The Golf Trip You’ve Been Dreaming About
Essential activities to do on your day off of golf in Scottsdale
Ah, Scottsdale. The city so nice, they named it, well...once.
With more than 200 courses rolled out over a span of 354 square miles, it’s safe to say that Scottsdale is your true, all-american golf community. But - what’s a man to do outside of his tee time when staying in one of America’s top golf destinations? Ha, we’re glad you asked.
The Short Par 4 team took to the streets of Scottsdale to find out for ourselves. Between Indiana Jones-level desert exploration and Jersey Shore-esque fist bumping nightlife, we stumbled upon plenty of gems that you and your crew need to check out on your next golf trip. Let’s dig in.
Stop number one: Desert Mountain UTV Tours. With Arizona State Route 101 running straight through Scottsdale, we decided to take the road less traveled. Our first stop on the trip was through the ever-so-serene Superstition Mountains. Driving up to the coordinate location, we weren’t feeling superstitious, just a little stitious...
Upon arrival, we joined Mike from Desert Mountain Tours for an unforgettable, adrenaline-filled UTV tour through the beaten paths of the Arizonian desert. We spent nearly 2 hours racing through mud puddles, conquering the location’s most steep and rocky hills, and of course catching some gnarly content for our socials.
Mike had us laughing, smiling, and intrigued the entire ride. For the nature geeks - we even got a cacti-for-dummies lesson, where Mike shared his coolest cacti facts, like which cacti hold the most water, which are harmless, and which ones could send you straight to the grave.
Ultimately, our UTV tour was super fun. It’s not often you get to escape from reality and just enjoy nature!
Pro tip: Shoes with tread on the bottom are key for this adventure.
Baseball Game at Chase Stadium
Next stop on the trip was Chase Field! The home stadium of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Built in 1998, this field is an absolute treasure, hidden smack dab in the middle of downtown Phoenix.
Stop number two of the day treated us well. We enjoyed some time spent out of the heat to watch baseball, chow down a hotdog, and explore the new, indoor stadium. After a few innings of hanging with some of the most hardcore Diamondback fans, we went on our way exploring the stadium, trying our best to sneak a dip in the pool behind center field.
Whether you’re a Diamondbacks fan or not, the atmosphere at Chase Field is unbeatable (and only a short Uber or Lyft ride away!)
We were all starving after a long day of adventures, so we headed out to the highly recommended restaurant, Barrio Queen. Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately taken in by the friendly and colorful atmosphere.
The food was incredible and...never ending. There was so much food on the table, literally. Foodies will definitely appreciate this restaurant, especially if you’re into strong margaritas, killer tacos, and fresh, tableside guacamole! One of the best parts about Barrio Queen was not only did it have great food, but it was also affordable.
Barrio Queen has become an all-around favorite for the Short Par 4 team. And with hundreds of great restaurants in town, that’s saying a lot...
All in all, we were very satisfied with our dinner.
Night life in Old Town Scottsdale
When visiting Scottsdale, there are essentially two things that most people come for: golf and partying (which actually go together very well). Although the city’s most known for its large number of highly rated golf courses, it’s also known for being the epicenter of great nightlife. With so many clubs in the downtown area, it’s easy to have the time of your life. With that being said, that’s just what we did for our last stop of the day.
In Old Town Scottsdale, you’ll find exciting clubs, saloons, cozy restaurants, and home-y bars nestled into every crack and corner of the town. Our first club of the night turned out to be our favorite club. Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row: the most yee-haw you can get in Scottsdale, Arizona. The vibe of this place was so unique, with a huge bar in the middle of the dance floor and the live band sitting just above it. Of course we had to order ourselves a whiskey sour and get in on some of that honkey tonk vibe!
After a little while at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, we made our way around, visiting some of the other night clubs in the area. A few of our other favorites were Bottled Blonde, The District, Casablanca, and Wasted Grain.
Make Your Golf Trip Dream a Reality
We had the time of our lives exploring Scottsdale, and you can too! If you’ve been dreaming about a Scottsdale trip for a while now, it’s time to make that dream a reality.
