TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course on Simulators: Complete Course Matrix Guide
By the Course Matrix Writer | July 22, 2026
There is no other hole in golf like the 16th at TPC Scottsdale.
This course matrix is part of our ongoing series covering the most iconic simulator-available courses. See also our Pinehurst No. 2 course matrix, TPC Sawgrass course matrix, and Kapalua Plantation Course matrix for other championship venues. For budget builds to play these courses at home, check our best golf simulator under $2,000 guide.
Twenty thousand fans. A stadium coliseum built around a 163-yard par-3. A green surrounded by water, sand, and noise. The loudest hole in the sport. The single most iconic non-major championship setting in professional golf.
TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is the only public golf course on the PGA Tour where the fans are the feature. The WM Phoenix Open is not just a tournament — it is a festival. And the 16th hole is not just a par-3 — it is a 20,000-seat amphitheater where the sound of a hole-in-one can be heard from the parking lot.
But the Stadium Course is more than the 16th hole. It is a Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish design that winds through the Sonoran Desert, demanding precision off the tee, creativity around the greens, and a strategy that respects the desert penalty. It is one of the most-played courses on golf simulators worldwide — and for good reason.
This is the thirty-third installment of our Course Matrix Series, and we are finally covering the course that turned a Phoenix January into the biggest party in golf.
Course Profile
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Architect | Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish (1986) |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,261 yards (Championship) / 6,574 yards (Member) |
| Slope/Rating | 75.4 / 145 |
| PGA Tour Event | WM Phoenix Open (since 1987) |
| Signature Feature | The 16th hole — a 163-yard par-3 surrounded by a 20,000-seat stadium coliseum |
| Signature Hole | 16th — 163 yards, water short-left, massive bunker short-right, shallow green |
| Grasses | Bermuda fairways, overseeded ryegrass in winter, Bentgrass greens |
Three things make TPC Scottsdale a must-play on simulators:
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The 16th Hole Coliseum. The 16th at TPC Scottsdale is the most famous non-major championship hole in American golf. A 163-yard par-3 over water to a shallow green, surrounded by a 20,000-seat stadium that turns every tee shot into a Super Bowl moment. On a simulator, the 16th is a pure execution challenge — one shot, one green, one chance to be the hero.
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The Desert Penalty. The Stadium Course winds through the Sonoran Desert, and the desert is not rough — it is a penalty area. Miss the fairway by ten yards and you are in rocks, cactus, and sand. On a simulator, the desert waste areas teach you more about course management than any tree-lined course ever could. Every tee shot has a preferred miss, and the preferred miss is never the desert.
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The Risk-Reward Balance. Weiskopf and Morrish designed the Stadium Course with a deliberate risk-reward rhythm. The 15th is a drivable par-4 at 344 yards — but the green is surrounded by water. The 17th is a 334-yard par-4 with a desert carry that tempts the big hitter. The 13th is a 193-yard par-3 over a lake. Every risk-reward decision is binary — commit or don’t — and the simulator rewards the decisive player.
Platform Availability Matrix
| Platform | Available | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSPro | Yes | 5 stars | Community LiDAR version — the best all-around simulator experience for TPC Scottsdale. The LiDAR data captures the desert terrain, the stadium infrastructure around the 16th, and the elevation changes across the back nine with exceptional accuracy. The 16th hole’s coliseum is faithfully modeled, including the water hazard, the greenside bunker, and the contours of the shallow green. |
| E6 Connect | Yes | 4 stars | Officially licensed in the premium course collection. Accurate yardage, proper WM Phoenix Open tee configuration, and official tournament branding. The desert waste area rendering is good — the visual contrast between the green fairways and the brown desert creates an authentic playing atmosphere. |
| Trackman Virtual Golf | Yes | 5 stars | Premium library inclusion. Trackman’s ball-flight physics are the gold standard here — the 16th hole’s 163-yard carry over water with a 20-foot elevation change plays exactly as it does in real life. The desert wind modeling (Scottsdale’s afternoon breeze is a real factor) and the approach shot spin simulation on the 15th par-4 are exceptional. |
| FSX Play | Yes | 4 stars | Licensed library. Good graphics — the desert landscape, water features, and stadium infrastructure are well-rendered. The 16th hole’s coliseum is visually impressive. The green contours on the 17th and 18th are accurately modeled. |
| TGC 2019 | Yes | 3 stars | Community version. The routing and hole shapes are accurate, but the desert penalty area modeling is simplified — the waste areas play more like rough than actual desert. The 16th hole’s stadium atmosphere is minimal. |
| Full Swing Simulator | Yes | 4 stars | Licensed library. The KIT launch monitor captures the desert carry strategy well. The 16th hole’s forced carry over water plays authentically. The FSX integration provides good visual feedback. |
| Golfzon TwoVision | Yes | 3 stars | Available in the international course library. The screen-golf format works well for the desert course layout — the forced carries and water hazards create effective visual cues. The 16th hole’s coliseum is modeled but lacks the stadium atmosphere of the real thing. |
| Garmin Home Tee Hero | No | - | Not available. |
| Rapsodo Course Play | No | - | Not available. |
| Awesome Golf | No | - | Not available. |
Which Platform Should You Choose?
For the best experience overall: Trackman Virtual Golf premium library. The ball-flight physics on the 16th hole — the 163-yard carry, the elevation change, the wind effect — are the closest you can get to standing on that tee box in February. The approach shot spin simulation on the 15th and 17th is also best-in-class.
For the best officially licensed version: E6 Connect. The officially licensed version includes WM Phoenix Open branding, accurate tournament tee configurations, and polished visuals of the desert landscape, the stadium infrastructure, and the 16th hole coliseum. The $299/year subscription gives you access to TPC Scottsdale alongside hundreds of other courses.
For the best value: GSPro community LiDAR version. The LiDAR accuracy is exceptional — the desert terrain, the 16th hole coliseum, and the back-nine elevation changes are all faithfully recreated. At $249/year or $499 lifetime, GSPro is the best value for the quality you get.
For budget setups: Connect a Garmin R10 ($395) or Rapsodo MLM2 Pro ($699) to GSPro via third-party connectors. Total cost starts around $850, and you get the full GSPro LiDAR version of the course.
Five Tips for Playing TPC Scottsdale on a Simulator
1. The 16th Hole is One Shot. Make It Count.
The 16th at TPC Scottsdale is 163 yards over water to a shallow green that is 26 yards deep at its widest point. The flag is almost always tucked behind the greenside bunker on the right. The miss is left — and left is water. On a simulator, the 16th is a pure execution hole. Hit a 7-iron or 8-iron to the center of the green and accept the two-putt par. The pin is not the target — the center of the green is the target. The 16th is the loudest hole in golf, but on a simulator, it is the quietest. The only sound is your swing.
2. The Desert is Not Rough. It is a Penalty.
The Stadium Course has 83 bunkers and 120 acres of desert waste area. The desert is not designed to be playable — it is designed to be a one-stroke penalty. On a simulator, the desert plays as a penalty area. If you miss the fairway by more than ten yards, take the unplayable lie penalty and drop in the fairway. The desert is not a place to practice your recovery shot — it is a place to learn why course management matters more than distance.
3. The Back Nine is Where the Tournament Starts
The front nine at TPC Scottsdale is a gentle introduction — four par-4s under 400 yards, two par-5s that are reachable in two, and a par-3 (the 4th) that is a straightforward 178-yard middle iron. The back nine is where the Stadium Course earns its name. From the 10th through the 18th, the course demands precision, risk assessment, and the ability to execute under pressure. The 10th is a 422-yard par-4 with water left. The 12th is a 470-yard par-4 that is the hardest hole on the course. The 15th is a drivable par-4 with water. The 16th is the coliseum. The 17th is a 334-yard par-4 with a desert carry. The 18th is a 442-yard par-4 with water down the entire left side. Play the back nine as a separate round — your score on the front nine does not matter if you cannot survive the back.
4. The 15th Hole is a Decision, Not a Distance
The 15th at TPC Scottsdale is 344 yards from the championship tees. It is drivable for anyone who hits it 290+ yards. But the green is surrounded by water on three sides, and the desert is everywhere else. On a simulator, the 15th is the most instructive hole on the course. The decision to go for the green or lay up is a pure risk-reward calculation. Lay up to 100 yards and you have a wedge into a green that accepts the ball. Go for it and you have a 50-yard pitch from a tight lie if you miss the green, or a penalty drop if you find the water. The correct play is almost always the lay-up. The 15th is a birdie hole from 100 yards. It is a bogey hole from the desert.
5. Set the Wind to 10-15 mph from the West
The Stadium Course was designed to play in the afternoon Scottsdale wind — a consistent 10-15 mph breeze from the west that affects every hole on the back nine. The 16th hole plays directly into the wind in the afternoon. The 17th plays downwind. The 18th plays with a left-to-right crosswind that turns the 442-yard par-4 into a 460-yard challenge. Set the wind to 10-15 mph from the west with gust variability enabled. The Stadium Course is not the same course without the wind.
Desert Golf Strategy: What TPC Scottsdale Teaches You
TPC Scottsdale is one of the best courses on any simulator for one reason: it teaches you how to play desert golf. The desert penalty is the most instructive hazard in the game because it is binary — you are either in the fairway or you are taking a penalty. There is no intermediate state. There is no punching out from under a tree. There is no advancing the ball fifty yards sideways. You are in the desert, or you are not.
On a simulator, the desert penalty translates to a course management lesson that applies to every course you will ever play. Every tee shot at TPC Scottsdale has a preferred miss. The preferred miss is never the desert. The preferred miss is the fat side of the fairway, the short side of the green, or the safest available bail-out area. The discipline to hit to the fat side — even when the thin side offers a shorter approach — is the single most valuable skill the Stadium Course teaches.
The second lesson is the value of the ground game. The Stadium Course’s Bermuda fairways are firm and fast in February. The approaches to the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th are all receptive to a running shot. On a simulator, the ground game is an underutilized tool — most players try to fly every shot to the pin. TPC Scottsdale rewards the player who knows when to let the ball run.
The Verdict
TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course is the most distinctive course in the Course Matrix Series for one reason: the 16th hole. No other course in professional golf has a stadium hole. No other par-3 is surrounded by 20,000 fans. No other tee shot is a Super Bowl moment.
But the Stadium Course is more than the 16th. It is a desert golf masterpiece that rewards precision, course management, and the discipline to hit to the fat side of the fairway. It is the only public course on the PGA Tour where the fans are the feature, the desert is the penalty, and the back nine is a survival test that every golfer — from the weekend warrior to the Tour professional — must navigate with intelligence and nerve.
On a simulator, TPC Scottsdale is the closest you can get to the WM Phoenix Open experience without boarding a plane to Arizona. The 16th hole is one shot with everything on the line. The back nine is a desert gauntlet that will test every club in your bag. And the course itself — the Weiskopf and Morrish design that turned a flat patch of Sonoran Desert into the most exciting week on the PGA Tour — is a masterclass in risk-reward architecture.
The Stadium Course is not the longest course. It is not the hardest course. But it is the most fun course on any simulator — and the 16th hole is the single most iconic shot in simulator golf.
Set the wind to 10-15 mph from the west. Hit the center of the 16th green. Survive the back nine. And remember: the desert is not rough. It is a penalty.