Unparalleled Views in Tucson

BY WARREN GRANT

Look east and up from almost any of the stunning 36 holes of desert golf at the SaddleBrooke TWO retirement community in northern Tucson, and you will be dazzled by the 9,000-foot peaks of the Santa Catalina Mountains, known locally as Sky Islands for their appearance as islands of diverse and verdant forest in a vast, rugged, and incomparably beautiful sea of Sonoran desert in southern Arizona.

SaddleBrooke TWO is set across a rambling valley floor and then up into the Catalina foothills, after which higher elevations become pristine Arizona State Trust Land, then higher still into the nearly 1.8 million acres of Coronado National Forest that spans Arizona and New Mexico.

The award-winning 55+ SaddleBrooke TWO community covers 1,407 acres and offers every imaginable resort amenity and avenue for engagement with friends and neighbors. The two golf courses at SaddleBrooke TWO, MountainView and The Preserve, share the unmistakable allure of desert golf, yet the two are markedly different. Both are guided under the watchful eye of Director of Golf Operations Matt Hudson, PGA.

Each course operates out of its own spacious clubhouse, and both are open to outside play with up to five-day advanced bookings.

The MountainView golf course is set in SaddleBrooke TWO’s gently rolling desert valley and is the perfect course to acquaint yourself with desert golf without doing much damage to your handicap.

It is the shorter of the two courses (6,728 yards, par 72), has less elevation change, and is not as bedeviling as The Preserve. Naturally, the distant views of the Catalina Mountains from the valley are glorious.

The player-friendly MountainView course is framed by wispy mesquite trees, dry creek beds, myriad varieties of cactus, natural desert areas that are in play, and elevated tees and fairways set amidst dramatic boulders.

The MountainView course is not overseeded during the brief winter chill, so you’ll find the dormant Bermuda fairways and greens run quick for a few months until they green-up.

For over two decades, the course has hosted the MountainView Collegiate, featuring 15 of the premier Division I women’s college golf teams, including Iowa State, Missouri, and Kansas State. “Residents at Saddlebrooke really wrap their arms around the event as they traditionally provide housing for almost all the players and coaches in their private homes,” says Hudson.

It is said that noted Arizona golf course architect Dick Bailey “almost” tamed the wildness out of the dramatic landscape where he sensitively routed The Preserve course set into the foothills of the Catalinas.

Opened in 2004, the 7,006-yard course is tucked along desert ridges, past giant boulders, and across deep arroyos at around 3,400-feet of elevation, higher than MountainView and almost all of the 40-some other golf courses in Tucson.

Hudson shares that “The Preserve is extremely memorable, challenging, interesting, and it makes you think your way around the course…although you can often get lost in the views.”

The signature hole on The Preserve is the 168yard, par-3 6th hole, which drops a dramatic 80 feet from tee to green and leaves you marveling at the slow-motion hang time and stunning backdrop on your tee ball.

The Preserve does overseed its greens and half of its fairways for the winter, so playing conditions are excellent all year long.

Desert Golf Tips

Tucson is a charming and historic city, but for the golfer lining up a 12-foot putt it is a directional landmark to regard. “The five mountain ranges surrounding Tucson create kind of a bowl, so for just about any golf course throughout the valley, your putt is going to break towards downtown Tucson,” describes Hudson.

When a wayward tee ball strays into the playable desert floor, the best choice is a desert club, just one club in your bag that you don’t mind getting scuffed up by the firm parched ground, pebbles, rocks, and cactus. Says Hudson, “Everyone here plays a desert club, whether it be a wedge, 7-iron, or a beat-up old 3-iron. My advice to newer players is to have fun with the game…if you hit it in the desert, pull the ball out on the grass. Hitting it out of a cactus is no fun!”

The iconic Saguaro cactus can grow over 40 feet tall, live up to 200 years, and is very sensitive to its environment and shallow root system. They deserve our respect, not golf balls.

Look north from several of the holes on The Preserve and you’ll spy Biosphere 2, the laboratory of glass domes that houses five closed ecological systems – from savannah to tropical rainforest. Now under the ownership of the University of Arizona, tours of the remarkable facility are open to the public

Tucson has earned the lofty recognition as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy for culinary offerings and special events that embrace the heritage ingredients and culture of Native American and Mexican traditions. Bring your appetite!

Perched at 9,157 feet on the backside of the Catalinas from SaddleBrooke TWO is the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center featuring Tucson’s best stargazing destination and the largest dedicated public telescope in the country that people can look through with their own eyes.

Make time to visit the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, ranked by USA Today as one of the 10 best zoos and interpretive centers in the country.

SaddleBrooke TWO offers extraordinary dining options with The Preserve Bar & Grill tantalizing with modern American cuisine and amazing views of the golf course. The Mesquite Grill overlooks the valley course while the MountainView Bar & Grill has panoramic views of the Santa Catalina mountains.

Club members also enjoy live entertainment and movies at the DesertView Performing Arts Center, with theater-style seating for 478. Additionally, there are two fitness and wellness facilities, with swimming pools as well as tennis, volleyball, basketball, and pickleball courts. There are also over 200 activity clubs for residents to share common interests.

For more information on any of SaddleBrooke TWO’s offerings, call 520-818-1000 or visit online at www.sbhoa2.org. For advance tee time reservations, visit www.TeeOff.com.