Where to Stay for a Golf Trip in Scottsdale

1. 1

   Old Town Scottsdale

   Best for nightlife & walkability

   The default pick for groups who want their evenings as easy as their rounds. Bars, steakhouses, and patios all within walking distance, so nobody’s driving after dinner. Courses are a 15–30 minute drive. Best for groups that want the trip to be social, not secluded.

2. 2

   North Scottsdale

   Best for course access

   Puts you closest to the marquee desert courses — Troon North, Grayhawk, the Boulders — with shorter morning drives to the first tee. Quieter and more spread out in the evenings; ideal for golf-first groups who don’t mind driving to dinner.

3. 3

   A large vacation rental (Scottsdale / Paradise Valley)

   Best for 8–12 friends

   For bigger groups, a single house with a pool, a big kitchen, and room to spread out almost always beats a block of hotel rooms — both for cost-per-head and for the hang. Paradise Valley and central Scottsdale have plenty of group-sized homes. The catch is vetting location, layout, and the fine print.

4. 4

   A golf resort (Boulders, Fairmont Princess, JW Desert Ridge & others)

   Best for hands-off luxury

   Resorts bundle lodging, on-site golf, dining, and a spa/pool scene into one base — great when the group wants zero friction and someone older is footing part of the bill. Pricier per head, but the convenience is real, especially for shorter trips.

Where your group sleeps shapes the whole trip — it sets your morning drive times, your evening options, and a surprising amount of your total cost. The good news: Greater Phoenix is compact, so no single choice strands you. The decision is really about what kind of trip you want at night, and how big your group is.

The quick decision

• Want the evenings to be social and walkable? Base in Old Town Scottsdale.
• Want the shortest drives to the best courses? Base in North Scottsdale.
• Eight or more guys and want the best value + hang? Get a large vacation rental.
• Want everything handled on one property? Book a golf resort.

House vs. resort, honestly

For most buddies groups of eight or more, a house wins — you get a common space to actually hang in, a kitchen for casual breakfasts before early tee times, and a far better cost-per-person than a row of hotel rooms. The trade-off is that someone has to vet the property carefully: location relative to your courses, whether the bed configuration really sleeps everyone comfortably, parking for multiple cars, and the rental’s rules and fees.

A resort wins when the group is smaller, the trip is short, or convenience trumps cost — on-site golf, daily housekeeping, and a pool/bar scene with nothing to coordinate.

The part that trips groups up

The lodging decision interacts with everything else — your courses, your transport, your tee-time windows. Book a house 40 minutes from the courses you wanted and your “relaxing” mornings become 6:30am scrambles. Getting the location right relative to the rest of the plan is exactly the kind of call that’s hard to make in a vacuum.

That’s why we treat lodging, courses, and transport as one connected plan rather than three separate bookings. Tell us your group and dates and we’ll recommend a base that fits the whole trip — and your budget.

Frequently asked

Should a golf group stay in a house or a hotel in Scottsdale?

For groups of 8 or more, a large vacation rental usually wins on both cost-per-person and group experience — a shared house with a pool and kitchen beats scattered hotel rooms. Smaller groups, or those wanting on-site golf and daily housekeeping, are often better off at a resort or hotel.

What’s the best area to stay in Scottsdale for golf?

Old Town Scottsdale is best for walkable nightlife and dining, while North Scottsdale is best for being close to the top desert courses. Most courses are a 15–30 minute drive from either, so the choice comes down to whether your group prioritizes evenings out or shorter morning drives.

How far is lodging from the golf courses in Scottsdale?

Greater Phoenix is compact and easy to drive. From a central Scottsdale base, most quality courses are a 15–30 minute drive, so you rarely need to stay adjacent to a specific course unless you want the shortest possible morning.