Rio Verde Country Club

Phoenix Golf and College Football Championship Guide

Have Phun in Phoenix

By Brian Weis

Football fans from across the country will invade the Valley of the Sun in early January, with the hope that their favorite college football team will hoist a championship trophy.

This includes the championship trophy for the College Football Playoff National Championship. The University of Phoenix Stadium will be site of the national championship game on Jan. 11.

Before that, it will host the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl - pitting Ohio State against Notre Dame - on New Year's Day. The following day, Chase Field, home of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks, will be the site of the West Virginia-Arizona State matchup in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.

No matter if you root for the four teams vying for the national championship - Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson Tigers, Michigan State Spartans or Oklahoma Sooners - or the teams playing in the other Phoenix-area bowl games, there's something for everyone to do here besides tailgating, more tailgating and cheering your team to victory.

1) Catch Some Hoops
Unfortunately for those in town around New Year's, the Suns will be in the midst of a four-game road trip. But those here for the national championship game can watch Tyson Chandler and the rest of the upstart Suns take on the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 6 and Miami Heat on Jan. 8. Talking Stick Resort Arena is located in downtown Phoenix and close to many restaurants and nightlife entertainment.

2) Combing the Desert
One can easily escape to the desert from any outpost in the Phoenix area and indulge in its natural beauty. Companies such as Desert Wolf Tours and Desert Dog Hummer Adventures take guests off-roading through trails on all-terrain vehicles. Various stables dot the outskirts of Phoenix and offer desert explorations via horseback for a full Arizona Old West experience.

3) Fore!
The Phoenix area boasts more than 200 golf courses, making it one of the most golf-rich metropolitan areas in the country. While many top layouts will be packed with outside play, there are several clubs offering unique golf experiences and lodging. Situated on the northeast part of town, Rio Verde Country Club offers two Tom Lehman golf courses and a Discovery Stay Package that allows guests to tour the community and stay in a guest house.

4) Ring in the New Year
The Phoenix area has a plethora of places to celebrate the new year or a bowl game victory. Rowdy revelers can head to Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row in Scottsdale or downtown to Alice Cooper'stown. Those looking for a little quieter celebration can hang out around Kierland Commons either at Ocean Club or Mastro's Steakhouse, or City Hall Scottsdale and the other splendid restaurants/bars in Old Town Scottsdale.

5) Take a Hike
Want to work off some of those New Year's vittles and spirits? Hike the mountains and take in the exceptional views from atop. Among the local favorites - Camelback Mountain near the posh Phoenician and Camelback resorts, Pinnacle Peak on the north side of town and South Mountain. Seeking an under the radar hiking location?- Check out the McDowell Mountains and Tonto National Forest near Rio Verde.

Revised: 12/31/2015 - Article Viewed 31,652 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.