AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: Fred Enke is one of five municipal golf courses owned and operated by the City of Tucson and a departure from the other four, as it’s the only desert-target layout in the stable. Designed by Dick Phelps and Brad Benz, it opened in 1983 and later underwent a renovation under the direction of Ken Kavanaugh.
Visually, this is a semi-arid course with limited turf, but the large greens and ample landing areas offer birdie opportunities for those who keep their ball in play. The tee-boxes, landing areas and greens are grassed and the rest of the course is native desert vegetation, with rugged transition areas that can take a toll on golfers who are hitting it sideways.
There are four sets of tees, ranging from 4,991 to 6,726 yards, with a rating of 73.9 and slope of 133 from the back tees. With hilly terrain, calculated bunkering, rugged transitions and multi-tiered greens, it is a course that puts a premium on strategy and accuracy.
Some of the more memorable holes are on the front nine, which also has the only water hazard – a lake – positioned between the first and ninth. On No. 1, the lake runs along the right side of a dogleg right par-4 that plays at 365 yards from the tips. That lake also lurks along the left side of the par-4 ninth hole, which is the No. 1 handicap hole, at 458 yards.
Most consider the fifth to be the signature hole. It is a par-5 of 556 yards that has a 50-foot drop from tee to fairway and plays slightly uphill to the green. That green is connected to the green for the seventh hole, a 378-yard par-4.
Highlights of the back nine are the 14th and 18th holes, both of which have heavy bunkering. On No. 14, a 400-yard par-4, the ideal tee shot is the center of a triangle created by three large bunkers in the primary landing area, and the approach is to a green with an even larger sand trap sprawling along the right side of the green.
No. 18 offers a chance to finish with a birdie on a par-5 of 507 yards from the back tee, but golfers must avoid two large cross-bunkers on their tee shot and hit an accurate approach with bunkers squeezing both sides of the green. The Fred Enke municipal golf course has a lighted driving range and some of the most affordable green fees in the Tucson area.