Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/366077
GRAYHAWK (TOP OF PAGE), TROON NORTH (ABOVE), AND TPC SCOTTSDALE (BELOW) BY JIM CLAGGETT The Scottsdale Open is still in its infancy but the popularity of the three-day event is blossoming like a prickly pear cactus. Linda Dillenbeck, part of the brain trust behind the Open, said she had seen other tournaments for amateurs in a variety of locations such as Mesquite, Nevada, the World Amateur at Myrtle Beach S.C. and the Pacific Northwest Amateur in Bend, Oregon. Her thoughts were along the lines of Scottsdale hosting one as well, "I spoke with the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau for years, saying, 'we need to do some- thing,' and when they raised their 'bed tax' they had additional funds specific for events and so they called and said, 'let's go,' " she said. That was three years ago. It was as if the stars had aligned after five years of back- and-forth with the SCVB because, about a week after the green light was given, Dillenbeck's partner in this venture, Arizona Golf Hall of Fame member Bill Huffman, was playing golf with people from Waste Management extolling the virtues of the tournament. They got on board and became the title sponsor, which really allowed the tournament to happen, said Dillenbeck. While it took time for the idea to grow roots, once it took hold the rest was simply good karma for the Scottsdale area, the golf courses and the golfers themselves. Dillenbeck saw a basic formula at all these other state amateur events and with Scottsdale being such a great golf des- tination, this fit like a glove. "What I saw was a lot of people who play golf who would travel to play as long as the courses were good and the pro- gram was designed to entertain," she said. "That's really what destinations try to do, because if you enter- tain someone they'll want to come back." There are 52 two- person teams which tackle three of the best tracks in Scottsdale— Troon Nor th, TPC Scottsdale Stadium and Grayhawk. Those players come from 22 different states as well as four Canadian provinces, with Albertans making up their fair share of the field. Seventy of the players entered in the field this year were returning players, so there is evidence that they like what they see and appre- ciate the return on their entry fee. The money covers three rounds of golf, a great swag-bag filled with useful items including shirts, jackets and balls, as well as tickets to that other tournament that happens in Scottsdale at the TPC Stadium course in late January. In addition there is an opening reception at one of the courses which features a smorgasbord of the outstanding cuisine the Scottsdale courses' chefs create. "We did that on purpose because one of the aspects we didn't like with the other tournaments was that you were always scheduled," said Dillenbeck. "It was like, you had to play golf and you had to do this. Then you had to go have a rubber chicken dinner, so our whole idea was let them come, let them play great golf, and then let them go explore the city afterwards." Included is a closing reception with a large, professional-looking leaderboard where players can see where they stand in relation to the rest of the field. It also allows for some good- natured ribbing as teams discuss the good, the bad and the some- times ugly results. Dillenbeck wrestles with the idea of expanding the tournament to allow more players to get a taste of Scottsdale but she admits she loves the smallness of the event. "The one thing that everyone has told me is, 'the thing we love about this is the calibre of peo- ple.' Everyone says, 'they're great people and they're fun to be with,' and as you expand you run into the dilemma of maybe changing the dynamic of the group." I found that out for myself when we were paired in a four- some with Ken and Travis Bleile—a father-and-son team from Ohio. They both played a good brand of golf (as evidenced by their fourth-place finish in the Open Net Division - ed.) and obviously had the focus skills needed to keep their game some- what intact in spite of having to watch this left-handed Canadian beat it around as if my golf ball was alive. What I got from them was that their experience was exactly what Dillenbeck was hoping for—an opportunity to enjoy good com- petition, meet some new people, play some first-rate golf, and have a lasting memory of Scottsdale. Sounds like a winner/winner— but no rubber chicken dinner, for sure. THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WHICH DO WELL IN THE DESERT WHEN IT COMES TO THE PLANT AND ANIMAL WORLD. YOU CAN ADD 'AMATEUR GOLF TOURNAMENT' TO THE LIST OF WHAT CAN GROW IN THE SONORAN. The Scottsdale Open In The Arizona Desert (3304(.,:*9,+0;104*3(..,;; 62 INSIDE GOLF