Tucson
If superior golf is your number-one vacation criteria, swing into Tucson and Southern Arizona. The choices and challenges offered in this intimate destination captivate even the most discriminating golfers. Some of the sport’s biggest stars – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Lehman, Arnold Palmer – have either competed on or designed Tucson courses. The legacy of professional golf tournaments played here, from the first Tucson Open in 1945 to the current World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, chronicles a longtime love and respect for the game.
In February, tune in to the televised World Golf Championships–Accenture Match Play Championship for a virtual tour of the event’s luxurious location, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain. Watch the world’s top 64 golfers battle it out on the stunning course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Visit the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa, which for 30 years hosted the PGA Tour. Play on the Catalina Course and see why the par-4 18th hole is called one of the most challenging finishing holes on the PGA Tour.
Nature plays a big part in many area golf course designs. Dubbed “the most photographed golf hole west of the Mississippi,” the par-3, third hole at The Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon Golf & Racquet Club is tucked into its own canyon. This Tom Fazio-designed course is also one of the “Top 50 Courses for Women” as selected by Golf Digest magazine. At Arizona National Golf Club, the winding layout by Robert Trent Jones Jr. takes golfers through arroyos, sculpted rock formations, and desert flora. The lofty par-3 fourth hole overlooks the entire Santa Cruz Valley, offering southern views all the way to Mexico.
Tucson’s five municipal golf courses include two long-time tournament courses. Randolph North was set up for PGA Tour and then LPGA events, so the greens vary greatly in slope and size and present a real challenge for the serious stick. The adjacent Dell Urich course hosted LPGA tournaments in 2003 and 2004 and proved to reward strategic play.
Just minutes south of downtown Tucson, the golf courses at Green Valley, Tubac, and Rio Rico offer rolling hills and buildings with Spanish colonial flair. Hollywood shot scenes for the 1996 movie Tin Cup at Tubac Golf Resort’s Rancho Nine course. It’s easy to recognize the par-5 fourth hole there with its menacing pond protecting the green.
Turn up the volume on your computer and take a quick 30 second trip with us to see what makes Tucson such a great place to visit…and, to live!
Experience the get-away feeling of desert golf, and bring your clubs to Tucson and Southern Arizona. Both private and public courses are plentiful, with options for every budget. For more information or to request the Tucson Golf Guide, contact the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 638-8350, or visit www.visittucson.org/golf/
