Sweet 16th not the only good bet at TPC Scottsdale
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
Sure, the scene is not the frenzy it was during one of the most electric highlight moments in Tiger Woods’ career-long stream of them, but you’re reminded of it.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Sweet 16th not the only good bet at TPC Scottsdale Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
And no, the beer isn’t raining down as we exit the tunnel on the way to the 16th tee at the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale, nor are their jeers when we flush an iron shot over the pin and beyond the green.
But man, a golfer’s imagination can sure take you places, in this case to tournament week of what has become one of the most iconic – and raucous – spots in all of golf.
After playing the course for the first time, watching the Waste Management Phoenix Open on television will never be the same, specifically, navigating the riveting final four holes of a clever layout that is home to what is lovingly referred to as the People’s Open.
Fast forward a couple of hours and it’s like we’re on the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, even if in reality it’s just a long iron away from the TPC clubhouse. Johnny Avello, one of the legendary sports linemakers in the history of Vegas, is among our hosts at the DraftKings Sportsbook that is now an enticing part of the TPC Scottsdale experience and making it a can’t-miss destination for your next guys, gals or couples golf trip.
But first to the course and that famous 16th that Woods aced in the third round of the 1997 Phoenix Open. Back then, grandstands weren’t the full stadium amphitheatre they are today, housing the biggest, boldest (and definitely loudest) fans that exist in golf. But they were bustling and full of energy as those in the gallery wildly celebrated along with Woods’ emphatic fist pumps after his first ace as a pro.
The Stadium Course, the more famous of the two layouts at TPC Scottsdale, opened in 1987 and was constructed with the idea to live up to its name. Over time, it has become as much Super Bowl as PGA Tour, as much party time as tee time during the big week.
The result has been the most-attended golf tournament in the world, sometimes to a fault given the raucousness.
“It would be naive to say the Phoenix Open wasn’t the main driver of our business,” says Brad Williams, regional director and general manager of TPC Scottsdale, a facility that includes all 36 holes, some terrific dining options and now the bustling DraftKings Sportsbook. “But we also have a great golf course in brilliant condition and the back nine on the Stadium is one of the most fun nines you will play anywhere.”
By late in the year – and prime golf season in this part of Arizona – grandstand construction is well under way at the Stadium course, setting up a memorable stretch over the final four holes for visiting players. The anticipation builds throughout the round, especially when the towering grandstands become visible. Putting out on the Par 5 15th, tricky with its island green, sends you on to the Coliseum and the legendary tee that awaits.
To get the full-on experience, we walked through the tunnel the players navigate on their way to a noisy welcome, emerging to the empty grandstands and the scene that has become must-watch TV every February.
Depending on which estimates you want to believe, during Waste Management week between 13,000 on the low end and 20,000 on the high end cram the amphitheatre to watch, serenade, applaud and taunt the best pro golfers in the world.
Without the stadium, it’s a pleasant, well-designed Par 3 that required a shot to carry the desert between tee and green. It plays a civilized 140 yards from the middle tees and a still reasonable 165 yards from where the pros launch it.
There were only construction workers and the din of hammers as our gallery and background noise, but just as playing the famed island green Par 3 17th at TPC Sawgrass, it is a bucket list golfing memory.
As is back-to-back days playing the two courses here in the Sonoran Desert where the property is framed by the nearby McDowell Mountains. There are many golf facilities in the Scottsdale and greater Phoenix area, a burgeoning market in the sport for decades now and a favourite of Canadian visitors. TPC Scottsdale, with the Stadium and its adjacent Champions course, has always been a good bet to add to the itinerary – and now literally so.
BET ON IT
The DraftKings decision to build a sports book at TPC Scottsdale was a visionary stroke of brilliance given the location and the captive audience.
With the explosion of legalized sports wagering across North America in recent years, the majority of betting handle is done online. But this 13,000-square-foot sports shrine is a forward-thinking throwback to the classic Vegas sports books, once the only legal place North Americans could legally bet on sporting events.
That it’s located at a massively popular sports venue – both among golfers for 51 weeks of the season and golf spectators come Waste Management time – is making it a must stop for sports fans living in or visiting the greater Phoenix area.
Whether you are a $2 bettor or a more prolific punter, the sports book scene can be electric, especially during big events. Avello helped perfect the sports book concept in Vegas and has been central in creating an upscale and modern twist on the old Sin City model.
“Bricks and mortar has its place for sports bettors,” said Avello, the race and sports operations director at DraftKings and a gambling guru who has worked at a number of prominent Las Vegas sports books including the Wynn Casino and Ballys. “The digital part, it’s great as well, you can bet anywhere you want. But there’s something to be said about a location where people can meet and watch the games together and cheer together. That camaraderie is something special too.”
It certainly was on our second of two nights getting in on the action. With a light night of pro sports on the menu, a little more than an hour after exhorting our golf ball to cooperate, those in our group were in full fan (and investor) mode watching, wagering and frankly bellowing at every play in an obscure women’s college basketball game between Iowa and Iowa St.
Opened in October 2023 with 32 betting kiosks and six ticket windows with live cashiers, the betting side of the DraftKings experience is simple and efficient. The place comes to life with some 2,700 square feet of video walls beaming every game imaginable plus qualify food and beverage offerings and a terrific outdoor outdoor area with fire pits and most screens.
“Being in the business this many years, not everybody wants to be at home to make a wager,” Avello said. “They want to go to a place where there’s excitement and also enjoying the food and beverage aspect of it.”
The fact that the “book” is just a well-struck long iron away from the TPC clubhouse only adds to the appeal.
OH CANADA
The Waste Management Phoenix Open has become a fan favourite, easily the most attended event on the PGA Tour and far and away packed with the most, shall we say, enthusiastic galleries.
Some players grumble about the mayhem, which at times has teetered towards, but not necessarily beyond, being out of control. And it’s certainly not the atmosphere the world’s best players would want week in and week out. But those who embrace it at worst survive in the Coliseum and, at best, thrive in it.
You can put Canada’s Nick Taylor in the latter category. The five-time PGA Tour winner birdied the famous 16th hole twice in 2024, including his Sunday charge to a playoff win, and certainly embraced the atmosphere.
“You’ve really got to commit to what you’re trying to do,” the B.C. native explained afterwards. “It’s easy to get distracted. There’s so much going on that’s it’s almost easier than if there was 10 people and a few people were moving. You try to zone it out.
“For sure you factor in adrenaline. I think the whole day, everyone is amped up, energy all around. It’s different than most weeks and you try to use it to your advantage.”
IF YOU GO
Air Canada has regular direct return flights to Phoenix from Toronto with an easy drive to Scottsdale. We stayed at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a sprawling resort in the middle of the action with views of the fourth green fifth tee of the stadium course from our room.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.