Tin Cup Golf Weekend
Tubac, AZ
Houston, TX
T&L Golf 11/06
CBSSports.com, 3/09
TravelGolf.com, 1/10
Tubac in the Saddle
A ranchland charmer between Tucson and the Mexico border
by Joe Passov, T&L Golf
Fame, if you can call it that, came fleetingly to Tubac Golf Resort. Hollywood discovered this pastoral spot thirty minutes south of Tucson a decade ago, when Tubac’s graceful eighteen served as the site of some of the fictional Roy McAvoy’s exploits in the golf film Tin Cup. But the resort received only a brief mention in the credits, and its little-known charms were in no danger of being widely discovered.
Tubac’s portrayal in the film (starring Kevin Costner as a West Texas driving-range pro) was misleading, as I was reminded on a recent visit, my first in twenty years. Far from the nondescript desert layout on screen, it’s a strategic course that sits in a verdant river valley, the centerpiece of a welcoming hacienda-style resort whose roots date back to an eighteenth-century land grant from the Spanish Crown. Taupe-colored mountains cast soft, violet shadows in the distance.
As I was hitting a few putts on the practice green before teeing off, a bull and three cows grazed in a pasture only a flip wedge away: Tubac’s ranchland character, fully intact. Yet I wondered whether the Red Lawrence-designed course, built in 1960 (and recently expanded by nine holes), remained as enjoyable as I’d remembered.
Much to my delight, it has. The original front nine, now called the Otero nine, eases you in with a succession of flattish holes framed by sycamores and cottonwoods. The greens, although benign-looking, roll surprisingly fast. The most memorable stretch begins at the par-four first on the Rancho nine, which calls for a hefty carry over the Santa Cruz River followed by a pitch to a green tucked into a mesquite grove. The narrow par-four third darts through more mesquites, and then you come to the par five over water where, in an early scene, Costner’s character goaded the cocky pro played by Don Johnson to go for the green. Breathing in the bracing air and admiring the mountains, I was transported to Montana or Colorado—a far cry from the film’s dusty (supposedly West Texas) tableau.
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From Tuscon, call a friend in Houston with private club connections, then hop a plane to Texas...
From The Houston Chronical: The climatic U.S. Open scenes were shot here in Houston at the new Deerwood and Kingwood courses, representing the fictional Pine Hills Country Club in North Carolina.
The club's posh entrance was built especially for the film on a remote, tree-lined stretch of road just north of FM 1960.
Trip Planner
Tubac Golf Resort
One Otero Road, Tubac, Arizona. 800-848-7893. www.tubacgolfresort.com
PLAYING Yardage: 3,194 (Anza); 3,273 (Otero); 3,629 (Rancho). Par: 35 (Anza); 36 (Otero, Rancho). Architects: Red Lawrence, 1960; Ken Kavanaugh, 2006. Greens Fees: $25-$109.
STAYING Rooms: $135-$320.
Deerwood Club
1717 Forest Garden Dr Kingwood, TX 77345-1600281-360-1065
Year Built: 1981 Designer: Joe Finger & Byron Nelson
Private, 18 holes, $$$$$ This long and demanding course features undulating greens. There are a variety of water hazards that come into play on sixteen holes. Lake Houston borders the course and supplies most of the water for the water hazards. Hole #13, a 170-yard, par 3, is featured by an island green. The club has strategically placed sand bunkers incorporated into its course design, but they don't come into play on every hole. In 1994, this club hosted the second stage of the PGA Qualifying Tournament. The club also annually hosts the Senior PGA Tour's Doug Sanders Celebrity Classic.
Kingwood CC
1700 Lake Kingwood Trl Kingwood, TX 77339-3796281-358-2171
Year Built: 1976 Designer: Joe Finger
Private, 72 holes, $$$$$ This club has four fairly difficult eighteen hole courses. The Island Course is this club's signature course because of its length and small, fast greens. The Marsh and Lake courses have narrow, tree-lined fairways, and water hazards coming into play on several holes. The Forest Course, the new and most demanding course, will delight all levels of player. The greens are small, and the fairways are narrow. There is heavy undulation throughout the course. "Golf Digest" selected the Forest Course 8th in the category of "Best New Private Courses" for 1996, and also rated it the 16th "Best in State" course for 1997-98. The Forest Course has its own Pro Shot System Carts for rent. Scenic Lake Houston borders some of these courses' holes. This Club has multiple courses: Marsh Lake Forest Island
From IMDB.com:
When filming at the Tubac Golf Resort in the Arizona desert, the script called for a water hazard. Since there were none on the course the filmmakers built one and named it "Tin Cup Lake."
The scene at the end of the movie where Kevin Costner hits the shot into the water hazard again and again was based on an actual event. Gary McCord the commentator with the handlebar mustache in the movie is an actual commentator and former pro. In a tournament he had a similar shot to Costner's. He needed a birdie to win and went for it. He shot over and over again and finally got it in 15 strokes. In the movie Costner gets it in 12.
Tubac good enough for Roy McAvoy, good enough for you
March 25, 2009
By George Fuller
Special to CBSSports.com
I was down to the very last ball in my bag when I got to the fourth hole on the Rancho Course at Tubac Golf Resort & Spa, 30 miles south of Tucson, Ariz. This is the hole, known to locals as the "Tin Cup Hole," where Roy McAvoy -- a down-and-out golf pro so aptly played by Kevin Costner in the 1996 film Tin Cup -- hit shot after shot after shot into the lake fronting the green. There's even a plaque commemorating the site.
A par 5 that plays 544 yards, I hit a good drive on the hole, but was nowhere near in position to go for the green in two. I did the smart thing -- a thought process that escapes me most of the time -- and laid up to 120 yards. But of course, as happens after any smart play, I proceeded to chunk my next shot -- a pitching wedge -- to the edge of the lake and right next to the plaque.
Friggin' great. Remembering McAvoy's 12 on the hole -- based apparently on a real-life 15 that CBS commentator and occasional golfer Gary McCord took on a similar hole -- I took a deep breath and lifted a nice little wedge onto the putting surface and one-putt for par. Whew!
There's much to like about Tubac, both the resort and the funky/artsy/historic town itself. If you think of the southern Arizona desert as a dry, arid landscape populated by cacti and lizards, Tubac will surprise you. It is a literal oasis in the desert, located on the banks of the Santa Cruz River, which feeds the largest grove of cottonwood trees in the United States.
Residents swear it's the greatest place on earth. Indeed, Tubac is still a town where locals get to the post office, supermarket and restaurants by golf cart. Horses swish their tails in the cool shadows of the cottonwood trees. Though October through May are ideal months to visit -- with average temperatures hovering in the 60s and 70s -- even summer months are significantly cooler than other parts of the desert and the thermometer rarely breaks into triple digits.
Though I had come for the golf, it's tempting to rack the sticks for a day and spend your time strolling the myriad galleries, artist studios and gift shops lining the streets of the cozy downtown square. You'll find crafted leatherware, one-of-a-kind jewelry, sculpture, Southwest-themed painting, furniture and lots of exquisite pottery that you can load in the back of the car or have shipped home.
A visit to Tubac Presidio State Historic Park sheds light on the history of the settlement and its fight for survival. And there are also several tempting cafés and restaurants in town, although dining at the hotel is a true pleasure at the Western-themed Stables Restaurant & Bar -- with its saddle barstools --
...or at Dos Silos for authentic Mexican cuisine and tasty margaritas.
Tubac Golf Resort & Spa has a rich history of its own. The property on which it sits -- Otero Ranch -- was the first land grant by the King of Spain in what was then called New Spain in 1787 to the Otero family, who used the land for farming and cattle ranching (golfers will be amused when they encounter Suzie, a large brown cow who still roams the golf course).
By 1959, the land came into the hands of a group of businessmen headed by Bing Crosby, who established a small inn and the first 18 holes of golf. The simple charm and relative isolation of Tubac made it an attractive hangout for Hollywood stars such as John Wayne and others.
Today, under the ownership of celebrated developer Ron Allred -- former owner of Telluride Ski & Golf Co. -- there are 98 new and newly renovated casitas (red tile floors, fireplaces, flat screen TVs, spacious bathrooms), two thriving restaurants, a state-of-the art spa and salon, 7,000 square feet of meeting space, an impressive replica Spanish mission church used for weddings and nine new holes of golf. Allred's investment of $40 million modernized the resort, but did so in a way that respected and preserved its colorful past and small-town charisma.
Apparently, there was no water on the course before Tin Cup, but since the script called for a lake to accommodate McAvoy's obstinate attempts to get on the green, Tin Cup Lake was built. Also built -- under Allred's ownership -- was the Tubac Triangle, which added three ball-eating holes, Nos. 6, 7 and 8 onto the Rancho nine, and expanded the golf course to 27 holes.
Alas, it was in the Tubac Triangle that my last golf ball finally met its fate, on No. 8, appropriately called "Approaching Train Wreck." A cranky par 5 that plays adjacent to some railroad tracks, the hole tapes out at 651 yards from all the way back and 595 yards from where I was playing. If you can manage to put your drive in the fairway -- and not on the railroad tracks that run all the way up the right side of the green -- you'll be rewarded with a tight layup shot or an impossible go-for-broke shot at the green, tucked behind a broad lake.
I played the smart shot and laid up. But remember what happens every time I play a smart shot? Exactly. Chunk ... this one into the water in front of the green. Oh well, my saddle was waiting in Stables Bar.
Walk in the footsteps of Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy at Tubac Golf Resort south of Tucson
By Erik Peterson,
Staff Writer
January 7, 2010
Interested in playing the course where "Tin Cup" was filmed? Check out Tubac Golf Resort and Spa, south of Tucson.
TUBAC, Ariz. – A 45 minute drive south of Tucson sits Tubac Golf Resort and Spa, an oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert. It's a delightfully unconventional golf resort that's off the beaten path, and a spot where golfers can walk in the footsteps of Roy McAvoy, Kevin Costner's character in the classic golf film, "Tin Cup."
Most golfers love nothing more than to follow the sport's lore. Why else would you blow a mortgage payment on Pebble Beach? Or sleep in your car to play Bethpage Black? And if you appreciate the story of McAvoy, the aimless driving-range pro turned U.S. Open contender, then Tubac deserves a spot on your golfing bucket list alongside Pebble and Bethpage.
Remember the scene in which McAvoy goes Ken Caminiti on 13 of his golf clubs, then tries to convince anyone in the gallery to bet him that he can't par out with his 7-iron? That was filmed on the third tee of Tubac's Rancho nine.
At 377 yards from the tips, this uphill, dogleg left is a fun par 4. The closer you cut the corner, the shorter your approach shot. For McAvoy, it's two solid 7-irons.
On the next hole, McAvoy caddies for his nemesis, David Simms, daring him to go for the green in two. After Simms refuses and lays up, McAvoy – at the urging of onlookers Craig Stadler, Gary McCord, and Phil Mickelson – tries himself and succeeds.
Want to reenact this scene and knock it over the greenside Tin Cup Lake? Prepare to crush your tee shot, because this par 5 tips out at 568 yards and plays 488 from the white tees. If you try to clear the lake with your second shot and fail, hey, at least Tin Cup would have approved.
Other than the Rancho nine, the other two nines at this 27-hole resort are labeled Anza and Otero.
After finishing the Tin Cup holes on the Rancho nine, golfers are introduced to the Tubac Triangle, a scenic but difficult three-hole stretch that features the longest par 4, par 3 and par 5 at Tubac. The par-5 eighth hole - named Train Wreck – tips out at 651 yards, longer than all but a few par fives on the PGA Tour.
Also from the silver screen, you might recognize the restaurant patio, where Simms and McAvoy engage in more testosterone-infused bickering and stage a long-drive contest with their 7-irons. The patio has been remodeled since the 1995 filming, and the driving range has moved.
Despite the Hollywood connection, Tubac Golf Resort is hardly superficial
Despite the resort's Hollywood connection, the feeling at Tubac is about as far from Tinseltown as you can get. With cows roaming the fairways and native oaks sprinkled throughout the golf course, it's the antithesis of superficial. The only unnatural aspect of Tubac is Tin Cup Lake, dug for the filming of the movie.
Situated along the banks of the Santa Cruz River, Tubac is naturally green - a fresh deviation from the arid, dusty landscape that dominates the region. Instead of cacti as far as the eye can see, Tubac serves as home to old oaks and the largest cottonwood grove in the United States. You still get the warm, dry climate of southern Arizona, but with the colors of a much more northern destination.
For casual golf fans, Tubac Golf Resort and Spa is a fun experience. But for the serious golfer, it's more than that. It's an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of one of the most famous underdogs in golf history.
From TNT.com, "Roy's driving range was constructed from a barren cow pasture on the road to Sonoita, Ariz., close to the Mexican border. The result was so convincing to passers-by that some attempted to stop in and swat a bucket of balls."
Where To Booze & Grub, Off-Resort: Yahoo digs the Longhorn Bar & Grill in nearby Amado (28851 S Nogales Hwy) as one of America's Most Outrageous Roadside Attractions for the 40-foot steer skull that's built into the bar's Flintstone facade.
The Longhorn serves "Spaghetti Western" fare, an unconventional combo of Mexican, American, and Italian. You're drinking: The $2.50 margaritas.