Expect plenty of doglegs and large, undulating greens well protected by bunkers on all three nines.
A new option is to rent a GolfBoard instead of a buggy. Like a surf board with wheels and a moveable steering column that doubles as a bag stand, they cost $ 30 to hire. GolfBoards can also be rented at Scottsdale’ s Westin Kierland Resort.
Rooms at the Westin La Paloma are just a walk away from the golf clubhouse and courses, and the resort also offers a Red Door Spa.
GOLF CLUB AT DOVE MOUNTAIN
Host of the PGA TOUR’ s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship event from 2009 until 2014, Dove Mountain is another 27-hole Signature Jack Nicklaus design.
Its three nine-hole layouts – Saguaro, Tortolito and Wild Burro – all measure over 3,600 yards, giving three 18-hole combinations of around 7,250 yards from the back tees. Despite its length, the fairways offer wide landing areas and are not too penal.
The course lies in the High Sonoran Desert and you are likely to see lots of wildlife. During our round, my playing partners and I spotted a coyote loping across a fairway and came across a group of feral javelina – similar to wild pigs but members of the peccary family – by one green.
The upmarket Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain Resort & Spa is adjacent to the golf club.
OTHER TUCSON COURSES AND ACCOMMODATION
Tucson’ s other golf offerings include several that are part of golf resorts, including the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Omni Tucson National Resort and the JW Marriott Tucson Resort & Spa.
Tubac Golf Resort & Spa, 45 minutes from Tucson, has a 27-hole course famous for being where the golf scenes from the Tin Cup movie, starring Kevin Costner, were filmed. Several plaques on the course mark memorable scenes from the film.
Close to the Westin La Paloma, the historic Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort is a former girls’ boarding school that now offers rustic luxury and desert trail rides on horseback.
TUCSON ATTRACTIONS
Tucson was recently designated America’ s first World City of Gastronomy by UNESCO, in recognition of Southern Arizona’ s food traditions and culinary innovations. So it’ s hardly surprising to know that the city has a myriad of restaurants serving a variety of cuisines, but with many influenced by nearby Mexico. Among noted Tucson restaurants is Downtown Kitchen, where creations include bizarre-sounding but tasty pork belly doughnuts.
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