AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: It’s not uncommon for private golf courses to convert to public play, especially in the economic climate of recent years, but Desert Hills went the opposite direction nearly 30 years ago.
This was one of the first courses built in the golf-rich Green Valley retirement community south of Tucson, opening as a public course in 1979, and becoming a private equity club five years later that has flourished in that realm.
Designed by Dick Bailey, and course architect Dave Bennett, it is a walkable, player-friendly layout with just enough birdie opportunities and challenges to maintain a healthy membership pool. It is one of the few private clubs with no monthly minimum spending requirement and proudly claims that it is “financially stable with no debt, and money in the bank.”
Desert Hills is a relatively flat layout with mild desert in the transition areas, smooth greens, generous fairways and some nice views of the Santa Rita Mountain Range. Set in the Santa Cruz Valley at an elevation of about 3,000 feet, it is considerably cooler in the summer months than Tucson and Phoenix.
The property spans 120 acres with five lakes that bring water into play on seven holes. There are four sets of tees at 6,490, 6,159, 5,949 and 5,247 yards, with a rating of 71.7 and slope of 129 from the tips.
The No. 1 handicap hole is the fifth, a 359-yard par 4 with water prominently in play, but it is sandwiched between a pair of good birdie opportunities – the par-5 fourth plays at 496 yards and the par-5 eighth at 485 from the back tees.
Move up one set of tees, and there are no 500-yard holes to deal with. The par 3s range from 162 to 204 yards from the back tees, and the signature hole is the 18th, a 526-yard par 5, which has a double dogleg and a heavily bunkered green, and is the No. 6 handicap hole.
Membership approved the replacement of all greens at Desert Hills in 1998 and an expansion of the clubhouse the following year. It does not have a restaurant, but offers a full-service bar and snack bar, and has meals and other activities that are catered with special events monthly.
Desert Hills has nice practice facilities, including a driving range and putting green, and a reciprocal membership policy is in effect for outside play.