Think of the TPC Scottsdale – the longtime home of the Waste Management Phoenix Open – as a 36-hole progress piece, always growing and evolving to enhance the fan experience. Here are a few new upgrades for the 2026 tournament.
New Fan Entrance
If the notion of an additional entry to the Open doesn’t excite you much, then obviously you didn’t suffer the unprecedented crush of fans during the rain-soaked ’24 event. A major success last year, this second ingress near the 18th tee returns in 2026.
16th Hole Glow-Up
Known as “the loudest hole in golf,” the iconic 20,000-seat grandstand stadium at the 16th hole is going to finishing school. The redesigned venue will boast more spacious suites, plus luxury amenities at the Pin Hi Club meant to mirror the chic Bay Club on 17. Don’t fret, rowdies – the GA seats will still thump.
TPC Family Care center
Following the addition of a second fan entrance and other common-sense course improvements in 2025, the Thunderbirds are re-routing a cart path to improve access to the Desert Oasis area in 2026, while lowering a hill to accommodate a shaded rest station for families and nursing moms near the 11th tee.
Mystery Cocktail Pop-Up
Before this issue went to press, a little birdie (the rumor-spreading kind, not the under-par kind) hinted that a certain, prominent Valley cocktail bar (rhymes with “Shmarry On”) was in talks to produce a weeklong pop-up cocktail lounge at the Open.
