How Scottsdale Shaped A Winner

Hello and let me introduce myself. I am a  semi-retired Golf Vacation Specialist/Golf Tour Operator and part-time consultant to the Hotel and Travel Industry in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am an avid desert dweller and have lived in Scottsdale going on 23 years now. I write unbiased and independent reviews of those Scottsdale's attractions that you see advertised in national and widely-read publications like, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Travel & Leisure Golf, Conde Nast and others. The difference with me is that I write from an "inside" perspective and I don't represent any one golf course, hotel or golf packager. When I speak of Scottsdale's championship golf, world class restaurants and clubs, spas, hotels and resorts, golf brokers and tee time services, I speak from the personal experience of working for and alongside those businesses at some point during my career in Hospitality. Any product or service that I feel may be helpful to the golfer who is considering Scottsdale for a golf vacation is subject to my inspection before submission to my readers.

Let me say right now, I love this business. I came here from a dull job in the mid-west in my early thirties and have never looked back. It has given me the opportunity to travel the world and do the things I love the most, one of which is to play golf. I operate independently which allows me to provide "insider" information without fear of reprisals from supervisors, out of state second-guessers, corporate suits and those who could qualify as poster children for a Peter Principle seminar. Most importantly, I don't have to wonder any more whether I will still have a job by days end. Things change quickly in the hospitality industry here, hotels, resorts and golf courses change hands frequently and about six months after they announce "no changes" to the former management team, that entire team is replaced. After the initial shock you pick yourself up, go off on another adventure for a different hotel, resort, golf course or management company, etc. and gradually, over the years, if you stick it out, you can get a very well-rounded education. Along the way you have shared many hours of "front line experience" with special people, fellow workers who, no matter where they go or who they work for later, stay friends.

These are the people that I count on for helping me in my quest to become the "voice" of golf in Scottsdale, the ones that will share their insider tips (albeit anonymously) as well as the funny stories.  Due to their experience they hold positions within the industry where they are privvy to all the scoop. They are hotel GM's, Marketing & Sales people, Golf Course Management Company Executives, Golf Packagers, PGA Professionals and Restaurant owners, all involved in the politics of tourism, serving on various committees within the industry and are on the cutting edge. Take it from those who have played, eaten, golfed, shopped, networked, stayed and spa'd their way across the length and breadth of the Valley of the Sun.