The Buzz: Randolph Park stands as the longest course of the five in the City of Tucson system and, for many public players, the preferred layout. What they don’t see below the surface is a rich history of one of the most popular municipal courses in the United States. For starters, the entire Randolph Park complex is an oasis left to the town by railroad tycoon Espes Randolph in the early 1900s, using land he stipulated must be used for parks and recreation. The course was created in 1925, at a time when sand fairways and cottonseed greens were in order, were sprayed with oil to keep them from being swept away by wind and were raked by golfers after they putted out.
It was grassed in 1936 under the direction of legendary course designer William F. “Billy” Bell, who slept on the clubhouse floor during the project, which was completed with labor provided by one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” programs. Bell also designed the second Randolph Course, now known as the Dell Urich course, in 1961. It was revamped in 1996 and, together, they are the second-most played public golf complex in the country, behind Torrey Pines in San Diego, also designed by Bell.
The parkland-style course has been modified over the past 30 years to accommodate tournaments as the host of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events, adding even more to its history. Annika Sorenstam, who played college golf at the nearby University of Arizona, captured her LPGA Hall of Fame victory here and won the event twice. Other winners on the course include Juli Inkster, Dottie Pepper, Meg Mallon, Laura Davies and Jan Stephenson. Winners of the Joe Garagiola Tucson Open played at Randolph include Tom Watson, Craig Stadler and Johnny Miller.
Randolph Park is a straightforward layout with good bunkering, tree-lined fairways, which run parallel, and has water in play on five holes. The location, in the heart of Tucson, provides close proximity to many fine restaurants and hotels. Add it up, and Randolph North might well be Tucson’s best value course.