Del Campo went west.
To an unfamiliar land – vast desert, dusty roads, zero humidity, cacti and palms set beneath dramatic mountainscape as far as the eye could see.
An inaugural visit to the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
We had heard the rumors and seen the viral videos. Make no mistake, this stop on the PGA TOUR circuit had a reputation that preceded our trek.
Now, five days later and back in our little pocket of North Florida, I can say with confidence: the hype was real, albeit for reasons perhaps unforeseen.
Let me explain…
FAN SHOP FRENZY: first, we had the out-of-body experience of seeing our Del Campos live from the PGA TOURs Fan Shop for the very first time. This wasn't a number on a spreadsheet or a new order app notification, this was real life. Watching fans stop at the rack, snag a pair of WM trash truck Del Campos, and take them to checkout was surreal. Good choice, amigo.
Special shoutout to the TOURs merchandise & operations team. The merch in shop was unique, diverse, and had the perfect dose of local. They had hoards of fans storming the gates but had that thing flowing like a Saturday morning Chick-Fil-A. Job well done.
DEL DAWGS: equally epic, still, is seeing our OGs wield the smiley on golf's biggest stages. The Road Dawgs, Matt McCarty and caddy Dev Das, are two of the easiest guys to cheer for. We stopped by their local abode, supplied them with fresh, tour-ready sockwear, and gave it our all for a few loops around TPC Scottsdale.
There were highs (a Friday birdie on the iconic 16) and lows (a narrowly missed cut), but that almost made the experience that much more meaningful for me: we ain’t there only when birdies are flowing, we’re along for every inch of the ride. I assure you, we will never take these experiences for granted.
TPC SCOTTSDALE: the place far outdid expectations. A fun, fair layout with ample birdies and bogeys to be had. Great food/drink options. Easy parking. Reasonably priced.
The golf experience reminded me a bit of our Sawgrass version: yes, there is the big show that is #16. And yes, there are big times (and bar tabs) being had.
But that ain’t the only thing to do.
About a 3-iron away, the stretch of 4,5,6,7 was quaint, relaxed, risk-reward laden, and made actual golf viewing highly accessible. All in: this is an elite venue and a trip worth making, no matter your golf-specific motivation.
GOLF CAMP AZ: last but not least, we took our GOLF CAMP concept on the road once more. GOLF CAMP, as you may or may not know, was our brainchild built for small and emerging brands in golf. Equal parts party and pop-up, GOLF CAMP is a way for brands to come together, showcase their work, talk shop, and share stories.
Devereux Golf, with deep roots in AZ, were of the first commits to our inaugural GOLF CAMP here in North Florida for the 2025 PLAYERS Championship. The point of it, to a large extent, was for us locals to play host: out-of-town brands could experience the PLAYERS authentically through our lens AND we could enable local golf enthusiasts to meet these out-of-town brands.
Naturally, when scoping the 2026 calendar, Devereux stepped up to the plate and insisted on playing host this weekend for their version of GOLF CAMP.
And they knocked it out of the park.
Set in a downtown Phoenix warehouse, among a flurry of local taquerias and bars, GOLF CAMP AZ felt dramatically different than the prior two versions: a palmy North Florida boutique hotel and a heart-of-Chelsea NYC showroom…
and that is exactly the point.
We had classic cars. Bangin’ choppers. Graffiti signage. Original PING Hoofer bags. Birria tacos. Local brews. Film cameras. Live embroidery. New drops. Exclusive merch. And a ranging crowd of die-hard golf junkies and those that aren’t as familiar with the game, but came for the good time.
Among the night’s beautiful chaos, I couldn’t help but think:
I have more connection to Phoenix than maybe I remembered.
My mom’s family is all of Phoenix origin. She grew up there before relocating to Florida in high school. As kids, we would visit every other year or so. Card games, breakfast quesadillas, and enough tequila to put down a large horse. I spent one morning this trip driving by the home we shared a few Christmases in.
And now, some 25 years later, I felt like I was with a different breed of family.
It’s really cool when you meet folks from completely different backgrounds that you share a common thread with. You often can’t fully explain how or why, but you just vibe with these folks. They get it.
Bert, Heffy, Chino, Cody, Jordy – the guys behind Devereux - have supported us and GOLF CAMP since introduced to the concept. They took a chance on us, coming to North Florida to experience the PLAYERS through our lens. Now, we were in Arizona living the WMO as they do it.
People can host a branded sponsored party at the 5-star hotel all day long – those are fun times, for sure. But for us, doing it as locals do will always be the move.
So shoutout Devereux and fellow co-hosts Hat Club and 805 Brewing. We appreciate you and look forward to reciprocating next month for our hometown PLAYERS Championship.
See ya at CAMP!
