Ring in the New
Millennium With a Golf Getaway

By Shannon Gazze,
GolfArizona.com Valley Editor

Tiger Woods is bringing his year-end charity tournament to Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, in part to avoid the expected crowds in Las Vegas - site of last year’s event.

Hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation and presented by Target, the tournament will pit the top 10 available golfers from the world rankings and two at-large selections in four rounds of stroke-play competition, with the first two rounds to be held Dec. 29 and 30. The second two rounds will be held Jan. 1 and 2 and televised by NBC. The tournament boasts a $3.5 million purse, with a cool million going to the winner.

Rounding out the event are a practice round on Dec. 28 and a celebrity pro-am on the 31st. Rumor has it that Woods is pursuing buddy Michael Jordan for the pro-am.

For the avid and discerning golf fan, this tournament represents an opportunity to combine a rare meeting of golf greats with a spectacular golf vacation of your own and a laundry list of yule-tide events.

The Phoenix Thunderbirds, an organization that helps to run the Phoenix Open every January, is also chipping in with the Williams World Challenge. Week-long passes are already available through the Thunderbirds, priced at $250 each and limited to the first 10,000 reservations.

"They are going like hotcakes already," says Cheryl Hussey of the Thunderbirds. "I received several reservations on the first day the tournament was announced."

You can order tickets by dialing the Thunderbirds’ office at (602) 861-3033.

Once you secure your tickets, you’ll want to think about some golf of your own. Take your pick from any of the hundreds of courses in and around the Valley of the Sun, but make your tee-times early and call ahead to confirm them to ensure you’re not a part of any Y2K mischief.

And remember, bargains are tough to find in the holiday months, so greens fees will probably run you in the $90-$180 range.

Lodging, like the golf, is plentiful in North Scottsdale. For help finding an open resort or hotel chain, call the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at (480) 945-8481.

• Grayhawk course review • Past ourse reviews from GolfArizona.com • Past articles by Shannon Gazze

Typically, the course shuts down about three days prior to a tournament for preparation, so don’t expect to play the Raptor unless you arrive before Christmas. However, Grayhawk is considering leaving their Talon Course open to the public throughout the week. The host course for the World Championship of Golf in 1996 and ’97, Talon is shorter than Raptor, but it doesn’t fit the role of weak sister.

The World Championship was played on the Raptor Course in ’98, so Grayhawk is no stranger to world-class competition. As for who that competition will be, the rankings will be taken from the end of the season (Nov. 7).

As of last weekend, the current top 10 players are Tiger Woods, David Duval, Colin Montgomerie, Davis Love III, Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Payne Stewart, Nick Price and Mark O'Meara. Grayhawk spokesman and Arizona State grad Phil Mickleson sits at No. 11 and is a good bet to make the field regardless of where he finishes.

Unlike the Phoenix Open, which erects a party-tent for some night-time ambiance, the Williams World Challenge is strictly about the golf. But don’t worry, there will be no shortage of things to do in the evening.

For your dining pleasure, Earl’s, a few minutes south of Grayhawk on Pima Rd., offers the best prickly-pear margaritas in town. They also have some tasty home-made specials. To the north, take Happy Valley Rd. to Greasewood Flats for an eclectic Biker Bar experience you can only find in Scottsdale.

If you are not afraid of a crowd, ring in 2000 at the Tempe Block Party. 100,000-plus party-goers can’t be wrong. And stay in Tempe for the Fiesta Bowl, part of college football’s Bowl Championship Series.

A year-end blow-out golf extravaganza with Tiger Woods and Pals that’s been 1,000 years in the making will not come cheaply, but it will certainly be a vacation to remember.

For more information as it becomes available, call the Thunderbirds. Again, that number is (602) 861-3033. For information on the availability of Grayhawk’s Talon Course, call the clubhouse at (602) 502-1800.