FOR DECADES Scottsdale has been a winter escape hatch for freezing Midwesterners longing to nab a sunrise tee time. Phoenix’s more relaxed neighbor caters to anyone who’s ever picked up a golf club, with more than 50 courses within its borders and some 200 among the Phoenix metro area. “The best part about Arizona courses is the variety. They all have different personalities,” said rocker Alice Cooper, who plays 300 rounds a year in his home state. While snowbirds have long enjoyed Scottsdale’s links, resorts, spas, dining and untamed desert landscapes, increasingly the city caters to a younger crowd. Thanks to a smartphone-enabled...