The home of the wildest event on the PGA Tour just got a touch more expensive.
TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course needs little introduction, and the home of the WM Phoenix Open since 1987 (albeit under a few name changes) has grown into one of the highest-attended and anticipated weeks of the PGA Tour schedule.
But besides the party atmosphere, another thing that makes the tournament so memorable is the course. It’s fun, looks great on TV, provides wonderful theater and has a closing stretch that makes for some fantastic final-round finishes. And another thing: it’s public!
While you can’t play next week’s PGA Tour stop (Riviera Country Club) or a handful of others on the PGA Tour slate, you can play TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course (and also its sister course that doesn’t host the tournament, the Champions Course).
But as you can imagine, it’s going to cost you. Phoenix-area golf this time of year is at its peak price, so even some of the less desirable courses cost more. The same goes for fancy resort courses or others, like the Stadium Course, that host the best players in the world a week out of the year.
TPC Scottsdale uses dynamic pricing, so the rates can fluctuate based on time of day, season and demand, but the peak price last year was $525. This year that peak rate has increased, but only slightly. Now it’s $551.
But that doesn’t mean you have to pay that price, either. You can get a slight discount for prepaid rounds or snag a more affordable time later in the day, but ideally still early enough where you can fit in all 18 holes. The lowest rate currently posted through the first week of May is $370.
The Stadium Course is an expensive tee time, no doubt, but its marginal increase this year pales in comparison to what we’ve seen previously from other high-priced public options. In 2022, TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course, host of the Players Championship, raised its peak rate by $120 to $840. Just a couple of months ago it increased again, this time by $60 for a peak rate of $900. And then there’s Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, which just last fall bumped its price by 25 percent to a whopping $1,250.
And if you are among the population that’s turned off by these prices, don’t fret, here’s a list of GOLF’s Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S., where you can play some amazing tracks for $150 or less.