Things to do in Scottsdale for golfers: hikes, museums, ballgames and night golf

Things to do in Scottsdale for golfers fall into four easy groups: a dawn hike before a late tee time, a museum or garden on a rest day, a spring training game after a morning round, and night golf or Topgolf when the sun goes down. Most pair easily with a course you will already be playing.

This guide pairs each idea with the courses nearby. Hours and prices appear only where they were read on the venue's own site on November 3, 2026; everything else should be checked before you go.

Quick facts

• Signature hike: Camelback Mountain, open sunrise to sunset; go at dawn.
• Best rest-day morning: Desert Botanical Garden, adults from $32.95.
• March classic: a morning round then a Cactus League game (from February 19, 2027).
• Night golf: Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills, lit executive 18 in Tempe.
• Rainy day: Western Spirit, the Heard Museum, MIM or Topgolf.
• Not in winter: Salt River Tubing, summer only.

Things to do in Scottsdale, with hours and prices read

Hikes and the desert

Camelback Mountain (Echo Canyon and Cholla trails) is the city's signature summit hike: steep, rocky and open sunrise to sunset. Echo Canyon has restrooms, water and a small shade canopy; Cholla starts off Invergordon Road. Rattlesnakes are regularly encountered, per the City of Phoenix. Go at dawn before a late tee time, not on a warm afternoon. The casitas at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain sit on the side of the mountain, and Mountain Shadows Resort and its par-3 course sit beneath it.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve has a large trail network in north Scottsdale. The Gateway Trailhead at 18333 N Thompson Peak Parkway is minutes from Grayhawk Raptor and TPC Scottsdale, so it fits a north Scottsdale base. Trail hours were not checked.

Papago Park has red sandstone buttes between Phoenix and Tempe. Hole in the Rock is a short scramble with a sunset view over the city, next to the Desert Botanical Garden, the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Golf Course. See the Papago course guide.

Lost Dutchman State Park sits at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, with the Native Plant Trail and the steep Siphon Draw Trail toward the Flatiron. It takes cash, Visa or swiped MasterCard only, and pairs with a round at Gold Canyon's Sidewinder. Saguaro Lake is a scenic side trip off Bush Highway.

Gardens, museums and architecture

• Desert Botanical Garden: a large desert garden at 1201 N Galvin Parkway, with evening events through the fall. Buy tickets only on dbg.org.
• Taliesin West: Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and studio in north-east Scottsdale, seen by guided walking tour on gravel paths. Reservations are strongly recommended, it closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, and a Sunsets & Sips evening program runs. Tour prices were not checked.
• Musical Instrument Museum (MIM): thousands of instruments at 4725 E Mayo Boulevard, near Desert Ridge and the Wildfire Palmer course. A half-day even for non-music people.
• Heard Museum: American Indian art and culture at 2301 N Central Avenue; the Blue Bird exhibition runs through February 14, 2027. Phoenix Art Museum is a few blocks away.
• Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West: Western art in Old Town, open Monday to Saturday 9:30 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays to 8 PM from November to April, with a free underground garage next door.

Spring training and big events

Fifteen MLB clubs train at ten ballparks across the Valley. In Scottsdale, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick hosts the Diamondbacks and Rockies, and Scottsdale Stadium in Old Town hosts the Giants. Mesa has Sloan Park (Cubs) and Hohokam Stadium (Athletics), and Tempe Diablo Stadium hosts the Angels. Games open February 19, 2027 and run to about March 20-23 by team. A morning round at Talking Stick O'odham, 15 minutes from Old Town, then an afternoon game at Salt River Fields is about as easy as golf-trip logistics get. See the O'odham course guide. See Scottsdale golf and spring training.

The WM Phoenix Open (February 8-14, 2027) and Barrett-Jackson (January 23-31, 2027) are spectator events in their own right; see the Phoenix Open golf trip guide.

Golf that is not a full round

• Night golf: Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills in Papago Park is a fully lit executive 18, 10 minutes from Old Town; the after-dinner round for a group. See the Grass Clippings course guide.
• Topgolf Scottsdale: 100+ all-weather bays on three floors at Talking Stick, priced per bay per hour for up to six players. Bay prices were not shown on the page read.
• TrackMan range: Scottsdale Country Club has 24 covered TrackMan bays, a free 9-hole putting course and The Snake, a 12-hole short course.
• Par-3 golf: Mountain Shadows Short Course is an all-par-3 18 under Camelback that plays in under three hours, with free rental clubs only for registered resort guests. Whether non-guests can book is not stated, so ask.
• Club fitting: PXG Scottsdale by the Airpark, Cool Clubs in north Scottsdale, and a Callaway Performance Center at the practice facility shared by Troon North's two courses. Fitting prices were not checked.

Rainy-day and evening options

Rain is uncommon (about 3.8 days in January and 4.1 in February at Sky Harbor), but when it comes, these are the indoor things to do in Scottsdale:

• Old Town: Western Spirit, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Center for the Performing Arts, and Scottsdale Fashion Square, walkable from Old Town hotels.
• Phoenix: the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum and the Arizona Science Center downtown.
• Casinos: Talking Stick Resort, Casino Arizona, and Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler.
• Group fallback: Main Event Tempe for bowling and arcade games.
• Racing: the Penske Racing Museum near TPC Scottsdale (hours not checked).

For evenings, Old Town is the default: Western shops and galleries on Main Street and Marshall Way, the canal-side Scottsdale Waterfront, and the bar district around Saddlebag Trail. Our where to eat in Scottsdale guide picks restaurants near each group of courses.

Building rest days into a trip

On a four-day trip, the best slots for things to do in Scottsdale are the arrival evening, a dawn hike before a midday tee time, and the departure morning. On a snowbird winter, one rest day a week keeps legs fresh; the snowbird golf schedule shows how. For a day-by-day plan, see the Scottsdale golf trip itinerary, and for a group with a night out built in, the Scottsdale buddies golf trip guide.

Comparing desert towns? Our things to do in Palm Springs for golfers and things to do in Tucson for golfers guides cover the same ground there.

Plan it on the map

Open the Scottsdale golf map to see every course alongside your stay and drive times from Old Town. The $30 plan leaves room for the things to do in Scottsdale you care about, slotting a rest day, a ballgame or night golf around your rounds.