2024 Tucson Area Course Conditions

[Arizonalefty59]

I don't get out much these days but it's a new year!

 

Silverbell yesterday. Probably the best overseed they've had in quite a while. Greens were fantastic, fairways great and there was plenty of sand in the bunkers.

 

Crooked Tree today. Greens were a lot faster than they looked event though they were grainy. Fairways were nice but had a ton of mud balls all day. 

 

All in all, just over $100 for two rounds of golf in peak season is a great deal. Pace of play was awesome at both courses even with the amount of people out. 

[fore_life]

I need to road trip down there, let’s get out!

[puttnforthe8]

11 hours ago, fore_life said:

I need to road trip down there, let’s get out!

Give a shout…I’ll drive. I have been going to Tuk a lot because of prices.  
 

playing Preserve at Saddlebrook Sat.

[Arizonalefty59]

3 hours ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Give a shout…I’ll drive. I have been going to Tuk a lot because of prices.  
 

playing Preserve at Saddlebrook Sat.

That is a very fun track! Play well and have fun!

[puttnforthe8]

Played the Preserve today in Saddlebrooke and really enjoyed it.  It is a really underrated golf course.

 

it was in very good condition tee to green with minor issues in different place but did not detract.  Such good and excellently designed greens.  
 

the tee shot on #16 might be one of the best in the state of AZ (if you can forget houses). It’s a good par 5 with multiple mountain ranges for the view.  A really good collection of par 3s.

 

a few nitpick thinks like having to pay for range balls; restaurant closes during prime finishing time, no bev cart and no gps.  But all can be overcome.

 

$89; 420 POP

 

recommended

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2024 by puttnforthe8

[divebreck]

That really does look nice, and to think i pass by there every week. 

[Sting55]

On 1/21/2024 at 7:11 PM, puttnforthe8 said:

Give a shout…I’ll drive. I have been going to Tuk a lot because of prices.  
 

playing Preserve at Saddlebrook Sat.

Where is Tuk and is that the official name of the golf course? 

[WilderMan]

Just finished a week in Tuk, terrific weather 70 deg every day no clouds and nothing over a 2 club breeze.

AZ National- tees and fairways well used, greens were smooth and true but lots of play obvious.  Bunkers pretty firm, need some sand

Crooked Tree- fairways decent, some bare spots around the wash areas, not much rough just straight to hard pan desert.  Greens a bit fuzzy and slow but consistent and no ball marks; don't know what kind of turf but it's tough. 

Tubac- fairways in good shape with overseed, quite firm.  Good bunkers, greens were very firm and a little crusty by afternoon.  Very tough to hold.

Sewailo-  good turf conditions, fairways very firm and fast, dormant Bermuda rough shaved tight so balls ran easily to the ubiquitous bunkers and lakes.  Greens very firm, fast but not crusty, very tough to hold.  

Overall good winter conditions I'd say, it had rained some the weekend we arrived (WM tourney in Phoenix) but nothing soft anywhere.  

[Bonneville85308]

I took a short trip down south to play a few new-to-me courses.

 

Preserve at Saddlebrooke:

This was my favorite of the trip and NOT the ho-hum retirement community course I was expecting at all. Pretty fun but fair course with lots of elevation changes and top notch scenery. The course was CPO due to rain the night before, but it still played somewhat firm and well-drained except for the dormant rough on the slopes around the greens in which I plugged two shots in the mud. Numerous bunkers had standing water from the rains. Speaking of precipitation, this was the first round in my life I ever got hailed on, it came down for about 10 minutes on hole #9. Tees, fairways, greens, all in excellent condition, zero complaints. Greens were quick but receptive to approach shots. Pace was 4:10 for a noon-ish tee time despite the CPO, not waiting every shot, and a somewhat busy course. With tax and fees it came out to about $100, great value for the quality of this course in peak season. They put a limited number of public/non-resident tee times on golfnow in the winter. Will definitely go back to this.

 

 

Torres Blancas in Green Valley:

Meh, pretty forgettable. Mostly flat course with the majority of holes playing through a housing development. Conditions probably similar to the original Sun City courses west of Phoenix, some minor fairway and green imperfections here and there, rough is dormant bermuda hardpan, but the bunkers which were truly awful, just completely neglected rocky hardpan, fortunately the ball tended to just roll right through and out of many of them. And, the course was pretty scruffy looking around the outer edges of the rough. It did play firm. Part of the course's defense seemed to be trees in annoying locations, like the fairly sizeable one in the middle of the 9th fairway.

 

$59 was a good price for a weekend morning tee time in March and decent enough conditions. Was in the second group out behind a single and finished in about 3 hours. I might put it in my rotation as a "backup course" if I lived in the immediate area but otherwise probably wouldn't return.

 

 

Canoa Ranch:

A very pleasant surprise after the letdown at Torres Blancas. Scenic, visually-appealing course with good variety of elevation changes. Nice conditions, better than Torres Blancas. Really nothing to complain about other than the bunkers, once again they were all hardpan full of rocks the size of the ones in my yard, I followed the lead of my playing partners and just pulled the ball out of them. #9 seemed like a "Florida in Arizona" hole, a short par 5 I reached in two shots but three-putted of course. Someone with bad directional control could lose a bunch of balls here. #18 was a very tough par 5 finishing hole, especially as a first timer unfamiliar with it.  $75 was a steal this time of year for the layout and conditions. Will return to this one. I knew the pace was going to be slow with a mid-day tee time and packed tee sheet, it was 4:40 with waiting on every single shot, at least the snowbirds I was paired with were enjoyable to pass the time with. @Argonne69 gave this "a solid 5 cows". I'd play this a lot if I lived in the area.

 

 

Starr Pass - Coyote & Palmer nines:

Geez, that was a kick in the nuts. Most challenging course I've played in a long time, and that was from the 3073+2651=5724 yard, 67.4/128 par 71 tees. The scenery and visuals on the Coyote nine were top notch, beautiful; Palmer maybe not as much due to the intrusion of housing/resort buildings and infrastructure on some of it. Had a bunch of tee shots where I thought "that's gotta be in the crap" only to get out to the fairway and find the ball sitting on grass. I had some trouble gauging the elevation change on some of the uphill holes and had a bunch of shots come up short and stop dead in the rough, and one in a ravine/wash area which I was able to play out of. Probably would take me a few plays to figure out the best lines on a lot of the tee shots to stay out of trouble and shorten up some of the second shots.

 

Tees and fairways had a very dense, plush overseed. Probably the softest of the fairways I played on this trip, but the ball was still rolling decent.  Greens had a very wide-bladed grass which seemed odd. They were a little on the slow side. Bunker sand was excellent. I ran into a bunch of mowers and sprayers on the Palmer nine, but they all moved off to the side as soon as they saw me. 

 

$125 w/tax, range balls included, good deal for the quality conditions and visuals. This is what I'd consider a "once a year" course, I don't think my ego would want this much challenge on a weekly basis. They'd be charging $325 for this in Scottsdale right now. Played very early AM behind a few rabbits and finished in about 2:30 not rushing. I imagine this is a 5-hour round later in the day when the tee sheet is full of hacks losing balls nonstop. I'd like to try the Rattler nine, so I'd like to go back sometime if I can book the Coyote/Rattler combo. The Palmer nine didn't do much for me other than the long downhill par 3, which I moved back to the tips to play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2024 by Bonneville85308

[divebreck]

So Torres and Canoa Ranch are owned by the same people and share same equipment and people for the most part. Torres can put a lot of people through that course and yes the bunkers have been like that since 2008! I do believe both of them are for sale you would think in Green valley they would both be a cash cow. I do like Canoa, think its a pretty good layout. Star Pass is great course but you must play it a few times every year to remember where to hit and how far to hit it. Glad you had a good time!

[Bonneville85308]

This past weekend I took a trip to the area just north of Tucson and played Highlands at Dove Mountain, Golf Club at Dove Mountain, and Saddlebrook Ranch.

 

 

Highlands at Dove Mountain:

This semi-private course is in an age 55+ community and apparently offers tee times to the public in the off season with a limited booking window. The housing is generally set pretty far back and unobtrusive. This is an Art Hills design, and while he is not one of my favorite architects, I did enjoy this course. Only one really goofy hole; #13 (first pic), you hit your tee shot to the top of a hill with a blind dropoff; depending on how far you hit your tee shot, your second shot may be completely blind over a big mound of rocks to a green down in a depression. Kinda fun though. Otherwise a solid variety of holes. Scorecard has a lot of different rated tees and combos to choose from.

 

Conditions were pretty good, fairways dry and firm. Any thin spots in the fairways were extremely small and infrequent. Greens were receptive and rolled a bit quicker than your average public course. Looked like some little tufts of poa in the rye on some greens. Rough was cut fairly low and not really penal. A couple greenside bunkers I was in were a bit firm/thin. Nothing else really to complain about for conditions. It's a well kept property with good attention to detail.

 

Played mid-day with three randoms who were great guys to spend a few hours with. Finished in about 4:10 with some waiting on the group ahead when they struggled. 

 

$59 was a steal for this. I'd definitely go back.

 

 

Golf Club at Dove Mountain:

Played the Tortolita and Saguaro nines, Wild Burro is closed for renovation. Tortolita was the more difficult of the two, wasn't easy but I really enjoyed this nine. Saguaro seemed a bit more wide open and less targety, still liked it but not as much as Tortolita. 

 

Course played somewhat firm despite early AM dew/irrigation. Fairways, rough, greens surrounds, tees, all in excellent top notch condition. Greens were very fast but receptive and generally smooth except for some poorly repaired or unrepaired ballmarks. Greenside bunker sand is mostly the same bright white stuff they use at TPC Scottsdale and all 5 greenside bunkers I was in had a good amount of it.

 

I played the yellow tees, 3232+3102=6334, 69.8/126 par 72. Further back than I usually play just based on yardage, but the firm fairways made up for it. The next set of tees forward is the most forward set at 5283 yards, might make sense to have a combo set in between. Played alone as a single behind a fast twosome early AM and finished in about 2:30 taking my time. $160 was spendy for Tucson in May (I believe it is the most expensive public access course in the area) but I felt it was fair for the quality of the course and the conditions and I will definitely play here again. 

 

 

Saddlebrooke Ranch:

Afternoon round. This course played very firm and fast, tons of roll on everything. Hit a couple good 7 irons that landed on the front and rolled off the back of the greens. Plenty of ways to play the "ground game" greenside. Grass seemed like bermuda all around at this point, I think they might not have overseeded the fairways this past winter based on what I saw and have heard. It has generally come back from dormancy, still some thin/tight/hard lies in the fairway in spots. Greens were in good condition, rolled well and were an appropriate speed for the clientele in this 55+ community. I was in a couple greenside bunkers and both were firm but playable.

 

The front nine basically involves zero strategy and is pretty boring/easy, very wide fairways, just grip it and rip it. Back nine is more challenging has several holes where you need to make layup vs. carry decisions and put some more thought into tee shot placement. I played the 6,400 yard tees which is normally too long for me, but the fast/firm conditions had it effectively playing considerably shorter. $42 with cart was a great value. Range balls are extra. I was concerned the pace was going to be glacial given that they had a pretty full tee sheet at 7 minute intervals. We had to wait on the majority of shots but still got around in about 4:15 as a foursome. Two holes were CPO for unknown reasons, they were bone dry and didn't look like they had any areas under repair. Despite the great value for the money, the layout didn't do anything for me and I probably wouldn't bother with it again. 

 

 

 

[AZ_JHWK]

San Ignacio in Green Valley today. One of the better courses down there, I'm sure. Playing fast and firm tee to green. Greens were smooth and true but a little on the slowish side for me after a steady diet of Aguila, GCU and Papago all winter. A pretty tight layout in places. Some course knowledge and strategy will come in handy for the next time around.  $52 for a non-card holder riding. $42 for a card holder and going down more in June. A pretty good bargain

[Arizonalefty59]

First round in 5 months last week. Played Silverbell, typical summer conditions. Greens were "longish", sand was good and the fairways were surprisingly lush. Cant beat $22 and a 2.5 hour round, missed summer golf. 

[Arizonalefty59]

Played the Sonoran course at Tucson National yesterday. Played in the afternoon so I was able to finish in under 2.5 hours and didn't hit a group until the 18th green. 

 

Conditions were amazing, greens were soft/receptive and puuuure. A little pricey still at $63 but worth it IMO. 

[RainShadow]

Anyone play Starr Pass lately?

[Arizonalefty59]

I played Silverbell yesterday and it was probably the best I've ever seen the course. The overseed came in beautifully. The greens were perfect, bunkers had plenty of sand and the fairways were magnificent. At $34 right now it is a STEAL. Pace of play was just under 4 hours too. Highly recommend it to anyone, you won't be disappointed. 

[biker74]

Heading there in 2 days for 3 weeks.We were there for a month this past spring 

 

looks like Tucson Omni,Preserve,Quarry Pines,Conquistador. Will play these multiple times.Only thing that makes Tucson golf hard is the super thin fairway lies.Ive always played well here using a more slight over the top hit down style of swing.For anyone who doesn’t take a divot the fairway shots can be a real crap shoot 

[jatrain]

Arizona National last weekend. In good shape tee to green.  Off of cart paths.  Not a course I’d want as my everyday, but thought it was a good value at $100.  They’d be asking twice that if it was in the Valley. 

[Arizonalefty59]

Very enjoyable day at Dell Urich yesterday. Much like Silverbell, the overseed came in amazingly. Greens were the purest and fastest I have ever seen in the last 10+ years. Fairways were perfect but the sand was a little scarce. Steal at $40. Pace of play was a little rough at 4.75 hours, but the weather was perfect. 

[Brandon44]

Planning a buddies trip to Tucson in March, and was wondering how far off the below pricing is for the following courses. Most courses wont let me book until 30-45 days out (coming from Seattle), but trying to gauge the cost for the group. Planning 4-5 rounds.

AZ National    $150
Star Pass        $160
Sewailo GC    $130
Crooked Tree    $88
Preserve GC    $130
The Views GC    $155 
 

[teejaywhy]

15 hours ago, Brandon44 said:

Planning a buddies trip to Tucson in March, and was wondering how far off the below pricing is for the following courses. Most courses wont let me book until 30-45 days out (coming from Seattle), but trying to gauge the cost for the group. Planning 4-5 rounds.

AZ National    $150
Star Pass        $160
Sewailo GC    $130
Crooked Tree    $88
Preserve GC    $130
The Views GC    $155 
 

 

Would be pretty sure the March rates would not be significantly different than current rates.

 

[Brandon44]

On 1/9/2025 at 8:14 AM, teejaywhy said:

 

Would be pretty sure the March rates would not be significantly different than current rates.

 

Are the 2 courses at El Conquistador in good shape? I have received great and terrible reviews.