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.