Tucson, Arizona
A feature from the IAGTO Directory
2018
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona Play on 40 courses in a sun-soaked, desert mountain setting Set in the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, Tucson is an oasis that lures golfers with 40 courses and over 300 days a year of sunshine. Encircled by five mountain ranges, Tucson offers outdoor adventures, borderland culture and delicious food – the city is the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the USA.
Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course
Omni Tucson National Golf Club For some 30 years, Omni Tucson National Resort has hosted prestigious PGA TOUR events where legendary champions have graced its fairways and battled for glory. Omni has two championship golf courses. The desert-style Sonoran Course, designed by TOUR champion and Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, offers a combination of native desert vegetation with strategic fairway bunkering. The more traditional Catalina Course hosts the Cologuard Classic, a Tucson PGA TOUR Champions event (February 26–March 4, 2018) and is ranked among Golf Digest’s 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America. It is parkland style with eight lakes and more than 80 bunkers, some very deep and penal. The 18th hole is noted as one of the PGA TOUR’s most challenging finishing holes. Nestled in the foothills of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains, the resort offers 128 casitas, several dining options, Tucson’s only four-star, Forbes-rated spa, and facilities that include outdoor dining terraces and a cabana bar, tennis courts and an infinity edge pool. Visit www.omnihotels.com 72
Tucson, Arizona
Starr Pass Golf Club at JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa Former home to the PGA TOUR’s Tucson Open, this 27-hole, Arnold Palmer Signature design is a true desert experience, as all hazards are natural elements of the environment. The three nines wind through Saguaro-studded mountains and arroyos, each named after the abundant desert wildlife: Rattler, Road Runner and Coyote. The Starr Pass legend, which began over 120 years ago when Richard Starr crafted a trail through the rugged Tucson Mountains, continues today as the Coyote’s 6th fairway marks the trail. The 6th is rated the third best hole in Tucson.
The Coyote Course - hole 7
The JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa overlooks the city of Tucson from the Tucson Mountain foothills, offering luxurious rooms, indoor and patio dining, the Hashani Spa, hiking and biking trails, refreshing pools, and the Starr Canyon tubing river. Visit www.marriott.com
Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol Resort, Spa and Conference Centre Wanting to honour the natural gifts of their land, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe hired fellow Native American, Notah Begay – who is of Navajo and Pueblo descent, a PGA TOUR player, NBC television and Golf Channel commentator, and a noted golf course designer – to carve out a challenging course on Sonoran Desert tribal land. Its 40,000 native plants and 14 acres of man-made lakes create a golfing oasis in the desert landscape. Sewailo, meaning flower world in the Pascua Yaqui language, blends the native landscape with picturesque lakes and streams. Adjacent to the course, Casino del Sol Resort’s high-rise hotel includes dining, a high-end gaming salon, the Hiapsi Spa and Fitness Centre, and a pool with private cabanas. Visit www.sewailogolfclub.com
Sewailo Golf Club
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Tucson, Arizona
El Conquistador’s Cañada Course
El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Oro Valley Enjoy breathtaking views from elegant facilities with two golf courses, tennis and more. The par-71 Conquistador Course enjoys a lush, park-like setting fringed with vibrant desert flora at the base of the Santa Catalina mountain range. Wide fairways, fast elevated greens, water hazards and several doglegs define the course. With saguaro-capped hillsides, natural desert terrain and spectacular views from nearly every hole, the Cañada Course it is as scenic as it is challenging. Cañada is Spanish for canyon and this course winds through ravines and arroyos, providing several natural hazards. Visit www.elcongolfandtennis.com
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Tucson, Arizona
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort Inspired by nature and surrounding saguaro cacti, this resort is set in 100 acres in the Santa Catalina foothills, blending into the southwestern landscape with two PGA TOUR, Tom Fazio-designed courses. The Mountain Course climbs up the foothills. The signature 3rd hole, a short par three, is tucked into the rugged rocks and plays across a canyon of cacti offering a breathtaking view that stretches across the Sonoran Desert into Mexico. The Canyon Course winds through the beauty of canyon scenery, this desert gem featuring generous fairways and impressive views throughout. Loews Ventana is a four-diamond resort featuring 398 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites, five restaurants and lounges, pools, a spa and numerous activities. Visit www.loewshotels.com/ventana-canyon
The Canyon Course
City of Tucson municipal courses Tucson has five municipal golf courses, all of them affordable. To experience Tucson’s rugged topography, tee-off at the Fred Enke course. The Silverbell and El Rio-Trini Alvarez courses have both had recent makeovers; El Rio has been returned to its original look for golfers to play on an old-style course. Randolph, the longest City of Tucson golf course, is a scenic course with numerous tall trees, lush fairways, and views of the mountains surrounding Tucson. It has been reconstructed under PGA recommendations, to enhance the course and make it more challenging for pros. Visit www.tucsoncitygolf.com Course Name
Rating / Slope
Yardage
Architect
Built
Dell Urich Golf Course
Holes Par 18
70
66.4-70.8 / 111-122
5270-6633
William P. Bell & Ken Kavanaugh
1996
El Rio-Trini Alvarez Golf Course
18
73
68.5-72.3 / 119-123
5050-6316
William P. Bell & Ken Kavanaugh
1929
Fred Enke Golf Course
18
72
66.9-71.3 / 121-135
5003-6567
Brad Benz & Dick Phelps
1983
JW Marriott Starr Pass Golf Club - Coyote
9
36
123-138 / 67.5-73
2965-3512
Arnold Palmer
1987
JW Marriott Starr Pass Golf Club - Rattler
9
36
116-142 / 66.2-71.7
2920-3490
Arnold Palmer
1987
JW Marriott Starr Pass Golf Club - Raodrunner
9
35
118-143 / 66.2-71.6
2636-3217
Arnold Plamer
1987
Loews Ventana Canyon - Canyon Course
18
72
67.6-73 / 119-140
4939-6819
Tom Fazio
1987
Loews Ventana Canyon - Mountain Course
18
72
67.5-73.9 / 119-147
4709-6907
Tom Fazio
1984
Omni Tucson National Resort - Catalina Course
18
73
65.5-74.8 / 125-138
5414-7262
Robert Van Hagge & Bruce Devlin
1962
Omni Tucson National Resort - Sonoran Course
18
73
64-70 / 106-127
4579-6552
Tom Lehman
2005
Oro Valley Countr y Club
18
72
118-132 / 66.9-73.8
2812-7023
Rober t Bruce Harris
1959 1933
Randolph Nor th Golf Course
18
72
70-73.7 / 120-129
5972-6863
William P. Bell
Sewailo Golf Club
18
72
66.8-73.5 / 115-138
5861-7283
Ty Butler & Notah Begay III
2013
Silverbell Golf Course
18
72
59.6-72.2 / 119-125
5751-6824
Jack Snyder & Ken Kavanaugh
1979
Starr Pass Golf Club
18
71
68.2-74.8 / 129-144
5071-6910
Rober t Cupp & Craig Stadler
1989
The Galler y Golf Club - Nor th Course
18
72
66.2-74.2 / 115-144
5256-7384
Tom Lehman & John Fought
1998
The Galler y Golf Club - South Course
18
70
67.4-74.5 / 118-145
5215-7468
John Fought
1998
The Golf Club at Vistoso
18
72
68-72.1 / 126-147
5095-6932
Tom Weiskopf
1995
The Lodge at Ventana Canyon - Canyon Course
18
72
67.6-73 / 119-140
2681-6819
Tom Fazio
1987
The Lodge at Ventana Canyon - Mountain Course
18
72
67.5-73.9 / 119-147
4709-6907
Tom Fazio
1984
The Pines Golf Club at Marana
18
71
68.1-71.6 / 118-130
4893-6318
Br yan Huntley
1997
The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa - Canyon Course
9
36
67.3-73.2 / 123-154
2627-3534
Jack Nicklaus
1984
The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa - Hill Course
9
36
66.7-73.1 / 126-144
2430-3463
Jack Nicklaus
1984
The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa - Ridge Course
9
36
66.5-72.3 / 123-144
2448-3554
Jack Nicklaus
1984
Tubac Golf Resor t & Spa - Anza Nine
9
35
18
71
Tubac Golf Resort & Spa - Otero Nine & Rancho Nine
65.4-71.8 / 111-126
5384-6893
Ken Kavanaugh
2006
Red Lawrence
1961
Copy supplied by Visit Tucson 75
Cover Photo: Resor t at Pelican Hill • www.pelicanhill.com
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