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Benson Southern Arizona

Turquoise Hills Golf Course & RV Park

Arizona Golf Course List – Arizona Golf Authority Golf Course Guide

This little executive course isn’t going to challenge low-handicappers, but it is a popular place with all the golfers in the Benson area, just southeast of Tucson on I-10, not just those driving an RV who happen to be passing through.

Previously known as Coyote Hills Golf Course, it was originally designed by Gary Kay as a nine-hole regulation course and now is an 18-hole executive layout with some nice features including greens and tees that are slightly elevated. Water features include a five-tiered waterfall and it has Arizona’s only “triple green” with a single clover-shaped complex that serves as the green for three holes.

Three sets of tees are provided, 3,075, 2,740 and 2,176 yards, and resting at 3,600 feet of elevation, the golf course plays even shorter than the numbers suggest. Par is 58, with a rating of 56.5 and slope of 85.

You’ll find 14 par-3 holes and four par 4s, which measure 303, 270, 348 and 281 yards, the Par-3 holes range from 83 to 201 yards. Also on-site are a 5,000-square-foot putting green and a chipping green, but no driving range. The course also has banquet facilities and the Turquoise Bar, which is open evenings, and the Grill, which serves breakfast and lunch. Green fees are less than $30 throughout the year.

Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

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Benson Southern Arizona

San Pedro Golf Course

The Buzz: Some unique river-wilderness terrain provides the setting for this course, which was donated by its owner to the city of Benson late in 2010. Golfers will remember the San Pedro for a front nine that plays along the San Pedro River and over natural washes, and a back-nine playing through natural canyons with a distinct links feel. Free from the restraints of any real estate development, this course offers an escape from busy life in an historic area known as a long-time transportation hub and the stronghold where Cochise and his warriors waged war with the U.S. Calvary. Designed by Mark Rathert, the course that opened in 2003 features generous, rolling fairway lined with mesquite and bentgrass greens. The back nine is more of a canyon-style layout, with dramatic elevation changes and spectacular views of the Dragoon mountain range to the east. The greens are large, fast and undulated. Water comes into play on several holes in the form of washes, ponds and the San Pedro River. It plays at 7,313-yards from the back tees, and the four-hole stretch starting at No. 12 is the most memorable. The par-4 12th is a dogleg right with a narrow landing area and a narrow approach to a bowl-shaped green. Make sure to take a look back once you reach it as the scenery is stunning. No. 13, a 605-yard par 5, sits at the highest point on the course, which is encased by three mountain ranges, at about 3,600 feet. No. 15 is a par 3 with a 50-foot drop to the green. Take a bit of a breather on 16 and 17 because the par-4 18th is a handful at 457 yards with a split fairway and water in play on the second shot to a green that is well-guarded by a bunker. Golfers relax at the Ironwood Grill and Sunset Terrace after their round. Benson accepted the course donation in October 2010 and earmarked $70,000 for upgrades to the clubhouse and other facilities. If you have more time to spend in the area, it’s a short drive to the dramatic Kartchner Caverns and to Cochise Stronghold, an area in the Dragoons where the Indian chief is buried and where his tribe staked its claim, but be advised that it remains a rugged, desolate area with few facilities available. To the north of the San Pedro course also sets a former stage shop where the Butterfield Overland Stage Company established a transportation hub connecting the east to both Mexico and California. It later became a terminus for the Sonoran Railroad, shipping copper, silver and other goods to the West Coast and linking Benson to Phoenix. As mining declined, ranching, tourism and the Apache Powder Company grew as prominent revenue streams. Along with the golf, this area is an outdoorsman’s paradise with excellent camping, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, birding and four-wheeling.