Tag: Tucson golf courses

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Southern Arizona Tucson

Skyline Country Club

Arizona Golf Authority AZGA Golf Course Review: If you’re in Tucson and like playing private country club golf on dogleg fairways, you’ll love playing Skyline Country Club. Absent the par-3s, you’ll only find one “dead straight” hole on the entire course; all the rest require a left or right turn and in most cases those turns are sharp and dramatic.

While it is a relatively short course, there are plenty of challenges to test your best: narrow fairways and plenty of O.B. stakes, sharp elevation changes, uneven lies and multi-tiered greens. In other words, shot-making is the key to success here.

Built alongside the picturesque Santa Catalina Mountains, Skyline is one of Tucson’s oldest private country clubs. Built in 1961, it is believed to be the only course ever designed by one Mr. Guy S. Greene. Tom Clark of Ault, Clark and Associates oversaw a re-design in 1989 and the company also handled a renovation in 2003.

Mr. Greene’s original design took advantage of the topography at 3,000 feet of elevation, creating holes that weave their way through the mountainous terrain, using them as backdrops and providing excellent views of the Tucson skyline in the distance. The par-71 layout has five par-3s and four sets of tees that range from 4,951 to 6,138 yards, with a rating of 69.5 and slope of 129 from the tips.

Water appears on just two holes and fewer than 40 bunkers threaten play, but the design still puts a premium on accuracy rather than length. Several risk-reward holes titillate here, starting with the fifth. The 478-yard par-5, a sharp dogleg left, can be reached in two shots by many golfers, provided they successfully cut the corner with out of bounds on both sides and can keep their approach on the smallest green on the course.

The seventh and ninth holes are excellent par-3s, which play 146 and 181 yards from the back tees. Both play uphill over lakes. The 7th has four bunkers surrounding a green that slopes back to front. No. 9 is considered one of the best par-3s in the Tucson area and features a pair of large bunkers behind a wide-but-shallow green; yardage control is paramount here.

Thrilling golf begins early on the backside. The 10th hole is a drivable par-4 of 256 yards, but your tee shot better be accurate because there are four large fairway bunkers to negotiate, along with three large, deep greenside bunkers.

The best par-5 is the 16th, which plays at 519 yards; a double dogleg routing and a two-tiered green guarded by bunkers front-left and front-right provide all the fun.

Skyline has limited practice areas with putting and chipping greens but no driving range. Other amenities include state-of-the-art tennis courts and swimming, plus fine and casual dining with an excellent Sunday brunch.

Read the Arizona Golf Course List AZGA Player’s Arizona Golf Course Review for every golf course in Arizona at www.arizonagolfauthority.com/coursedirectory.

It’s “All Things Arizona Golf” from the Arizona Golf Authority.

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Southern Arizona Tucson

Quail Canyon Golf Course

AZGA Arizona Golf Buzz: In an area of Tucson, best known for its upscale resort courses, Quail Canyon offers a refreshing alternative as one the few true par-3 courses in Arizona. Designed by Gil Kammert, this course formally called Cliff Valley Golf Course, opened in 1965 on a 30-acre plot that offers some excellent views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and has some history on its side as the site of a former dude ranch.

In 1978, Ralph and Paul Hays bought the property, which is actually a southern extension of Pima Canyon, and transformed its rocky riding trails into a golf course. Much of the ranch ambience remains, such as the old chicken coop that is now a storage shed.

The course is relatively flat and features narrow fairways and small sloping greens with one lake that brings water into play on three holes. Mature trees frame the holes and it is common to see wildlife roaming the grounds.

There are two sets of tees at 2,311 and 2,236 yards, with a rating of 52.0 and slope of 99. Par, of course, is 54 on the course with 18 par-3 holes that range from 103 to 165 yards.

The 14th hole, at 121 yards, might be the most fun with a tee shot directly over the only water hazard. That lake also brings water into play on the fifth and 12th holes.

Golf isn’t the only attraction here as Quail Canyon also has a well-regarded tennis center, the Quail Canyon Saloon and the highly popular Pauli’s Café. This restaurant is known for its home-style cooking with fare such as its “mile-high cinnamon rolls” and strawberry-rhubarb pie.

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Southern Arizona Tucson

La Paloma Country Club

la-paloma-hill-course-6

La Paloma Country Club – Canyon / Hill / Ridge Courses
Ask local golfers to choose the best country club in the Tucson area, and this place is going to get plenty of votes. La Paloma, situated in the foothills of the Santa Catalina mountains, is part of an 800-acre development that combines stunning mountain and city views with superb amenities and service.

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La Paloma is the first project Jack Nicklaus tackled in Tucson and one of his first as a course designer after working under several architects, including Pete Dye in the 1960s and ‘70s. La Paloma, built in 1984, has three nine-hole courses called Ridge, Canyon and Hill, which are played in combinations.

Nicklaus insists that his early designs were mellow, but some golfers have left this course muttering about “Jack the Ripper.” Each of the course combinations have six sets of tees and play at about 7,000 yards from the tips.

The Ridge/Canyon combo is the toughest with a rating of 72.9 and a slope of 151. Tee times are reserved for club members and guests of the Westin La Paloma Golf Resort & Spa, a world-class facility that has earned numerous accolades from Golf Digest and Conde Nast Traveler.

la-paloma-canyon-9-photographFairways are tight in spots, but are bowl-shaped on the outer edges, helping funnel tee shots back to the short grass. If you’re playing it for the first time, consider leaving your driver in the bag because it’s not wise to try to overpower this layout – attack where appropriate during your second loop if you dare.

As for memorable holes, Ridge has a pair of excellent par 3s. The fourth, at 199 yards, is a picturesque hole that plays across the edge of a canyon floor 30-40 feet below the green and has rolls and depressions that divide the green into three distinct pin placement areas. No. 7 is shorter at 171 yards across a valley and sand trap to a small, hillside green.

Canyon features an extremely difficult four-hole stretch starting at No. 5, a 542-yard par 5 that is the No. 2 handicap hole and requires an approach shot over a deep canyon. Next up are par 4s at 355 and 445 yards with terraced greens cut into natural hillsides and a 211-yard par 3 that requires a tee shot over natural desert to a well-bunkered green.

The Hill, however, is the most famous nine because it was the setting for part of the film Tin Cup, starring Kevin Costner and Renee Russo. It also has a great finishing stretch, highlighted by the fifth hole, a sweeping dogleg par 4 at 467 yards, and the seventh, a 538-yard par 5 dogleg right with an approach shot over a wash to a small, pristine green.

Along with the skyline, La Paloma also offers views of Kitt Peak, the fifth-largest observatory in the country, and a landmark known as Finger Rock, which juts up from the Santa Catalinas. La Paloma Resort amenities are all top shelf and deserve a visit – though, perhaps just a look at the 177-foot waterslide will suffice; your choice.

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Southern Arizona Tucson

J.W. Marriott Starr Pass – Coyote / Rattler / Roadrunner Course

Starr Pass - J.W. Marriott - Tucson

Arizona Golf Courses – J.W. Marriott Starr Pass
This parcel has evolved from a historic stagecoach stop – to a Tournament Players Club, handpicked by the PGA Tour commissioner – to a golf course re-invented by the legendary Arnold Palmer as the centerpiece of the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa. It opened in 1986 and remains one of the crown jewels of Tucson golf. It is comprised of three nine-hole courses – Coyote, Rattler and Roadrunner – that are played in 18-hole combinations, wrapping around and through the resort property.

Starr Pass – J.W. Marriott – Tucson

Rattler is the longest of the three and grabs you out of the gate with stunning views of the Tucson metro area and surrounding mountain ranges. Roadrunner, which starts just yards outside of the resort doors, features dramatic elevation changes and swirling winds created by the Tucson Mountains that make the challenge exceedingly more interesting. Coyote is the more isolated of the three, heading west, away from the city and into the natural habitat of jackrabbits, deer, quail and other critters common to Southwest climes.

Throw in six sets of tees on each nine and you’ve got about as many combinations as there are lottery numbers. So let’s try to simplify a touch. Played from the back tees, yardages, ratings and slope are: Roadrunner/Rattler 6,657, 72, 147; Coyote/Roadrunner 6,696, 72.1, 143; Rattler/Coyote 6,913, 73, 139.

Yardages from the front tees, respectively, are 5,450, 4,708 and 5,145. Common denominators are that these layouts aren’t particularly long, but the slope ratings suggest they are tough as shoe leather. Keep your golf ball in play or pay the price for errant shots. By resort-course standards, this represents a stiff challenge.

The course originated as an 18-hole layout called TPC at Starr Pass when Deane Beman was commissioner of the PGA Tour. Well-regarded Bob Cupp and Craig Stadler designed what are now the Coyote and Rattler nines to become a PGA Tour stop. That combination often is referred to as the Classic Course and at various times during the year is set up to play as it did formerly. The original layout served as host or co-host of tour events from 1987-96, including the 1991 event when Phil Mickelson, who was attending Arizona State University at the time, became the fourth amateur player to win a tour event.

Palmer and Company designed Roadrunner and revamped the original 18 in 2004, completing the layout which is sanctioned as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. Public, daily-fee rounds account for about half of the play here.

Memorable holes include No. 5 on Rattler, No. 6 on Coyote and No. 2 on Roadrunner. The fifth on Rattler is a 510-yard par 5 with a split fairway and it, along with the third hole, a 193-yard par 3, were ranked among the most difficult holes on the tour while the course was part of that rotation. The sixth on Coyote is the resort’s signature hole, which is apropos because it marks the site of a stagecoach trail established by Richard Starr about 125 years ago. At 337 yards from the back tees, it is the shortest par 4 on the course but the temptation to hit a driver instead of a long iron off the tee is high, even though you can’t see the green. Roadrunner’s second hole is a downhill par 4 at 450 yards from the back tee where your approach shot has to carry a wash that wraps around the front and right side of a narrow green. The only water in play occurs when there is enough rainfall to flow through the normally dry washes.

Starr Pass also has a program that offers free golf to kids when accompanied by an adult. Practice and clubhouse facilities are first class and resort amenities are among the best in the Tucson area, including excellent dining at the Catalina Steakhouse.

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Marana Southern Arizona Tucson

Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain

Arizona Golf Course List - Dove Mountain Ritz-Carlton Golf Course - Arizona Golf Authority
Dove Mountain Ritz-Carlton - Tortolita Golf Course

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.

Arizona Golf Course List - Dove Mountain Ritz-Carlton Golf Course - Arizona Golf Authority
Dove Mountain Ritz-Carlton – Tortolita Golf Course

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.