Tucson AZ Golf Weekend
100 miles south of Phoenix
Golf Digest, 2/11
Golf Magazine, 4/10, 3/09
T&L Golf, 3/06
Away Game | Tucson
A Fresh Look At Tucson
By Matt Ginella
Photos By J.D. Cuban
February 2011
Off the pristine back patio of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Dove Mountain in Tucson, two legends of the Sonoran Desert created a prickly situation for developers of the $300 million resort. The pair of saguaro cacti are estimated to be more than 250 years old, their side arms a picture-worthy spectacle as the sun sets on the neighboring Tortolita Mountains. The original plans for the resort, which opened in December 2009, had to be finessed and the 253-room hotel moved to make sure the cacti would be unharmed. Now they're a celebrated centerpiece of the landscape. But that wasn't the only clash of old versus new I stumbled upon in Tucson.
When the World Golf Championships match-play tournament moved from La Costa, which is below sea level in Carlsbad, Calif., to the high desert of Arizona, Jack Nicklaus was commissioned to design a test for the best. The Golden Bear finished Dove Mountain in early 2009, right before the course's first Accenture Match Play that February. Thus, the focus group for this 7,849-yard brute was the top 64 players in the world.
Surprisingly, length wasn't the issue. Elevation at the course varies from 2,400 to 3,200 feet above sea level, which gives golfers about a 5 percent increase in distance. (Nicklaus estimates it plays more like 7,500 yards.) What caused the tour players trouble were the severe undulations in Dove Mountain's greens. "Jack knew going in that the course was going to be used for the Match Play," says Chet Williams, a Nicklaus Design senior associate. "So it's safe to say he juiced the greens a bit."
Some felt Nicklaus went too far in his defense of par. Shortly after the first Match Play at Dove Mountain, the tour asked him to come back to make some of the pin areas larger and soften some of the slopes on the putting surfaces. "I don't know that the untrained eye would notice the difference," Williams says, but in 2010, more pros approved.
Any time a designer comes back to soften some of the putting slopes, it's also good news for us, the avid amateurs. Playing from 7,200 yards, I noticed some of the small greens were tough to hit and were still tough for me to putt, but as advertised, the elevation helped me off the tee, and the fairways were wide enough to consider the overall golf experience fair -- and more important -- fun.
Jacob Rogers, 26, a local pro who's chasing The Dream (playing on tour), joined me mid-round. On the eighth hole of the Saguaro nine, an uphill, 576-yard par 5, Rogers took a Tiger line off the tee, over 290-yards of cacti and collection area. He hit 7-iron into the green and made the eight-foot putt for eagle. Those two old saguaro cacti might have won their clash with construction, but based on what I saw from Rogers, the Bear might want to come back and shape some more slope into the greens.
The Saguaro and Tortolita, in that order, are used for the tournament 18. As good as they are, the Wild Burro nine gets local votes as the favorite, probably because it was designed with the resort guest in mind. A fourth nine has been routed, but it was put on hold until the economy recovers. You won't be bored playing any combination of the three nines multiple times throughout your visit. I'd also caution not to hunt for lost balls: Wildlife is wild in the high desert -- I came uncomfortably close to a bobcat -- and the razor-sharp vegetation isn't exactly tame.
If lost balls get you down, then lose yourself in the resort's amenities. The 17,000- square-foot spa is off the west wing of the main hotel (room rates start at $349 in the winter), and it features indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, a serenity pool and a private courtyard with a fireplace. The main pool and hot tub -- near the 235-foot waterslide and just below the rocks where the Native American flute player captivates assembled guests every evening at sunset -- is an ideal spot for drinks, relaxation and reflections on the good life. I watched baseball's Fall Classic on a flatscreen while drinking cold beers and eating baby-back ribs at Cayton's outdoor patio, which overlooks portions of the course. Of all the delicious desserts, I suggest treating yourself to the warm churros, served with coffee, chocolate and raspberry sauces.
It was hard to leave the understated elegance and excellent service of such a secluded setting, which is 30 minutes north of the Tucson airport, but I did break away for a round at the Omni Tucson National. The Catalina course was the former host of the Tucson Open, but it was being overseeded when I was in town. I played the Sonoran Course ($188, Jan. 1 through April 4), which was renovated by Tom Lehman in 2005. I enjoyed the views of the Catalina Mountains and the middle stretch of the course, which was flat and free of any houses neighboring the fairways. I played it from 6,529 yards, which seems short for a back set of tees, but it's a par 70 with severe undulation changes at the beginning and the end of the round. The slope up to the 515-yard 15th is so steep the course had to make the flagstick 25 feet tall so you can see it from the fairway. Have fun tending that one for your playing partner.
Located 60 miles north of the Mexico border, Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona, behind Phoenix. Tucson can be traced back 2,000 years, to the Hohokom Indians, who used to live and farm along what is now a mostly dry bed of the Santa Cruz River. The University of Arizona, with 40,000 students, drives much of the local industry and employment. Downtown Tucson is in need of a face-lift, and lots of the area's old courses and resorts are struggling.
The Ritz, which was off to a slow start, recently got a new partner in Ray Sidney, a 40-year-old software engineer-turned-philanthropist. Sydney, Google's third employee, is not sweating the loss of a $5 nassau. His contribution to the resort hasn't been disclosed, but it has been reported in local newspapers that he paid off the company's debt, which allowed the real-estate side of the business to lower property prices, stimulating some sales.
Sidney might seem like an unlikely savior for a Tucson golf resort. But then again, Dove Mountain has already proved it's comfortable with the clash of old and new. 
Per Golf Magazine's Travelin' Joe:
Try Tucson, Arizona. The saguaro-studded desert terrain, backdropped by the towering Catalina Mountains, makes Tucson golf perhaps the most beautiful high-desert golf experience anywhere. I recommend Ventana Canyon's two tracks ($120-$195; 520-577-1400, www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com), especially the Tom Fazio-designed Mountain course, whose 107-yard, par-3 3rd hole might be most thrilling drop shot in the southwest. I also like Jack Nicklaus' three nines at La Paloma Country Club ($90-$205; 520-742-6000, www.westinlapalomaresort.com) that are covered in cactus. You'll need to stay at the Westin to play, but it's worth the splurge. Finally, try out the new 27-hole Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain course ($99-$225; 520-572-3500, www.ritzcarlton.com/dovemountain), site of Geoff Ogilvy's Accenture Match Play win last week. The pros played the Saguaro and Tortolita nines, but designer Jack Nicklaus' favorite is the Wild Burro loop.
One Destination On Three Bankrolls: Tucson, Arizona
Golf Magazine, 4/10
Under $600 (Per Person)
Three rounds at ...
Dell Urich Golf Course
6,633 yards, par 70
$35-$64
520-791-4161
www.tucsoncitygolf.com
Randolph Park (North)
6,863 yards, par 72
$35-$64
520-791-4161
www.tucsoncitygolf.com
Silverbell Golf Course
6,936 yards, par 70
$35-$52
520-791-5235
www.tucsoncitygolf.com
Where You'll Stay
Three nights
Randolph Park Hotel & Suites
$129 per night
520-795-0330
www.randolphparkhotelandsuites.com
Under $900 (Per Person)
Three rounds at ...
Omni Tucson National (Catalina)
7,262 yards, par 73
$73-$123
520-575-7540
www.tucsonnational.com
Omni Tucson National (Sonoran)
6,552 yards, par 70
$73-$123
520-575-7540
www.tucsonnational.com
Vistoso Golf Club
6,932 yards, par 72
$55-$95
520-797-9900
www.vistosogolf.com
Where You'll Stay
Three nights
Omni Tucson National Resort
$185 per night
520-297-2271
www.omnihotels.com
Under $1,150 (Per Person)
Three rounds at ...
Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Dove Mountain
7,849 yards, par 72
$85-$125
520-572-3500
www.ritzcarlton.com
Ventana Canyon (Mountain)
6,898 yards, par 72
$79-$140
520-577-1400
www.ventanacanyonclub.com
Westin La Paloma (Ridge/Canyon)
7,088 yards, par 72
$50-$129
520-299-1500
www.lapalomacc.com
Where You'll Stay
Three nights
Westin La Paloma Resort
$250 per night
520-742-6000
www.westinlapalomaresort.com
Best Bar Nearby: Fat Guy Research: For a cool tiki bar, Critiki.com digs The Kon Tiki Lounge. "A classic original tiki bar open since 1961, the Kon Tiki Lounge has seen modern-day Tucson grow up around it on all sides. It is tucked back a bit on its busy street, surrounded by strip malls and small office buildings. The small-looking building feels a bit out-of-place. There is an almost lush little garden area out front, with tikis and a small "water feature" -- Tucson's arid climate wouldn't easily support a pond, so a tiled mosaic pond is in its place, with a small walkable bridge over it. To the left of the building is a great old Milan Guanko tiki.
Inside, the restaurant is dark and mysterious, with no windows, and much of the original decor still in place (if perhaps a bit dusty). An aviary behind the bar is a jarring flash of light -- it used to house parrots, but now is a lizard cage, and is sadly too garish for the environs. However, the rest of the place is fantastic. Large bamboo, gorgeous light fixtures, and tikis aplenty are throughout. The room is structured with smaller sub-rooms encased by bamboo and thatch dividers, giving a feeling of coziness and mystery.
The menus are standard fare for an old tiki bar -- barbecue ribs & simlar items for food, and lots of tropical drinks (though a bit on the sweet & sugary side).
Today, the Kon Tiki's future continues to look very bright. It has been kept open through the years with a never-ending supply of college kids who love the place and keep it packed on weekends. These people are who we have to thank for keeping the place alive, but it's a bit more enjoyable when visited earlier in the day or on a weeknight, when the music is more in keeping with the environs and the place isn't so packed with bodies that the decor can't be seen."
Esquire digs the bars at the Hotel Congress. "I believe that fundamentalists have the hottest sex, that peace is sweetest in a war zone, and that the greatest bars in the universe are found in the American Southwest. Only in a land dominated by Republicans and Cormac McCarthy can a bar achieve true bar godhead. This is why oddballs and rebels and holy drunks from all over the Southwest flock to the Hotel Congress, where little has changed since John Dillinger used it as his hideout. It has thick walls, ceiling fans, antique iron beds, and four bars, one for every ten rooms, ranging from the very civilized Cup Cafe (where the regulars include a seventy-five-year-old five-foot Irish woman named Bev) to the legendary Club Congress (where the headliners range from James McMurtry to Paolo Nutini). Special events have included "Psychobilly Sunday" and the annual Sex Workers' Art Show and certain random guerrilla campaigns to keep the West wild. Come on Friday and rent a room ($65) so you don't have to drive home. But don't plan on getting any sleep until the bars close and the music stops."
Esquire also loves The Buffet as one of the best dive bars in the country. "A classic Arizona dive, the Buff dispenses cheap beer and strong drinks. It's Tucson's oldest bar, there by the railroad tracks since 1934, and ten bucks still gets you two pitchers of Coors. At 6:00 A.M. it opens. At 6:00 P.M. you get a free drink on the house for "Happy Minute." The hot dogs are available all day long. But they should never be consumed sober. Tecate in the can with one of their massive shots of Hornitos on the side, even though it's the home of the "Jumbo," a 16-ounce draft of Coors ($2)."
Arizona for Foursomes
T&L Golf March 2006
TUCSON- OPTION 1
Many folks who choose Tucson for a golf vacation do so simply because it's not Phoenix, with the latter's sprawl and crowds. That's a fair assessment, but others in the know pick the state's second-largest city for its own merits. Located 100 miles south of the Valley of the Sun, Tucson is nestled among four mountain ranges. Chief among its attractions for golfers are 320 days a year of sunshine and a cluster of recently renovated, affordable municipal courses.
STAYING
The Lodge at Ventana Canyon
800-828-5701; www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com; $249–$329/night. There's no better way to start a day in the desert than with breakfast at the Catalina Room in the Lodge at Ventana Canyon, with the Santa Catalinas in full glory through huge picture windows.
PLAYING
Arizona National
520-749-3636; www.arizonanationalgolfclub.com; $135–$165 through April 12, then prices begin to fall for the summer. At the University of Arizona home course, you'll relish the off-the-edge-of-the-world tee shots at the par-three fourth, the wild, semiblind par-five eleventh and the par-five eighteenth, where the views extend for seventy-five miles into Mexico.
Dell Urich
520-791-4161; www.tucsoncitygolf.com/urich; $41/$51 cart. This 6,633-yard par-seventy Ken Kavanaugh course sports undulating fairways and greens and a watery par-three seventeenth hole that can make or break a round. The modest greens fee is a huge bargain—albeit with muni facilities—as Dell Urich and its sister course, Randolph North, are the pulse of Tucson golf.
Omni Tucson National, Catalina Course
520-297-2271; omnihotels.com; $180 through April 30, then prices fall. If you and your buddies need relief from one too many shots sprayed into the cacti, check out this parkland layout, home of the Chrysler Classic. The long, watery par-four eighteenth ranks as one of the toughest holes on Tour.
Vistoso
520-797-9900; www.vistosogolf.com; $169 through April 30, then $99. Designer Tom Weiskopf brought a touch of Tillinghast to the Sonoran Desert, with Winged Foot–style fingering in the bunkers and squared-off tee boxes.
DINING
El Charro Café (Mexican): 520-622-1922. One of the region's most historic yet affordable Mexican spots. Don't miss the carne seca chimichanga.
Flying V Bar & Grill (Baja steak house): 520-299-2020. Attractive flagstone, copper and leather decor adorns this longtime local favorite situated within the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Desert Diamond Casino: 520-294-7777, www.desertdiamondcasino.com. Live blackjack, slots and poker are among the offerings at a pair of casinos operated by the Tohono O'odham Nation.
Pima Air & Space Museum: 520-618-4800, www.pimaair.org. It's definitely a drag when it rains on a golf trip, but here's a decent rainy-day diversion. Ride the Morphis Simulator, climb aboard JFK's Air Force One and have a look at the supersonic SR-71 Blackbird spy plane.
TUCSON- OPTION 2
Tucson can't match Phoenix-Scottsdale for quantity of top-tier hotels and golf courses, but it stacks up well where quality is concerned. Off-course, Tucson's nearby hills are perfect for mountain biking or horseback riding. And for those in need of some R&R, it's the luxury-spa capital of the Southwest. Life in Balance at Miraval and the Canyon Ranch Spa have both been rated among the nation's best. There aren't quite as many diversions down here, but Tucson delivers great buddy golf in a relaxed atmosphere.
STAYING
Westin La Paloma
520-742-6000; www.westinlapalomaresort.com; from $349/night. You can't go wrong with Loews Ventana Canyon or the Hilton El Conquistador for a first-class golf experience, but overall, the Westin gets the nod as much for its Catalinas location as for its three beautiful (and brutal) Nicklaus nines.
PLAYING
The Gallery, North Course
520-744-4700; www.gallerygolf.com; $175. Tucson's best-kept secret is that the public can play at the Gallery on a space-available basis. One day the John Fought and Tom Lehman–designed North course is totally private; the next day it opens its doors to savvy travelers. The same holds true for the newer South course, a Fought solo job.
La Paloma
520-299-1500; www.westinlapalomaresort.com; $195. Not a single water hazard touches La Paloma's twenty-seven Jack Nicklaus holes, but there's no shortage of trouble. Deep bunkers, huge mounds, heavily contoured greens, cactus-choked chasms—it's all there, in a gorgeous and extremely challenging package.
Starr Pass
520-670-0400; www.starrpasstucson.com; $190 through April 30, then rates fall. In 2004 the premier course on Tucson's west side was reworked by Arnold Palmer into twenty-seven holes, though the saguaro-framed greens remain.
Ventana Canyon, Mountain Course
520-577-4061; www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com; $225. Coyotes, horned owls, bobcats and a plethora of other critters share in the fun at this 1984 Tom Fazio design. The calendar-worthy par-three third, a flip wedge to a putting surface engulfed by saguaro cacti, is unforgettable.
DINING
McMahon's Prime Steakhouse: 520-327-7463. Tucson may have more-historic meat-eating meccas, but none are better than this clubby enclave. McMahon's features an outstanding wine list and cigar bar.
Vivace (Italian): 520-795-7221. Chef Daniel Scordato has been pleasing Tucson palates for decades. This spot, with its handsome, Tuscan-style setting, is his best yet. The penne with sausage and sweet roasted red pepper is a classic.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Miraval, Life in Balance: 800-232-3969, www.miravalresort.com. Michael Jordan is just one famous patron of this monument to well-being. It's not just grooming and massage, either. Check out the golf fitness and nutritional programs.
University of Arizona Men's Basketball: TickCo, 800-279-4444, www.tickco.com. Home games of coach Lute Olson's perennial powerhouse Wildcats at the McKale Center are the toughest tickets in the state.
Tucson
Golf Digest, By Ron Whitten
The primary destination for vacation golf in Arizona remains Scottsdale, but Tucson is surely worth a look. It has a higher elevation than Scottsdale, cooler temperatures and cleaner air. It's not quite as pricey, the courses are just as compelling, and they're probably a bit more varied.
Tucson sits on the slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and you can play your way along them for a full week. Start at the 27 holes at La Paloma Country Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus early in his career. Along this path you'll also find 36 holes at Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club, Tom Fazio layouts of the same mid-1980s vintage, and Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s Arizona National Golf Club, formerly Raven at Sabino Springs. For a less-demanding alternative, there are 36 holes at Randolph Park: the 82-year-old, tree-lined Randolph North, toughened by Pete Dye, and the sleeper -- the old South Course, now called Dell Urich, a 1960s Billy Bell design remodeled by Ken Kavanaugh.
For more information from our Best Places to Play Guide, including directions, green fees and reader comments click on the course names below.
1. 4 stars La Paloma C.C. / Tucson
2. 4 ½ stars: (Canyon) 4 ½ stars: (Mountain), Ventana Canyon G. & Racquet Club / Tucson
3. 4 ½ stars: Arizona National G.C. / Tucson
4. 4 stars (North) 3 ½ stars (Dell Urich), Randolph Park G. Cses. / Tucson