How the Good Good Desert Open Will Showcase the Joys of Night Golf

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First Published by GolfPass

The event, broadcast Feb. 7 on Peacock, will show how the popularity of night golf is surging thanks to new facilities debuting around America.

Remember the good old days of night-golf duels between Tiger Woods and Phil or Sergio (and others) during the late 1990s and early 2000s?

They’re back, with a modern YouTube-style twist and a whole new cast of celebrities, athletes and influencers. The Good Good Desert Open is a 14-hole competition taking place under the lights on the new Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills in Phoenix. The event will take place Feb. 7, streaming on Good Good Golf’s YouTube channel starting at 9 p.m. ET before Peacock takes over exclusively starting at 10:15 p.m. Golfers who sign up with GolfPass automatically get a Peacock subscription.

I’ll be watching strictly to relive the joys of my rounds playing night golf in Orlando, Los Angeles, Cabot Citrus Farms and South Korea and celebrate that night golf continues to rise in popularity. It’s one of my favorite ways to play golf.

The rise of night golf continues to surge

Low-slung lights keep The Wedge at Cabot Citrus Farms playable at night.Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass

Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills opened to night golf play on Dec. 1, 2023, after more than 78 LED lights were installed to illuminate the golf course, which plays as a par 54, par-3 golf course at night and as an executive-length golf course (with par 3s and 4s) during the day.

Golfers are able to track their ball flight through the night sky on holes that range from 90- to 200-plus yards, all while enjoying 360-degree views of downtown Tempe, Sky Harbor Airport, downtown Phoenix, the Phoenix Zoo and the nighttime silhouette of Papago Buttes.

Grass Clippings hopes to export its night golf, short-course concept elsewhere, but night golf is already spreading quickly. Within the past year alone, three new night-lit golf courses have debuted – The Wedge at Cabot Citrus Farms in Brooksville, Fla.; The Lit 9 at The Park West Palm in West Palm Beach, Fla. and The Swing at Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas.

If you’re not playing night golf, you’re not hanging with the cool kids on the golf course. It’s fun, usually involving music, drinks and a more casual vibe. It’s a great way to end the day.

Who’s playing in the Good Good Desert Open?

Twenty-six two-person teams will compete for the Good Good Desert Open championship playing a scramble format. Probably the biggest name most golf fans will recognize is Paige Spiranac. I’m curious to see how former Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel (aka ‘Johnny Football’) looks on the golf course.

The lineup of athletes, creators and celebrities scheduled to play includes: