren't as nice. This is an especially good place to get a last-minute deal. Another bonus is that most of the rooms have balconies from which to enjoy the area's temperate winter weather.

Dining out

The greater Old Town Scottsdale area boasts many of the best restaurants in Arizona. Walking around and just stopping in a place that catches your eye is one strategy. Just don't miss Sea Saw around a side corner. Chef Nobuo Fukuda works wonders with his counter-side tasting menus at Sea Saw (480-481-9463), producing dishes every bit the equal of New York's more famous Nobu at a third of the cost.

For a happening mingling spot go down the alley behind Sea Saw and open the unmarked door to the Kazimierz World Wine Bar (480-946-3004). Sure, the forced faux-mystery is a little cheesy, but you'll forgive it once join the Phoenix area's relaxing thirtysomethings inside and start choosing from among 1,800 wines. Make sure you try the country pate.

Dining out

First things first: If you don't have tickets to the Giants games, make sure you bring a little extra money for scalpers. That's right, scalpers in Spring Training. The Giants are the toughest tickets in the Cactus League, due to their prime Scottsdale location and some guy named Barry Bonds. Apparently, he's pretty intriguing or something.

Once you have your tickets secure you're right in the heart of everything. If it's trendy or tasty, you can find it in Scottsdale. There are high-end shops, bargain-find local treasures and all types of cuisine across every price range. Just don't fall for the Authentic Philadelphia Cheesesteaks spot visible from Scottsdale Road. They are about as authentic as Pamela Anderson's breasts.

Royals & Rangers

Stadium: Surprise Stadium
15850 North Bullard
Surprise, Ariz.
Royals
Ticket info: (480) 784-4444

Rangers
Ticket info: (800) 326-4000

Best nearby golf options

Trilogy Golf Club at Vistancia
Gold Course, Wigwam Resort & Golf Club
Raven Golf Club at Verrado

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

Surprise is on the very edge of the Phoenix-Scottsdale corridor, even farther out than Peoria. It's only about 35 minutes to Scottsdale. If you're a diehard Royals or Rangers fan who just has to stay by the stadium, the Lodge at Sun Ridge (623-583-0993) is your surest choice. This condo complex offers short-term rentals and has two heated pools.

If you want to feel like you're actually on vacation, a better bet would be to stay at one of the surrounding resorts. Wigwam Resort & Golf Club (623-935-3811) is a good option that's only about 20 minutes drive from the stadium. You have two just-renovated Robert Trent Jones Sr. courses here, a brand new Red Door Spa and flat-screen TVs in an old-school resort setting.

Dining out

Macayo's Mexican Kitchen (623-214-5950) is a dining-with-character choice right in Surprise. Woody and Vicki Johnson started serving Mexican food in 1946 and 60 years later, Macayo's is an institution. The usual fast-food and chain choices abound.

Dining out

For offbeat hokey fun, take the Dolly Steamboat out on Canyon Lake. This replica of a double-edged Sternwheeler - like anyone knows what that means - looks like the kind of boat they took down the river in Mark Twain's time. You'll see plenty of Superstition Mountain, and you can dine onboard if you like.

The West Valley Art Museum is an option to kill a few hours out of the sun without straying far from the ballpark. It's right in Surprise and boasts objects from more than 90 countries, focusing on ethnic dress. But who are we kidding? You're going to want to be hanging out in Scottsdale when you're not watching to see if the Rangers have finally found some pitching or if the Royals have finally found - well, anything.

Athletics & Brewers

A's: Phoenix Municipal Stadium
5999 E. Van Buren
Phoenix, Ariz.
Ticket info: (877) 493-2255

Brewers: Maryvale Baseball Park
3600 N. 51st St.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Ticket info: (623) 245-5500

Best nearby golf options

Raven Golf Club at South Mountain
Phantom Horse Golf Club
Foothills Golf Club

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

If you're going to stay in the city, the old-school Hyatt Regency (602-252-1234) is still one of the best choices. That's a testament to the Hyatt's location, and to the fact that Phoenix has lost the hotel race to Scottsdale by a landslide. The Hyatt's design is straight-up '70s, but the rooms are large (if a little dark), and the top-floor Compass restaurant actually has food more than equal to the views of all of Phoenix. Plus it's only a short walk from the hotel to catch a Suns game.

Clarendon Hotel & Suites is farther away from the downtown spots, but it's a good option for those who want the so-called chic-hotel experience. The staff is great here and always willing to help out. Just be aware you're in a pawn-shop neighborhood with 9mm gun specials advertised not far away.

Dining out

Quiessence (602-276-0601) out on Baseline Road (but still inside the city limits) is one of the most unique dining experiences in the region. Set back from the road, this is an actual working farm (the Farm at South Mountain, appropriately enough).

This is a food adventure from start to finish. Just driving up to it in the dark piques your curiosity. From the little gravel parking lot you have to walk past farm buildings to get to what is essentially a little cabin on the edge of the woods, where you'll feel more like you're dining at someone's house than going out for a gourmet meal - except that this someone can really cook. Quiessence not only has great food; it's hard to imagine there being a friendlier place in Phoenix.

A little farther away in Scottsdale, Chef Nobuo Fukuda works wonders with his counter-side tasting menus at Sea Saw (480-481-9463), producing dishes every bit the equal of New York's more famous Nobu at a third of the cost. Avoid Sea Saw's next-door sister restaurant, Cowboy Ciao, and its overblown claim to have the best chopped salad ever. Chef difference = big difference.

Dining out

If you want a taste of actual desert (i.e. without fairways and greens), Desert Botanical Garden can deliver the wonder. This park set among red rocks has more than 50,000 plants over 50 acres. You can get a real feel for the desert (and a nice hike) without having to worry about maps and those pesky poisonous scorpion.

There is also a Chinese Cultural Center with a full Asian grocery store, numerous restaurants and shops smack dab in the middle of an interesting (read: somewhat suspect) Phoenix neighborhood.

Angels

Tempe Diablo Stadium
2200 W. Alameda Dr.
Tempe, Ariz.
Ticket info: (480) 350-5205

Best nearby golf options

ASU Karsten Golf Course
The Golf Club at Eagle Mountain
Kierland Golf Club

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

Tempe has a distinct, happening downtown, though in a very different way than Scottsdale. There's a definite college-town feel (Tempe is home to and dominated by Arizona State University). This means more small hotels (though still not cheap hotels) than resorts.

If you want that resort experience - and if you're on vacation in Arizona, you probably want that resort experience - Wyndham Buttes Resort is your best bet. Wyndham Buttes is set up in the rocks, allowing you to forget you're in a college town if you wish. Pretty much everything revolves around the pool scene at the center of the complex.

The Sheraton Phoenix Airport (800-346-3049) is in Tempe proper, not far from the main downtown street with all the restaurants and bars, but don't expect anything great. This is a very old hotel, though the staff (which seems to consist mostly of ASU students or recent grads) provides top-notch customer service.

Dining out

Once you get sick of the hot dogs at Tempe Diablo, you're going to want to head to Mill Avenue. This is the main street, where you can find all kinds of cuisine. It leans heavily toward student fare (pizza and burgers) but there are a share of interesting spots like the Rula Bula Irish Pub (480-929-9500), which serves traditional Gaelic favorites and boasts a courtyard patio along with impressive selection of beers.

If you want to feel like a kid again - or at least a happy dirty old man - head to the Library Bar & Girl (480-929-9002), also on Mill, where the waitresses dress in schoolgirl uniforms and dance on the bar.

Dining out

Tempe is one of the more relaxed places in the Phoenix-Scottsdale resort corridor. Throw in the fact that the stadium just underwent a $20 million renovation and this is one of the better Cactus League choices, even if you're still not sure why a team based in Anaheim calls itself the Los Angeles Angels.

When you're not goggling at Vladimir Guerrero's confoundingly great swing-at-everything approach, Taliesin West is a great side trip. Frank Lloyd Wright's desert home still astounds architects today.

Chicago Cub

Hohokam Stadium
1235 N. Center St.
Mesa, Ariz.
Ticket info: (480) 964-4467

Best nearby golf options

Las Sendas Golf Club
Longbow Golf Club
Gold Canyon Golf Resort

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

Arizona Golf Resort (480-832-3202) is right in Mesa, perfect for Cubs fans who don't want to get too far from their team. With a course on site, it's the most golf-centric option near the stadium.

Phoenix Marriott Mesa (480-898-8300) offers the chain's usual amenities and traveler-friendly standards while giving you quick access to your car in the parking lot. This can be vital in the rush to the ballpark to make those early-morning workouts and stake out prime autograph turf.

Dining out

Mesa offers a surprisingly diverse lineup of restaurants. Arizona Mongolian Grill (480-964-6472) brings Asian-accented cuisine. Pier de Orleans (480-844-7437) breaks the routine of landlocked Arizona with a variety of fish offerings and the slogan, "Where it costs a little less to go first class."

Red, White & Brew (480-807-9393) is a microbrewery with some surprisingly inventive menu choices. Expect to find tons of Cubs blue here, with people eager to talk about Juan Pierre hanging out long after the games.

Dining out

Mesa essentially becomes the Nouth Side of Chicago for a few weeks during spring training. Everything living in Arizona seems to be from Chicago anyway; add in the Cubs regional draw and this becomes a very happening spot.

While everyone's holding their breath to see how Mark Prior's arm holds up this year, you could take a day trip to an Old West attraction like the Goldfield Ghost Town and Mine Tour. This will give you a feel for what Arizona was like back in the days when everyone carried their gun on their hip, and maybe help brace you for another wait-until-next-year Cubs campaign.

Diamondbacks, White Sox & Rockies

Diamondbacks and White Sox: Tucson Electric Park
2500 E. Ajo Way
Tucson, Ariz.

White Sox
Ticket info: (520) 434-1367

Rockies: Hi Corbett Field
3400 E. Camino Campestre
Tucson, Ariz.
Ticket info: (520) 327-9467

Best nearby golf options

Tucson National
Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon
El Conquistador Country Club

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Stay and play

Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa (800-937-8461) stands in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains and has plenty of desert scenery. There are also 27 holes of Jack Nicklaus golf, a Red Door Spa, the award-winning Janos restaurant and those Westin Heavenly Beds. Throw in a 177-foot water slide for the kids - and the kids in spirit - and you might just forget about making it to the games.

For something a little less vast, Sam Hughes Inn (520-861-2191) is in a historic circa-1930s Latino neighborhood within walking distance of the University of Arizona.

Tee times: 800-767-3574

Dining out

Bistro Zin (520-299-7799) created some buzz with its French-American menu and wine-bar selections. Daisy Mae's Steakhouse (520-792-8888) offers good ribs and tender steaks in an Old West atmosphere complete with the requisite wooden floors and a gas fire on the porch. El Minuto Café (520-882-4145) has been serving Sonoran food in the same location since 1944.

Dining out

If you're into science (or really bad Pauly Shore movies), Tucson has Biosphere 2, the world's largest glass-enclosed mini world. It will also be interesting to see if finally winning the Series will make White Sox tickets, usually available on walkup with no problem, will be a little harder to get. American League Championship Series MVP and Arizona resident Paul Konerko's presence could additionally pique local interest.

Perched 7,200 feet above sea level, Hon-Dah Resort Casino serves as a gateway to the White Mountain region. Anyone who isn't here losing money or out hiking the surrounding trails is probably taking in a Rockies game.

February 20, 2006