How To Choose The Best Time To Be In Scottsdale

Season #1 High (Peak) Season - You can pretty much bank on high season starting in Scottsdale on or about January 10th, running through the end of April, even though by then it's already starting to warm up. Much of this time Scottsdale's weather is perfect; Dry air, with temperatures in the Mid 70's during the day and balmy 60's at night, blue skies and gentle breezes, perfect weather for golf, hiking, biking, hot air ballooning, jeep tours, etc. Of course since most of country is by then looking forward to another wet, cold and nasty winter that's when the phones start to ring off the hook with golfers wanting to plan a Scottsdale golf vacation. This is the best time to be here but also the busiest and the most expensive.

Prices during this time are at their highest for golf and lodging. Scottsdale plays host to people from "feeder cities" in markets like; New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Colorado and even Texas just to name a few. The Hospitality Industry makes or breaks their year during the months of January - April. Demand is high, especially during certain events like; the FBR Open, a PGA Tour Event, the Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. This is the time of year where just finding any room in N. Scottsdale can be a challenge. Add in the whole month of March taken up by spring break and Giants Spring Training Baseball at Scottsdale Stadium and my advice for coming to Scottsdale in Peak Season is: Book Early!

You can expect lodging and golf prices to be at their highest levels throughout Peak Season. The resort hotels command upwards of $300. - $400. per night for just a standard hotel room. Resorts like the Westin Kierland Resort, The Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, The Phoenician, The Royal Palms, The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort, The Boulders and The Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North are wonderful places to stay if you like 5-star restaurants, huge water features for the kids, Spas and the other amenities provided by a full-service resort hotel. And I have seen some of our premium courses like Troon North approaching the $300. mark for a tee time! Ouch!  

Fortunately for guys like me that work for a living there are plenty of other choices for accommodations that are far more easy on the budget than the "big box" resorts. These can include; private homes, condos, mid-tier hotels like Hilton Garden Inn, Marriott Suites, Summerfield Suites, or one of my favorite hotels' that is especially golfer friendly, Chaparral Suites. There are limited service hotels like Hampton Inn, Residence Inn by Marriott, Spring Hill Suites, economy hotels like Days Inn Scottsdale, Extended Stay America and Fairfield Inn by Marriott. There are accommodations available which are especially suited for groups like; Resort Suites of Scottsdale where eight people can share a four bedroom condo-style suite or hotels that offer multi bedroom options like the Pima Inn & Suites. Finding the right location is key and the vacation planners that I recommend on this site will help you find the one that suits your taste and budget.

Scottsdale/Phoenix covers a lot of territory and if you are playing Grayhawk Golf Club (N. Scottsdale) one day and Raven At South Mountain (near the airport) the next, you may desire a nice place to stay between the two. When the "snow birds" are here traffic is crazy and there's no harm in cutting down drive times, especially when motoring around in a town you may not know all that well.