Golfing in Arizona—Great Scenery North to South
By BRUCE VITTNER

This publication has done many stories on  golfing in Arizona. The reasons are many, but the results are always the same. It is a great golfing destination.

In November we ventured out to Tucson to visit our youngest. No trip to the sunny, warm climate would be complete without a couple of rounds of golf, so the golf clubs were the first items packed.

OSG had included a story about Tubac Golf Resort back in 2000. Dennis Palmer, the head golf professional and good friend of Scott Spence of Carnegie Abbey, said, “You’ve got to see the changes to the place because the new owners spent $40 million on renovations.” My wife and I had thought that the place was spectacular in 2000, so we couldn’t imagine what could have been done to improve this great resort that sits 30 miles from the Mexican border and only 40 minutes from Tucson.

It was even better. Granted, most of the money was spent on new construction of buildings, but they did add a third nine to the golf course, and the additions were excellent.

Tubac Golf Resort was the host site for much of the filming of “Tin Cup” back in 1996. Most can remember Kevin Costner’s character hitting shot after shot into the drink. Not this guy! I made sure I laid up in front of the water on the fourth hole of the Rancho nine.

The Rancho nine was split up when they added the new Anza nine holes. The three new holes on Rancho are called the Tubac Triangle and they can play long and tough. “We wanted to add some distance to the course to make it championship quality,” said Palmer who mentioned that the holes were a par 4 measuring 464, a par 3 measuring 268 and a par 5 measuring 651. Those distances are from the tips, so make sure you choose your tee boxes wisely.

Tubac Golf Resort is a perfect golf destination. The 500-acre ranch that the course sits on includes a wedding chapel, cattle that graze next to the pond at the ninth hole of Anza, beautiful cottonwood and mesquite trees that line the golf course and Santa Cruz River, an excellent spa, three restaurants and beautiful casitas and haciendas. “We didn’t build a 20-story hotel. The grounds are magnificent and we try to cater to every guest’s wishes,” said Palmer as we toured the property that was opened in 1960 and was owned by Bing Crosby. You will truly enjoy your time at Tubac Golf Resort, and make sure you visit the little village of Tubac a mile away that has an eclectic array of artisan shops. You can call the resort at 1-800-848-7893 or visit www.tubacgolfresort.com.

When in Arizona it would be a sin not to visit the majestic Grand Canyon. We did and loved it, but we also managed to spend some time in Sedona where there are many fine golf courses and accommodations. We chose the best course and the nicest place to stay.

Sedona Golf Resort has been rated one of the top 5 public courses in Arizona. The Gary Panks-design offers some of the most beautiful views of the red rocks of Sedona as it meanders up 300 feet on the front nine and then back down the hill on the way to the large clubhouse.

The par-3 tenth hole has been rated one of the best in Arizona with good reason. The view of Bell Rock, the Cathedral and other named red rock formations makes you forget that you have to keep moving. There is a large hill to the left of the green and everything slopes right. The beautiful limestone, mudstone and sandstone rock formations make you forget that you just had a double-bogey. The course has bent-grass tees, fairways and greens and they were as lush as you will find in Arizona. Ryan Stemsrud, director of golf at this SunCor-managed property, told us the greens would get us, and he was right. Sedona is known for its vortex areas. A vortex is a highly concentrated energy field, and I swear my ball was breaking the wrong way on many of the greens. A vortex is an excuse that I’d never been able to use before. You can contact the course at 877-733-9885 or visit www.sedonagolfresort.com.

Next door to the course is the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa. Nestled into a hillside and with over 200 rooms and suites with spectacular views, a top-rated spa, three restaurants, three pools, tennis courts and many other amenities, the Hilton Sedona makes an excellent choice for spending a few nights among the red rocks. You can contact them at 1-800-HILTONS or visit www.hiltonsedona.com.

Bruce Vittner is a member of the Golf Writers Assn. of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America.