City: Scottsdale, AZ

Category: Spectator Sports

Address: 17020 N. Hayden Rd.

Description: The Phoenix Open is the one of the top-drawing sporting events in Arizona, usually attracting 500,000 spectators for the weeklong event, held in late January or early February. Sure, you can’t bring cell phones onto the course and golf is a quiet game where you’re not supposed to make too much noise, but this event is one of the most exciting experiences in sport, let alone golf. The culture, party scene, and entertainment surrounding the tournament are part of the attraction, which caters to the average Joe as much as the career-long golfer.The par-3 16th hole seems more like a frat party than a golf tournament. Fans chant and holler at golfers before and after their vertical approach to the green, which is enclosed by the canyon-like walls of surrounding bleachers that pack thousands inside. Like other key holes around the event, the 16th is a place to drink (heavily) and eat (much less). It’s one of the rowdiest holes in golf. If you want to hear birds chirping as one of your favorite golfers strikes a crisp 7-iron into the breeze, you’ll want to set up on a fairway far away.The tournament wasn’t always so popular. Only about 600 people were in the gallery to see Ralph Guldahl finish 5 strokes better than John Perelli to win the tournament in 1932. The tournament was abandoned during the depths of the Depression but was revived by the special events committee of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in 1939. The committee was expanded to become the Thunderbirds, a service group that has been putting on the Phoenix Open ever since. The Thunderbirds put on the Thunderbird Collegiate Invitational and the Thunderbird Junior and Senior Golf Classics each summer.The Thunderbirds have donated an astonishing $53 million to hundreds of local charities over the years. Each year the Thunderbirds contribute to needy children and families and help improve the quality of life for all Arizonans. The Phoenix Open PGA event includes such pretournament activities as a junior golf clinic, 4 Pro-Am events, a pro-celebrity shootout, and a long-drive contest. Prices are $25 for general admission each day. Children 17 and younger get in free with an adult.