Cactus League Lures Golfers to Greater Phoenix Area  

- Major League Baseball’s Spring Training is right around the corner – again, even though it seems like we just finished watching the Yankees defeat the Phillies in the World Series. In any rate, if you find yourself attending a Cactus League ballgame sometime soon in Arizona, there are a few golf courses worth considering during your spare time.

Throughout the greater Phoenix area visitors can enjoy Cactus League games in Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and Tempe. In addition, three of the 15 teams in the Cactus League also train in Tucson. With more than 300 days of sunshine annually, and well over 200 picturesque golf courses, there are plenty of options for hitting the links. Here are several to consider.

One of your first stops when considering a golf outing in the Phoenix area is a visit to the Troon Golf Web site at www.troongolf.com. Troon Golf manages 10 upscale, daily-fee properties located in Scottsdale and Phoenix, including Troon North, Phoenician, Kierland Golf Club, Talking Stick Golf Club, Whirlwind Golf Club, Golf Club of Estrella, Ocotillo Golf Resort, Poston Butte Golf Club, Southern Dunes Golf Club and Copper Canyon Golf Club.

JW Marriott Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix features two championship golf courses surrounded by panoramic Sonoran Desert views. At Wildfire Golf Club you can play the celebrated Arnold Palmer Signature course or the Nick Faldo Championship course. The luxurious Wildfire Clubhouse takes care of your every need by offering amenities like club and shoe rental, expert instructions, as well as a 13,000-square-foot practice green featuring a complete short game complex with bunker and pitching areas.

The famed TPC Scottsdale gets intensive TV coverage every February when the PGA Tour visits for the FBR Open. Woven into the Sonoran Desert with stunning views of the McDowell Mountains, the PGA Tour TPC Scottsdale boasts 36 holes of inspiring golf. The par 71, 7,216-yard Stadium Course was designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf while the Champions Course, at 7,115 yards, offers undulating Bermuda fairways, pristine greens and challenging bunkers.

Lookout Mountain Golf Club in Phoenix is an 18-hole championship course that combines spectacular scenery with challenging play. Home to the Hilton Golf Academy, Lookout Mountain has hosted the nationally-televised NBC Skills Challenge and the Arizona Senior Classic.

If you want help mapping out your Cactus League golf vacation, consider the services of GolfPac Travel, who has been planning golf vacations for 30 years. They offer an extensive collection of custom preplanned golf packages to the greater Phoenix area, featuring the finest selection of area courses and lodging options in the market. GolfPac Travel also features an interactive golf course locator, secure online payments, group leader Web site, a 24/7 monitor of your tee time status, group payment history and the famous “countdown clock” that lets you know how long till you are on the first tee. Visit www.golfpacphoenix.com.

Speaking of the 2009 World Champions, they did participate in the Cactus league, although it was a brief stint. In 1951, the Yankees swapped spring training sites (from Florida to Arizona) with their cross-town rivals, the New York Giants, for one season. This turned out to be a historic year as Joe DiMaggio spent his final training season with the club while Mickey Mantle arrived for his first. Ironically, the Yankees and Giants would meet for a “subway series” that fall.