Category: Green Valley

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Green Valley Southern Arizona Tucson

Torres Blancas Golf Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Arizona Golf Course Review: Of the 10 courses built in the active adult community of Green Valley, about 20 miles south of Tucson, the Lee Trevino design at Torres Blancas ranks in the top three on most people’s list.

Torres Blancas, Spanish for “white bell towers” is nestled in the Santa Cruz River Valley at the foot of the picturesque Santa Rita Mountains, which provide some excellent backdrops. One of Arizona’s largest pecan orchards runs along a portion of the course, which also offers views of landmarks such as Elephant Head peak.

The course opened in 1995 and features three lakes with water in play on five holes, large, undulating greens and rolling terrain with mild desert transition areas. Trevino’s layout is certainly player-friendly until you step back to the tips where it’s loaded with challenges, particularly on the back nine.

Five sets of tees offer a level par-72 test from 5,010 to 7,111 yards; from the tips it’s rated at 72.6 with a slope of 130.

Highlights of the front nine are the 392-yard par-4 second where your approach shot must carry a desert-transition area, and the risk/reward par-4, 327-yard fifth hole, featuring an elusive, narrow, yet drivable green for the big hitters, a layup and tricky short iron approach for the rest of us.

The back nine at Torres Blancas plays 400 yards longer than the front and is the stronger of the two. The thrills begin at No. 12, the 181-yard par-3 signature hole. Only one shot will do; an all-water carry over the lake to an enormous, contoured putting surface.

One of the longest holes in the state of Arizona greets you at the 14th tee – a 648-yard par 5 – where you can shave off some distance if you hug the right side and manage to keep your ball in play. The green is wide open in front for run-ons but tricky to putt.

No. 18 completes the loop with a classic 466-yard par-4 that plays uphill; water threatens on the left. The green complex is a sloping affair with a bunker on the right; par here deserves special notation on the card.

Practice facilities at Torres Blancas include an all-turf driving range, putting and chipping greens. After the round, golfers can relax at The Grill at Torres Blancas restaurant.

Expert golf instruction and most importantly, custom club fitting, is available at Torres Blancas from Gary Blaisdell and his Blaisdell Performance Systems teaching staff. Gary has been improving player’s games and customizing their equipment for over 30 years for one very simple reason; his players improve. If your goal is playing more enjoyable golf than you do today, ask Gary to help. He’ll have you authoring those precise golf shots you’ve often seen, but now they’ll be coming off your own clubface.

Torres Blancas is part of Tucson’s Wildcat Trail network, which offers discount pricing at seven of the Tucson area’s top golf facilities. Directly across the street is Canoa Ranch Golf Club, another quality layout in Green Valley and the sister course to Torres Blancas; ask about the memberships that provide equal access to the two courses.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course 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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Green Valley Southern Arizona

San Ignacio Golf Club

The Buzz: Located about 20 minutes south of Tucson, San Ignacio is nestled between the Santa Rita and Tumacocris mountain ranges at 3,000 feet of elevation, providing for some wonderful views and distant backdrops. This land is part of a parcel sold to the United States in 1854 by Mexico and was known as San Ignacio de la Canoa, from where the course takes its name.

It was designed by highly regarded architect Arthur Hills, who sculpted it among the canyons, ridges and arroyos of the Santa Cruz River Valley, using existing topography to create some dramatic elevation changes throughout the layout. Fairways are defined by natural landscaping and hundreds of mesquite trees, leading to multi-tiered greens and smooth putting surfaces.

This is one of those courses where pin placement can make a dramatic difference on a daily basis, which is characteristic of Hill designs, and rugged transition areas will take a toll. Its wilderness setting often provides golfers with a glimpse of native wildlife, such as deer, rabbits, javelin, quail, doves and the occasional bobcat or mountain lion. There are four sets of tees here at 6,704, 6,288, 5,865 and 5,200 yards, and the par-72 layout is rated at 72 with a slope of 135 from the tips.

The course, which opened in 1989, has a memorable finishing stretch and several holes that might qualify as “signature,” but the one that gets that designation is the par-5 13th. It plays at 522 yards from the elevated back tee and has a long, narrow lake running along the full left side. The fairway is bisected and leads to a green that sets 90 degrees left from the end of the fairway with water running up to its front edge. It is a risk-reward hole that keeps you guessing and keeps you returning to face it again.

No. 15 is an excellent downhill par 3 that measures 189 yards, but plays one or two clubs shorter, depending on wind and pin placement. The finishing hole is a good par 4 at 418 yards with out of bounds on the right. The approach shot must carry over a lake, two bunkers guard the back-left and back-right corners and the only bailout is a narrow strip of fairway on the front-right.

Amenities include extensive practice facilities, a John Jacobs’ Golf School, and a clubhouse restaurant and bar where golfers relax after their round to take in the area’s delightful views. It is part of the IRI Golf Group and the Wildcat Trail, which offer discounts and reciprocal playing agreements with other quality courses in the Tucson area.

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Green Valley Southern Arizona

Quail Creek Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: Quail Creek Country Club is one of nine golf facilities built in Green Valley, Arizona, a master-planned active-adult community with a population of less than 20,000 located just 20-miles south of downtown Tucson.

Located on the high desert terrain near the Santa Rita Mountains, Quail Creek recently added another nine-hole course, expanding the club’s offering to 27 holes. Designed by well-known Tucson architect Ken Kavanaugh, the original nine was built in 1989 and the second nine in 1998.

Each course provides four sets of tee markers and play at similar yardage with similar ratings. It is a pure southwest setting with the courses winding through Sahuarita desert terrain but with wide fairways that are relatively flat, making it a player-friendly layout.

From the back tees, the Coyote course plays at 3,534 yards, Roadrunner at 3,431 and Quail at 3,377. Each combination of the three 9-hole layouts is rated around 73 with a slope of 133 for 18 holes. Yardages from the front tees are 2,570, 2,490 and 2,716.

Quail Creek is routed through four water hazards which bring water into play on five holes. A desert wash also winds through the 3-nines, adding to the challenge; rugged mountain ranges and one waterfall provide scenic backdrops for several holes.

The signature hole is the eighth on the Quail-9, a short par-3 of 146 yards with a tee shot over a lake to a green with a large waterfall along the left side of the green. The second hole on Quail, another par-3 of 199 yards, is memorable as well with a long narrow bunker along the end of the fairway and right side of the green creating a beach for a large lake that looms on the right.

The Roadrunner-9 has a pair of short, but notable risk-reward par-4 holes. No. 4, at 358 yards, features a 90-degree dogleg left where cutting the corner is a gamble because of the desert transition and a large bunker guarding the left-front of the green. No. 8, at just 319 yards with a dogleg left, is drivable, but again it’s a gamble because a long, narrow lake guards the end of the fairway and wraps around the left side of the green with a series of four bunkers along the right side.

The Coyote-9 offers the strongest finish with a 507-yard par-5 that has a lake on the left side of the green and two large bunkers on the right.

The semi-private club is open to public play and offers reduced rates to residents. It has complete practice facilities and serves up food and beverages at the Grill at Quail Creek and Oasis Bar & Lounge.

Residents also have access to the Madera Clubhouse, swimming pools and spas, tennis and bocce ball courts, ballroom/auditorium, creative arts and technology center, fitness center and a dog park.

Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Golf Course Buzz 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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Green Valley Southern Arizona

Haven Golf Club

Haven Golf Course
Haven Golf Course

The Buzz: Built in 1963 along the Santa Cruz River, Haven is the course that started it all in this golf-retirement community about 25 miles south of Tucson and about an hour north of the Mexico border. Along this stretch, there are nine courses within close proximity and Haven was the first. It remains the only walking course among that group, which is part of its appeal.

Designed by Arthur “Jack” Snyder, whose work is well known throughout Arizona, it is a traditional parkland layout with mature pines, palm trees and eucalyptus lining the fairways and providing plenty of challenges for golf shots that stray from the short grass. Water comes into play on eight holes and there are some very scenic backdrops provided by the Santa Rita and Tumacacori mountain ranges.

Haven has four sets of tees at 6,905, 6,394, 5,668 and 5,095 yards. The par-72 layout is rated at 71.2 with a slope of 124 from the back tees and is known for having smooth greens and a player-friendly layout with no forced carries. It underwent a renovation project in 2005, including installation of a new irrigation system, which has resulted in excellent playing conditions.

The par-3 fifth and 11th holes can be a handful if played from the tips at 195 and 210 yards. The third hole, a par 5 at 588 yards, is the longest on the course and the No. 1 handicap hole. The No. 2 handicap is the 12th, a dogleg par 4 at 400 yards and also a challenge with its greenside bunkering. Haven offers complete practice facilities, including a driving range, putting green, sand bunker and chipping area.

One unique feature of this facility is that it also has the only true “par-3” course in southern Arizona. Called Tortuga, it is comprised of nine par-3 holes that range from 50-100 yards each for a total of 648 yards and par of 27. It’s a neat little course for kids getting taking up the game or experienced players who want to work on their short game or settle bets, can be played in an hour or less and costs about 10 bucks or less.

The Overpar Grill attached to the clubhouse serves up light fare and beverages. The Haven course also has some of the lowest green fees in the area. That, combined with its friendly atmosphere and conditioning, makes it a popular course that handles about 60,000 rounds per year.

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Green Valley Southern Arizona

Green Valley Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Buzz: This is the only private, full-service member-owned club in Green Valley, a retirement community for activity adults near Tucson, which proudly features eight golf courses. The Country Club of Green Valley, which opened in 1971, borders the Santa Cruz River and old-school Arizona pecan groves. The stately Santa Rita Mountains serve as a backdrop on several holes and 4 water-features bring water into play on 6 holes.

The layout, which is very well maintained, was created by Red Lawrence and presents a traditional design with narrow fairways, six of them doglegs, and modest-size undulating greens that are well-bunkered. Five sets of tees range from 4,809 to 6,628 yards; the course is rated at 71.3 with a slope of 126 from the back tees.

It’s a player-friendly layout with three of the par-5 holes being reachable in two shots for many golfers and only two holes that measure longer than 500 yards from the tips. The back nine is the more interesting of the two and features the signature hole, the par-4 12th, which plays at 422 yards and has a large lake along the right side of a dogleg right fairway and a well-bunkered green that slopes back to front.

No. 14 is much shorter at 342 yards, but has a peninsula green with a lake wrapping around the back and two large bunkers guarding the front. Stay alert because another lake comes into play at both the 16th, a tempting 316-yard par-4,  and the 181-yard par-3 17th.

The round ends with a good birdie opportunity at the par-5 18th that measures just 481 yards from the tips, but only if you can avoid the four strategically placed fairway bunkers and three more that surround much of the green.

The Country Club of Green Valley has excellent practice facilities with a driving range, chipping and putting greens and a practice bunker. It’s also home to a First Tee program. Other amenities at the club include a grill and lounge for casual dining, fine dining at the Lavender Restaurant, a swimming pool and a busy social calendar.

Several membership types are available for residents and non-residents alike, including a one-time trial membership for prospective members for 30, 60 or 90-day terms; the club also features a reciprocal guest policy. There are many outdoor activities available in this area, and the nearby Inn at San Ignacio is a popular lodging option for Green Valley visitors.

Read the Arizona Golf Course Directory AZGA Buzz for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/; it’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.