Matt Ginella may have the world’s greatest job as a travel writer for Golf Digest, getting paid to travel, eat and golf. Following his tracks has to be almost as fun though.

We set off for a couple of long desert days illustrating his upcoming piece on the golf oasis that is Scottsdale, Arizona. We used the Xona Resort Suites as our base-camp. The first stop was the Champions Course at TPC. The early morning weather set us back a bit, with a frost warning holding us up until the course thawed enough to walk on. Later that afternoon we hit the Talking Stick Golf Club. We had some beautiful light, but never saw the coyotes that frequent the course.

While we didn’t get to golf any of the courses we visited for the piece, just seeing a place like We Ko Pa in nearby Fountain Hills is worth a trip. We got especially lucky because a morning rain came through, intensifying the colors of the landscape for us. The staffs of all three venues were very friendly and accommodating. In fact, everyone we met in Arizona was really nice.

Wanting to give the magazine several opener options, we spent some time photographing a Scottsdale landmark, Pinnacle Peak. In the image at right, a long exposure helps us make the clouds more dramatic and the sky more intense (as if the Arizona sky needs any help).

Before we flew out, our good friend Erin Hunt took us to The Ranch Market for fresh fruit juices called Aguas Frescas. Then we swung over to the Phoenix Art Museum, where we took in their collection of Phillip C. Curtis paintings. Add both to your next Phoenix itinerary.

Before you check out the printed issue in May, read Ginella’s blog about his trip here.

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