The Buzz: This is the signature course for Tucson’s largest golf resort, offering 45-holes across three excellent courses designed by Greg Nash and Jeff Hardin. The Conquistador course is located in a lush, park-like setting fringed with natural mesquite and Palo Verde trees intertwined with vibrant desert flora at the base of the Santa Catalina mountain range. It features wide, open fairways and five sets of tees, ranging from 4,826 to 6,801 yards. It plays to par-71 and is rated at 72.6 with a slope of 129 from the back tees. This layout is longer, but more open and flatter than the neighboring Cañada Course. Fast, elevated greens, water hazards and several doglegs define the course. Tough holes on the front nine include the fourth, a 375-yard par-4 requiring an accurate tee shot to avoid desert on both sides and an approach over desert to a tricky elevated green. Another memorable hole is the par-5 fifth at 541 yards with a two-tiered green protected by a pond, bunkers and a treacherous arroyo.
The back nine also has a pair of back-to-back gems. No. 11 is a 539-yard par 5 with a right dogleg, desert along each side of the fairway and a green perched above a ravine with deep rough. The 12th, a 407-yard par 4, demands a precise drive down the left side to avoid being blocked on the approach by a large mesquite tree to another elevated green.
The signature hole is the 16th, a 532-yard par 5 with, appropriately enough, 16 strategically placed bunkers and some of the most scenic views you can find of Pusch Ridge, a mountainous, wilderness area named after pioneer George Pusch.
If you’re lucky enough to stay at this Hilton resort, you are in for a rare treat. El Conquistador includes five restaurants; two lounges; four pools; 31 tennis courts; basketball court; seven racquetball courts; volleyball court; two exercise rooms; three Jacuzzis, saunas; bike rentals; horseback riding and a 143-foot water slide that is pure fun. Sunsets are fantastic and most guest rooms are built around a central courtyard with manicured lawns and a large oasis of swimming pools. All rooms feature Southwestern-influenced contemporary furniture, spacious marble bathrooms, and balconies or patios. Be sure to ask for a mountain-view room so you can take a lasting look at the scenery that dazzled you during your round. And if you need a warm-up before you head over to the Conquistador Course, tee it up on the Pusch Ridge Course, which surrounds the resort and is among the most scenic nine holes you will find in Arizona.
Before hitting the tee, try the Sundance Café coffee shop with a Southwestern buffet-style breakfast. For dinner, the Last Territory Steak House serves cowboy-style steaks, seafood and chicken. Country singers and saloon-style cancan shows also are popular with resort guests.
If you are up for adventure, Pusch Ridge has an extensive trail network and is highly popular with nature lovers. Be advised that water is scarce in these primitive surroundings.