Arizona Golf Courses – Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain
“Jack is Back.” Only 10 years separated Jack’s last two Masters’ victories, but over 25 have passed since Mr. Nicklaus built a golf course in the Tucson locale. Savor a round at the Dove Mountain Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and we expect you’ll agree, it was certainly worth the wait.
You will recognize the Saguaro-9 and the Tortolita-9 as the 7,849-yard 18-hole host venue for the Accenture Match Play Championship televised each February. The Wild Burro-9 completes Dove Mountain’s 27-hole offering and it may be the best of the 3, so don’t skip it.
This harsh Sonoran Desert setting, artfully adorned with the elegant ribbons of manicured golf course turf which televise so well, is genuinely stunning in person. The Tortolita Mountains provide a gentle enclosure from the east, while the vistas to the west from the course’s 3000 foot elevation seem to go on forever. The 3-nines are Nicklaus Signature Design golf at its best. Generous fairways beckon your tee ball among vast expanses of native desert washes and stands of sentinel saguaro cacti.
These are second shot golf courses and the greens are the most formidable line of defense here. Elevated and contoured is the norm, with penalizing run-off areas for the imprecise approach shot. Unless you are a truly skilled player, choose a comfortable tee marker and play your second shots to these inviting targets with enough loft to enjoy holding them; you will be rewarded.
Our take on the raging debate regarding the dramatic undulation Jack built into the greens? They are great fun and they will teach avid amateur players an important lesson.
Mr Nicklaus, perhaps the finest clutch-putter of all time, came back, took a look around and revised them once. The lesson is this; if you’re putting from over there where your ball shouldn’t be instead of over here where the pin is, be quiet, accept your 3-putt, and next time, play a better approach shot.
Visit our Arizona Golf Course Directory List and read the AZGA Player’s Review for every golf course in Arizona at http://www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory/.
It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.