Prescott

Prescott has long been an Arizona secret. Its history may date back to when Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp used to visit when they needed an escape from Tombstone, but its legend rarely travels outside the state borders. If you are from Phoenix, you know Prescott is a great place to dodge the oppressive summer heat. If you are from Flagstaff, you know Prescott is the place to go to get out of the sometimes outright chilling winter winds.

But venture outside The Grand Canyon State and Prescott largely remains a mystery, its charming old-time downtown streets and its ancient Victorian homes almost as undiscovered by tourists now as Arizona was in general back before the gold rush boom of the mid 19th century.

Not surprisingly, it's a few club-toting, birdie-seekers who are starting to change that. Prescott is emerging as a golf destination, a quality, lower-priced alternative to the crowded meccas of Phoenix and Scottsdale. With this weather -- some argue Prescott boasts the best, most consistently livable climate in all of Arizona -- it was only a matter of time. And it appears like the time is now.

"I think it's just at the starting point now as a place to come and play," said Ray Veach, manager of the Villas at the Ridge, a condo complex that only recently began seeking out golfers. "It's a place that's ready to take off, it's only going to get bigger in golf in the next few years, but it's still not too crowded or too big."

There are a half dozen golf courses in Prescott at the moment with two more on the way. It is 100 miles from Phoenix, 85 miles from Flagstaff, just close enough to the major airports to draw the slightly adventurous golfers who want something more than the usual tried and true courses.

Chances are they will be as surprised about the variety of the courses as most first-time visitors are about the weather.