AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: Located on the stark terrain of Yuma, Rolling Hills Golf Course once played a key role in Nationwide Tour history – believe it or not! That’s right, this municipal facility that rises out of these ever-blowing sands in the southwest corner of the state, was a launching point for the second tournament ever played on the Ben Hogan Tour, which became the Nike Tour and then the Buy.com before finally settling on today’s version – the Nationwide. It all happened in February of 1990, when Rick Pearson beat Sam Randolph by two strokes to claim the $150,000 Yuma Open. It was played three more times before it shut down with PGA Tour player Paul Goydos being its most well-known winner.
As for who built the golf course, that’s a little more sketchy, as the only details that remain in Desert Hills’ early history is that the club opened in 1971, or maybe it was 1972. Alas, nobody seems to really care who built it when they tee it up here on these rolling fairways and enormous greens, especially the locals, who “love it.’’ The course stays packed and at a modest green fee does over 75,000 rounds annually. The landscape is fairly sparse, dotted with palms, yuccas, three lakes, a creek and distant views of the Laguna and Picacho mountains. The best stretch comes over the last four holes with the water-guarded par-3 17th earning signature status. True, there is a tendency to diss Desert Hills because it’s in Yuma, somewhat of a desert wasteland. But that would be a mistake because it is a solid golf course from start to finish. The ending is sweet, too, as golfers gather in the Putter Inn for a Desert Burger (bacon, cheese and homemade barbecue sauce), which like the Desert Hills, is surprisingly satisfying.
