Sojourn in Scottsdale

All these layouts are well familiar to veteran visitors.

Here's two that aren't: the Saguaro course at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation's We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and Vista Verde Golf Club.

We-Ko-Pa's Cholla course already graces most national Top 100 Public Course lists, and its wonderfully varied and graceful new sibling, by Coore-Crenshaw (who built the legendary Sand Hills in Nebraska, as well as the Plantation Course at Maui's Kapalua Resort and too many other gems to list), has already won several meaningful "best new" plaudits since its December unveiling.

It's a delight for shot-makers and navigable for less-accomplished golfers, too, thanks to an absence of forced carries.

Vista Verde's architect, Ken Kavanaugh, is known only to golf wonks, but he has done excellent work in the Southwest before, and this course, which will eventually become a private facility, only burnishes his reputation.

Unlike too many desert tracks, it's not claustrophobic, lilypad-to-lilypad golf: A sharp mind is as useful as sharp ball-striking.

Off the Fairway

Scottsdale is worth a trip for the golf alone, but unless you're a 36-holes-a-day masochist, you'll have time for its other attractions -- which in my case meant shopping for mod.

Maybe the most fun stop on my all-too-quick shopping spree was Retro Redux, which mixes fast-selling Knoll, Eames, McCobb and Nelson pieces with oodles of look-alikes and kitschy items, too. It's a browser's delight.

Nearby you'll find the funky Go-Kat-Go, which leans even more toward vintage apparel and accessories, but where Lorraine spotted a chic Oriental clock from the '60s for a mere $95.

We never made it two other high-end mod meccas, D.A.'s Modern ([phone]) and Phoenix Metro Retro. But we did find the new location of veteran dealer Red Modern Furniture and were blown away by the quality of its merchandise, from seating to storage to lighting.

Sadly, our bargain-filled dreams were just that: owner Jonathan Wayne knows what he has, and what it's worth. Although he swore that New York prices were five times as expensive, it felt to us nearly fully valued. If only the stuff was priced in 1950s dollars ...

	The Fabulous Phoenician

We consoled ourselves with a few cool, small gifts -- a bracelet and a pocketbook from the vintage boutique within the store -- for my hip sister-in-law. We also took Wayne's recommendation to have dinner at his brother's Spanish restaurant down the street, Lola Tapas ([phone]).

Its nondescript bungalow housing doesn't sell the place from the street, and the menu is limited -- but thankfully, to sensational food only. We met a friend there, and our trio ordered eight of the nine small-plate dishes available. We left blissfully sated. The communal seating isn't conducive to canoodling, but the place is enjoyably lively.

I hadn't found a Herman Miller driver in Scottsdale, or even a killer pair of lamps; still, the hunt is the thing. Throw in all the great golf and memorable meals, and like skinny ties, I'll be back to Scottsdale again soon.

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