As a newbie to golf life, I was a bit anxious about my first multi-day, multi-round golf trip to the desert.

Desert golf — or “target golf” as some like to call it – means patches of lush green woven into desert landscape. It means soaring rocks (often in the middle of a fairway), sandy gullies (often just past the tee box for you to drive over), and for the most part, challenges and approaches I’d yet to encounter as a golfer.

I needn’t have been anxious: My trip to Scottsdale, Arizona – where desert golf is king –was a week I savored. Desert golf is fun, beautiful, and well-suited to a moderately OK golfer like me.

I arrived in Scottsdale (https://www.experiencescottsdale.com) from Boston late November, ready to meet up with a few friends (including the one who hooked me on this sport) via an easy American Airlines direct flight into Phoenix. I left Boston at 6 a.m. and was on a golf course at 1 p.m.

Pro tip: Do rent a car. While some resorts have great shuttle systems, if you are planning to hit a few different courses, you’ll want your own way to and from.

First stop: Troon North (https://www.troonnorthgolf.com), a top nationally ranked club with two courses – I’d play the Monument – that wind through the Sonoran Desert along the base of majestic Pinnacle Peak. Originally designed by British Open Champion Tom Weiskopf and recently updated, Monument erased my worry right away.

Holes are laced through desert landscape and along rocky outcrops, and – as is the design of most desert golf (particularly in this era of water conservation) –mixes plots of perfect fairway, tee boxes and greens with desert conditions, tricky bunkers and lots of ups and downs.

I was sure to choose the correct tee boxes (for me the most forward; no shame there), and the practice of aiming for more direct spots worked like a positive clinic for me.

The views were incredible. We could see mountains, rock formations, the city and even State Farm Stadium, home of Superbowl 2023.

I barely lost a ball, shot a decent (for me) round and smiled – a lot. That’s a truly successful golf day in my book.

I checked into my home base for the trip, the Phoenician Resort (https://www.thephoenician.com); a posh yet comfortable full amenity resort with its own great course, one I’d play that following morning.

The Phoenician Course is indeed a desert course but feels a bit more classic with fairways a tiny bit wider and the five tee boxes designed to give players the right choice for their round.

Tucked next to famed Camelback Mountain, the course is dotted with classic desert flora along with beautiful homes and views from every spot.

With a good look at each hole – and with the practice of “target shooting” the day prior, I played a round so fun my cart partner, a former top ranked collegiate golfer, and I were positively giddy.

And while it’s on the resort grounds, it still feels out in the desert: the foursome in front of us spotted a road runner on one hole.

I took that late afternoon to enjoy the grounds of the resort, relaxing by the pool and soaking in the early winter Scottsdale sun.

Day three sent us to Papago (https://papagogolfclub.com), one of the nation’s top ranked municipal golf courses. Surrounded by the Papago Buttes, it’s less than three miles from the Phoenix airport, making it a great first or last stop for visitors.

Once we wrapped that round, we headed to  our next round at Scottsdale’s Mountain Shadows Short Course (https://www.mountainshadows.com/golf), a 18-hole Par 3 course. For me, it’s the perfect way to take on a 36-hole day.

And don’t let its Par 3 make you think less of it: The public course is quite popular. Alice Cooper, the pro tells me, is a loyal player “You around Sunday?” the pro asks me. “He’s always here and I’m sure would love to play a few holes with you.” Alas, I’d be gone by then.

The next morning I was up before the sun to get in one final round for this trip, this time at the famed We-Ko-Pa (https://wekopa.com). After a great breakfast with course designer Scott Miller, who teased some of his favorite holes (the split fairway hole, for instance, where you truly need to think before taking it on), I played my final round for this visit, again relishing the desert vibe, multi-colored hues and the course’s insistence that I focus on aim.

I flew home that afternoon in time to catch the end of a home town party.

When I wrapped up my last round just a few hours before my flight home – a full 90 holes into my four-day visit – I had one thought:

I wish I had time for another round.