Arizona National
As affordable as it is challenging, this 6,785-yard course was ranked the 18th best course in Arizona for 2009 by "Golfweek." Designed by famed course architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the layout represents desert golf at its finest. Fairways are located beneath the towering shadows of the Santa Catalina Mountains and adjacent to the Coronado National Forest. You will face more than 75 bunkers and swooping doglegs on this course, which will have tried your every skill by the time you step to the tee on the 513-yard, par 5 18th hole. Trees line the right side of the narrow fairway, while bunkers clog the landing area on the left. You'll then have to carry a spring that jets out to protect a sloping green.
Arizona National
777 E. Sabino Greens Drive
Tucson, AZ 85749
(520) 749-3519
arizonanationalgolfclub.com
Golf Club at Vistoso
At 6,952 yards, the Golf Club at Vistoso is one of the longest desert layouts in the country. Sandwiched between the Tortolita and Santa Catalina Mountains, your irons will need a good scrubbing after hitting from hard dirt patches off the fairways. The disconnected holes are the only patches of green you'll see for miles, but they are strategically splashed against the backdrop of a picturesque mountain view. With holes such as Waterfall, Sleeping Snake and Desert Island, you'll need to use every iron in your bag to forge ahead on this course. Each hole is dotted with desert plant life, particularly the 465-yard, par 4 11th, which includes a precariously placed saguaro smack dab in the middle of the fairway.
Golf Club at Vistoso
955 W. Vistoso Highlands Drive
Tucson, Arizona 85737
(520) 797-9900
vistosogolf.com
Pines Golf Club at Marana
The Pines Golf Club baits golfers into taking shots they normally wouldn't think about taking on another course. At 6,318 yards, this course isn't all that long, but it makes up for this with more than 40 feet of elevation changes. The layout stays flat along the front nine before taking some dips on the back. The crisp fairways are usually riddled with no more than a couple of bunkers, tricking players into cutting some corners on doglegs and on approach shots. Rough desert terrain off the fairways and fast greens, though, penalize the overly aggressive hitter.
Pines Golf Club at Marana
8480 N. Continental Links Drive
Tucson, AZ 85743
(520) 744-7443
playthepines.com
About The Author
Sean Quinn is a writer and editor based in New York City. He has spent the last decade covering major sporting events from the NFL playoffs to the U.S. Open. He has written for the Kansas City Star and ESPN, among others. He is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
