In March, 'Living Golf' reports from Scottsdale, Arizona for the craziest week on the golfing calendar, the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open.
With over 500,000 spectators expected, it’s the most attended event in the game. The tournament is especially famous for the 16th hole, a par 3 surrounded by thousands of vociferous fans which creates an atmosphere unlike at any other golf event.
CNN Living Golf host Shane O’Donoghue finds out what makes the so-called ‘greatest show on grass’ so different.
O’Donoghue catches up with Phil Mickelson, ex-Arizona State alumni and three-time Phoenix Open winner, to get his thoughts on the event and the region.
With almost guaranteed sunshine and over 200 courses in the area, there are few better locations in the world to play golf. Courses weave through deserts, cacti and mountain ranges to produce an aesthetic like no other in the game. O’Donoghue joins golf travel writer Joe Passov to play Boulders, one of the standout clubs in Scottsdale.
Arizona is home to a vibrant Native American community who have used golf to its advantage. In building courses on tribal lands, profits are ploughed back into development programmes. O’Donoghue meets a tribal leader at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club to see how communities are benefiting from the game.
O’Donoghue also visits Topgolf in Scottsdale, one of 30 driving ranges across the US which are transforming how today’s generation play the game. With a focus on entertainment, music, food and drink, nearly 500,000 people visited a Topgolf venue in 2015, hitting over 22 million balls. O’Donoghue joins the millennials to see what makes this type of golf so attractive.
Unsurprisingly, many professional golfers have decided to base themselves in Scottsdale. O’Donoghue heads to the home of one such player, two-time major winner Cristie Kerr to find out about her life away from the tour.
CNN Living Golf Airs
- Thursday 3 March at 1030 GMT (1130 CET) and 1730 GMT (1830 CET)
- Saturday 5 March at 0730 GMT (0830 CET) and 2230 GMT (2330 CET)
- Sunday 6 March at 1730 GMT (1830 CET)
- Saturday 12 March 1730 GMT (1830 CET)
- Sunday 13 March 0630 GMT (0730 CET) and 2130 GMT (2230 CET)