Often referred to as “The Greatest Show on Grass,” the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is the PGA Tour’s best attended events, drawing more  than 500,000 golf enthusiasts each year.  It’s schedule for February 2 through February 5 this year and will be one of the first events on the 2012 PGA Tour calendar.

One of the most famous aspects of the WM Open is the 16^th hole, which features an enclosed stadium for up to 15,000 fans (see photo above).  The tournament benefits Thunderbird Charities, an organization that donates millions of dollars to Arizona charities.  Find out more about the Waste Management Open on the official event website.

See the crowds at the hole 16 and a Jarrod Lyle’s hole-in-one from the 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open in this YouTube Video.

The Raven Golf Club Phoenix (formerly known as the Raven at South Mountain) is the official home course of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  This Gary Panks and David Graham course features fairways lined with more than 6,000 mature Georgia pines and multi-tiered greens. The course and facilities recently underwent a complete renovation and has recently earned a 4.5 Star rating from Golf Digest.

Find out more about one of the best public golf courses in the Phoenix area by visiting the Raven Golf Phoenix website.  You also may want to find out more about another Raven course in Arizona, Raven Golf Club at Verrado.

Instead of hitting a golf ball to improve your gain, the Orange Whip Golf Swing Trainer allows you to focus on your swing.  Developed by Jim Hackenberg, golf pro and caddy on the PGA tour, this training device consists of a club with a flexible shaft and an orange ball in place of a club head.   According to Hackenberg, the Orange Whip helps you find your natural swing motion.  An added bonus is that your core muscles receive a workout as you swing. 

The Orange Whip Golf Swing Trainer can be used by golfers at all skill levels.   Read more about it on the Daily Grommet website.

The Boulders Golf Resort is located just outside of Scottsdale in Carefree, Arizona.  This Waldorf Astoria resort provides two Jay Morrish championship golf courses in the midst of a natural refuge amidst gigantic precariously perched boulders that have been in place for millions of years.  The Boulders was named one of the Top 10 Arizona Golf Courses by Golf Magazine in 2010.

In addition to the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, The Boulders offers outdoor recreation including hiking, biking, horseback riding, tennis and rock climbing as well as luxurious spa treatments.   If you’re looking for a world-class desert refuge that provides relaxation as well as golf, it could be time to visit The Boulders.

Find out more about The Boulders on the official resort website.

A developer for Lake Havasu Estates in Western Arizona built this geodesic golf ball structure in the 1970s to house a restaurant and nightclub, naming it the “Dinesphere.” The development went bust before the Dinesphere ever opened and the structure sat empty for years. In the mid-1980s, Hank Schimmel spotted the dome and decided to buy it as a gift for his wife. After 7 years of renovations, the couple moved into their 3,400-square-foot home. The interior of the dome is divided into 3 levels; the upper-level master bedroom enjoys spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

Read more about the Dinesphere on This Old House. You can also enjoy a virtual tour of the home in this YouTube video.

The Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, Arizona is a public, daily-fee course that features 27 holes of championship golf. This Troon-managed course is notable for mature trees, colorful flower beds and water features that line the fairways. In fact, there are so many ponds, streams and waterfalls that you’ll find it hard to believe that you’re playing in the desert. Bernard’s Restaurant at the resort was voted Best 19th Hole for 2011 by Arizona Foothills Magazine.

Find out more about Arizona golf at the Ocotillo Golf Resort on the official facility website.

The Casino del Sol Resort and Casino celebrated its grand opening in Tucson on 11-11-11, a day considered by many people to be extremely lucky.  The resort, developed by the Pascua Yaqui tribe of Southern Arizona, was completed at a cost of $130 million.  The resort’s casino is now the largest in Arizona and features the recreation of a Tuscan village and town square show in the photo above.

During the Casino del Sol opening ceremony, the tribe announced that on 12-12-12, the Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf will open at the resort.  This will be the fifth Nicklaus Academy in the nation and the first in Arizona.  Other plans for the resort include an 18-hole golf course designed by Notah Begay III, the only full-blooded Native American player on the PGA tour.  Construction on the course will begin this winter.

Read more about Casino del Sol on the official resort website.

The Estancia Club is located on the northern slope of Scottsdale’s famed Pinnacle Peak, within a 600-acre gated community.  This private club’s 18-hole championship course was designed by Tom Fazio and offers 7,314 yards built around the natural features of the land.  Scenery includes breathtaking desert and mountain landscapes.  Since the Estancia Club was built in 1996 it has been consistently ranked as one of the best courses in America.

Find out more on the official Estancia Golf website.

We recently came across “Secrets of the Short Game,” Phil Mickelson’s first and only instructional golf video.  This two-DVD set contains practical tips on putting and chipping in addition to a section on flop shots. 

One of the highlights of “Secrets of the Short Game” is Mickelson’s amazing backward shot, which can be seen in this YouTube video clip.  You can find out more about this DVD on Phil Mickelson’s website.

Phil Mickelson, winner of 4 major championships and 39 events on the PGA tour, spent time in the Arizona State University golf program.  His brother Tim Mickelson now heads up the program.

Raven Golf Club at Verrado is an award-winning golf club located outside of Phoenix  in Buckeye, Arizona.  This spectacular desert course stands beneath the White Tank Mountains and offers dramatic views of both the mountains and the West Valley below.  A beautiful clubhouse features the Verrado Grille, a golf shop and men’s and women’s locker rooms. 

When Raven Golf Club opened in 2004, Golf Magazine named it one of the “Top 10 New Golf Courses.”  The par-72, 7,258-yard course designed by Tom Lehman and John Fought makes it well worth the drive to Buckeye.

Find out more about Raven Golf Club at the official website.