Arizona during spring training for baseball

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Updated: March 2, 2017

By Steve Turcotte, Inside Golf Editor
If you are a baseball fan who loves to play some golf, Arizona just might be the place to be in the month of March.

The Arizona desert is the place for baseball’s Spring Training and also the home to some of the best golf courses you will find.

The Seattle Mariners have made their Spring Training home in Arizona for years. First, starting in Tempe before moving years ago to a complex in Peoria with the San Diego Padres.

Spring Training started in February and runs through the end of March before the season gets underway in April. For years, Pacific Northwest baseball fans have flocked to Arizona to watch the Mariners and take in some golf.

The Mariners are not the only Major League team in the Valley of the Sun, there are teams scattered throughout the area. But the Mariners are always the big draw for those Pacific Northwest baseball fans.

Peoria is located just north of downtown Phoenix and is a town that has grown with hotels and restaurants since the Mariners opened up shop 20 years ago. Baseball fans show up early to watch the workouts and stay late to take in the games. Autographs are always one of the most popular parts of Spring Training as players are easily accessible before and after workouts and before and after games.

Tickets are always reasonably priced for Spring Training games and the Peoria Sports Complex is a great place to watch games from sitting in the stands to hanging out on the grass berm in the outfield.

Speaking of grass, when not taking in baseball games, golf is usually the order of the day. And there are plenty of courses to choose from throughout the area.

With a portfolio of outstanding facilities, Troon Golf oversees the operations at many of the state’s top clubs, each recognized for outstanding conditions and set in stunning locations that capture the essence of the Southwest. From the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Boulders Resort & Spa in Carefree, Ariz., to the amazing golf at Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass, each facility is maintained to impeccable standards, a Troon Golf hallmark.

Phoenix/Scottsdale area courses within the Troon Golf portfolio include: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, Boulders Resort & Spa, Golf Club of Estrella, Lookout Mountain Golf Club, The Phoenician, Poston Butte Golf Club, SunRidge Canyon Golf Club, Troon North Golf Club, The Westin Kierland Golf Club and Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass, and located in Tucson, Sewailo at Casino Del Sol.

Arcis Golf is another group that has some popular courses in the area with many in and around the downtown area with courses like the Raven Golf Club, Superstition Springs, Kokopelli and Stone Creek.

Located in the shadow of South Mountain, lies the Raven Golf Club Phoenix, the most unique golf experience in the valley. The course has earned recognition among the nation’s top daily fee golf properties – including 4.5 stars by Golf Digest, “#5 Golf Course in the State” by Arizona Magazine, and #1 Guest Service in North America.”

Superstition Springs is another award winner with upscale amenities, its impeccable guest service have it earned it recognition among the best daily fee golf course properties in Arizona. If you don’t mind a little bit of a drive away from Phoenix, there are a couple of golf courses definitely worth the trip.

Quintero Golf Club is a Troon course that must be seen to be believed. Sitting along State Route 74 it runs through hills and valleys and features a collection of some of the best par-3 holes on a golf course.

A little further up the road in Wickenburg, Ariz. sits Wickenburg Ranch a course that opened to rave reviews two years ago. There are actually two courses on site, Big Wick and Little Wick. Big Wick is the championship course that plays to over 7,000 yards and features some terrific view. Little Wick is a par-3 challenge course that opened last year and features music, no dress code and no tee times.

If it’s baseball and golf you are after, Arizona is your place and March is your month.