Inside TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course and the Legendary 16th at the WM Phoenix Open

There’s a golf course in the Arizona desert where 20,000 fans pack temporary grandstands around a single hole and lose their minds over every shot. Where birdies get standing ovations and missed greens get booed like a bad call at a playoff game. Where Tiger Woods once made a hole-in-one that sent the crowd into such a frenzy it became the stuff of legend.

Welcome to TPC Scottsdale, home of the WM Phoenix Open and the most raucous atmosphere in professional golf.

Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish didn’t design the Stadium Course by accident. When the PGA Tour commissioned them in 1986, they had one job: create a venue that could host what was already becoming golf’s biggest party. The result was a 7,261-yard layout specifically engineered for spectators.

The course sits at 1,530 feet above sea level in the rugged Sonoran Desert, surrounded by the stunning McDowell Mountains. It’s Arizona’s only PGA Tour property, which means Director of Golf Course Operations Brandon Reese and his crew maintain it to tour standards 52 weeks a year.

That’s no small feat. The Stadium Course sees constant play when it’s not hosting the largest-attended golf tournament in the world. Reese, in his fifth year as director after four as superintendent, manages this complex balancing act with a team that includes some very long-tenured staff and what he calls a robust volunteer group.

Let’s talk about the 16th hole, because you can’t discuss TPC Scottsdale without addressing the elephant in the room. Or rather, the 20,000 screaming fans surrounding a 163-yard par 3.

It’s the only fully enclosed hole on the PGA Tour. During tournament week, temporary grandstands create what players call “The Coliseum.” The atmosphere feels electric, intimidating and unlike anything else in golf. Make the green and the crowd erupts. Miss it and you’ll hear about it.

Tiger’s ace in 1997 remains the gold standard for 16th hole moments, but 11 other players have made holes-in-one there over the years. Emiliano Grillo joined that exclusive club in 2025, sending the crowd into another frenzy.

The hole plays differently every day depending on the wind, but it’s always a test of nerve as much as skill. Standing on that tee with thousands of fans watching your every move separates the mentally tough from everyone else.

Reese and his team face unique challenges as they prepare for the Phoenix Open. This year, above-average rainfall created a multitude of problems getting the course seeded around heavy rain events. That’s the reality of desert golf in an unusual weather year.

The greens are an interesting mix of Poa trivialis, creeping bentgrass and perennial ryegrass, averaging 7,069 square feet. That makes them the sixth-largest greens on tour, giving players slightly more margin for error than some venues. But don’t be fooled. The course still necessitates precision.

Fairways and rough get overseeded with ryegrass and fine fescue, creating that perfect winter playing surface. The soil is decomposed granite with illuvial clay, and drainage is good, which matters when you’re dealing with unexpected rainfall.

Water comes into play on six holes, and 67 bunkers guard against wayward shots. The fairways average 38 yards wide across 27.55 acres, with another 70 acres of rough.

Here’s something most fans don’t know: TPC Scottsdale operates via a partnership among the City of Scottsdale, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the PGA Tour. It’s a public-private collaboration that works remarkably well.

The facility includes a second championship course, the Champions Course, designed by Randy Heckenkemper in 2007. It replaced the former Desert Course and offers a stunning complement to its famous sister layout.

TPC Scottsdale proves that tournament golf doesn’t require stuffy country club traditions. It can be loud, rowdy and accessible while still testing the world’s best players. The Stadium Course has hosted some of contemporary golf’s greatest moments since opening nearly 40 years ago.

This week, the action comes to town again. The grandstands will fill up around 16. The crowds arrive ready to party. And Brandon Reese and his crew will have the course in perfect condition despite whatever Mother Nature threw at them during preparation.

That’s championship golf, Arizona style.