Tucson - American Southwest - page 387

Golf and Racquet Club , 6200 N. Clubhouse Lane ( & 520/577-4015; www.
ventanacanyonclub.com). These Tom Fazio-designed courses offer challenging desert
target-style play that is nearly legendary. The 3rd hole on the Mountain Course is one of
the most photographed holes in the West. In winter, the greens fee is $195 ($120 for
twilight play). You'll spend a bit less if you're staying at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort or
the Lodge at Ventana Canyon.
As famous as the Ventana Canyon courses is the 27-hole Omni Tucson National
Resort , 2727 W. Club Dr. ( & 520/575-7540 or 297-2271; www.tucsonnational.
com), a traditional course that is perhaps more familiar to golfers due to the fact that it
was for many years the site of the annual Tucson Open. One of the 9-hole courses here
is a desert-style target course, which makes this a good place for an introduction to desert
golfing. If you are not staying at the resort, greens fees are $185 in winter, $70 in sum-
mer.
El Conquistador Country Club, 10555 N. La Cañada Dr., Oro Valley ( & 520/544-
1800; www.elconquistadorcc.com), with two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course, offers
stunning (and very distracting) views of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Greens fees are
$109 to $129 in winter ($69 for twilight play).
At the 27-hole Arnold Palmer-designed course at Starr Pass Country Club & Spa,
3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd. ( & 520/670-0400; www.starrpass.com), the fairways play up
to the narrow Starr Pass, which was once a stagecoach route. The greens fee is $215 in
winter ($120 for twilight play).
There are many public courses around town. The Arizona National, 9777 E. Sabino
Greens Dr. ( & 520/749-3636; www.arizonanationalgolfclub.com), incorporates stands
of cactuses and rocky outcroppings into the course layout. Greens fees are $145 to $175
in winter. The Golf Club at Vistoso, 955 W. Vistoso Highlands Dr. ( & 877/548-1110
or 520/797-9900; www.vistosogolf.com), has a championship desert course, with fees of
$105 to $150 in winter. Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, 4949 W. Heritage
Club Blvd., Marana ( & 520/579-7000; www.heritagehighlands.com), is a champion-
ship desert course at the foot of the Tortolita Mountains; greens fees are $99 in winter.
Tucson Parks and Recreation operates five municipal golf courses, of which the Ran-
dolph and Dell Urich, 600 S. Alvernon Way ( & 520/791-4161 ), are the premier
courses. The former has been the site of Tucson's LPGA tournament. Greens fees for 18
holes at these two courses are $42 to $70 in winter. Other municipal courses include El
Rio, 1400 W. Speedway Blvd. ( & 520/791-4229 ); Silverbell, 3600 N. Silverbell Rd.
( & 520/791-5235 ); and Fred Enke, 8251 E. Irvington Rd. ( & 520/791-2539 ). This
latter course is the city's only desert-style golf course. Greens fees for 18 holes at these
three courses are $36 to $50 in winter. For general information and tee-time reservations
for any of the municipal courses, visit www.tucsoncitygolf.com .
HIKING Tucson is nearly surrounded by mountains, most of which are protected as
city and state parks, national forest, or national park, and within these public areas are
hundreds of miles of hiking trails.
Saguaro National Park ( & 520/733-5153; www.nps.gov/sagu) flanks Tucson on
both the east and the west, with units accessible off Old Spanish Trail east of Tucson and
past the end of Speedway Boulevard west of the city. In these areas, you can observe
Sonoran Desert vegetation and wildlife, and hike among the huge saguaro cactuses
for which the park is named. For saguaro-spotting, the west unit is the better choice. See
p. 375 for details.

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