While there’s plenty of time to savor our greater New England courses (last season I played in a skirt and T-shirt the first weekend of December. Great, but the skier in me says a little sooner to wrap the regular season would be fine), it’s also time to plan those fall, winter and spring golf escapes.

With that in mind, I have two words to guide you to an amazing trip; two words that, when I heard them before experiencing them last winter, terrified me.

Desert golf.

Also known as target golf.

I’m talking about Scottsdale, a golf mecca where you can find enough courses to play to keep you coming back for a lifetime, and where, for the most part, you’ll be playing desert/target golf.

What is it, and why isn’t it as terrifying as it sounds? Desert golf means patches of lush green woven into the 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 long holes that are dotted with green – the spots you aim at (and are your target).

Sounds nuts, right? This learning golfer is here to tell you it’s not only doable, I think it might just be good for my game. In essence: I loved it and you will, too.

First, there’s the beauty of it all. Golf, like skiing, is very much about getting out into nature; seeing the beauty of our many landscapes in a slower, up close kind of way. In Scottsdale, that meant soaring mountains around us, rich and uniquely colorful landscapes (I never knew rust could be such a beautiful match up to lush green).

At Papago (https://papagogolfclub.com), one of the nation’s most beloved public courses, I was surrounded by the Papago Buttes as we worked our way through the impeccably maintained municipal course. It’s just a few quick miles from the airport, which means it’s easy to dive into that nature and golf right when you land or – as I did – squeezed in the morning before your flight home.

It was the Monument Course at famed Troon North (https://www.troonnorthgolf.com) where I really connected with the target golf concept.

The course winds through the Sonoran Desert along the base of majestic Pinnacle Peak, and asks the golfer, many times, to focus on precision. It scared me a little and then I remembered: the worst thing that will happen is I’ll lose a ball and maybe a few strokes.

“Just focus on where you want to be, line yourself up and own it,” a golf friend told me as I stared out – a bit anxious – at a patch of green about 140 yards out that was optimal for a landing spot.

I took a breath and – poof! – made the spot. I found as the days of this golf went on, I became more and more adept and at least getting close to where I wanted to be – a huge victory for a learner.

Not every course is totally target; Scottsdale spots know how to let you open it up and just wail that driver, too. At the Phonecian Resort’s pristine golf course, you’ll find plenty of target but in a more classic setting: there’s a little more green to play with out there, but still enough target – and incredible views – to make it special.

Now, I find myself looking for those kind of experiences near my home base; chances to play courses that demand (well, at least ask politely) for a little extra precision.

Widow’s Walk in Scituate (https://widowswalkgolf.com) is one such place. While you won’t find the rust-sand patches of the desert, you will find lots of rough, narrow fairways and some pretty concise green placements.

Then there’s Souther’s Marsh in Plymouth (https://southersmarsh.com) where the 18 holes have you bobbing and weaving through actual cranberry bogs. It’s like a New England version of desert golf; precise, challenging and beautiful.

If you’re thinking desert golf might be too challenging for you, have no fear. Target golf was right on the mark for me. It will be for you as well.