Played Wed.07/01 Had initially planned on playing The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, but received a message from Nicksquire that Ventana Canyon would be a better choice. The course is in great shape. T... Continue »

Played Wed.07/01 Had initially planned on playing The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, but received a message from Nicksquire that Ventana Canyon would be a better choice. The course is in great shape. Tee boxes are very good . Fairways are semi generous in size and in excellent shape. The rough is still dormant and not penal at all. The sand traps had plenty of sand. The highlight are the greens. They are in the top 5 of all the golf courses i have ever played.

Rode the Greens (6537/71.4/139) in 5H mid day. Paired with Rob, Brian and Marge. It was in the high 90's, overcast and calm. Tom Fazio design. Many holes have severe elevation changes. Common them i... Continue »

Rode the Greens (6537/71.4/139) in 5H mid day. Paired with Rob, Brian and Marge. It was in the high 90's, overcast and calm. Tom Fazio design. Many holes have severe elevation changes. Common them is that you climb long distances in carts, then play down hill, then repeat the process. No holes were severely uphill. The layout is tight in spots with desert scape surrounding nearly every hole on both sides. If you are not straight this course will become penal real quickly. The Bermuda tees were excellent with only a few divots here and there. Level/lush. The Bermuda fairways had been vericutt and were maintained long, almost like light rough. Only part of the course not excellent or exceptional. The Bermuda rough was mostly lush and maintained at a level that the ball often sat up. Usually good to play from. The sand traps were the best I have played out of in a long time. Fine, coarse sand that was excellent to play from and they were beautifully maintained. The Bermuda greens were smooth and medium fast. Best Bermuda greens I have putted on since I played the sister Canyon course here last year. Only negatives are that the basic carts do not have GPS and that this complex is REALLY spread out. You park close to a mile from where the practice facilities and first tees are. This course would be almost unwalkable because of this plus on many tees you ride hundreds of yards from the last green to again play downhill. The customer service was exceptional from everyone. Cart gal out making the rounds. Plenty of water stations on the course. Nice, all grass driving range which includes range balls. Excellent layout, one of the top dozen courses I have ever played, very enjoyable to play. Highly recommended.

First round of the weekend on a buddies golf trip in Tucson.

I have played the Mountain course many times and have never been all that impressed. Yes the million dollar hole is beautiful but its s... Continue »

First round of the weekend on a buddies golf trip in Tucson.

I have played the Mountain course many times and have never been all that impressed. Yes the million dollar hole is beautiful but its super short (I don't like super short par 3s)

Wow the Canyon course is the gem. The course is amazing condition aside from some dead spots to be expected this time of year. The course is not your overly tight or ridiculously bunkered desert track. This course tests you on your course strategy and touch around the greens. The greens are lighting and as firm as concrete. Your chips will run forever and if you are not coming in high with spin everything rolls off.

This course is beautiful with a great collection of risk reward holes. I personally LOVE the 10th hole. The 18th is an epic risk reward water carry par 5 with a waterfall backdrop in front of the hotel. Most holes are secluded and you and your partners will have a very intimate golf experience. By far the better track and a beautiful course.

This was my final round in Tucson yesterday morning, and it was also my biggest splurge price-wise. I booked a 7:40 time through GN for $99, which isn't too bad for a Saturday morning round here. The ... Continue »

This was my final round in Tucson yesterday morning, and it was also my biggest splurge price-wise. I booked a 7:40 time through GN for $99, which isn't too bad for a Saturday morning round here. The check-in process did not go well. I got there and was turned away at the main gate. Apparently, if you book through the resort or a booking site, you need to go park and check in over by the Loews Hotel up the street. Signage is sparse up that way, so you then find the little pro shop. I checked in and the guy said there was an hour frost delay, so I would be in the third group out at 8:50. No worries. They give me a cart and then you just work your way down to the driving range area, which is a long ways away through an entangled cart path system. The starter booth for the Canyon course is down by the driving range along with a snack shack if you want to grab something. The range didn't open until after 8:00. They trade-off which course is the member course and which is the resort/guest course. I don't know the pattern, but I do know it was Canyon all during the week I was there and then it switched to Mountain on Saturday. The starter for the Mountain course is over by the first tee, which is another drive away, so I check in with him close to my new tee time and he says he'll come grab me at the nearby putting range. As my tee time comes up, then the starter lets me know I have to head back to the pro shop to check in again because the first guy never had me pay. He then sends me over to the other pro shop, which is for the members (and much bigger/nicer obviously) and now I'm feeling all rushed as the rest of my group is teeing off already. I wait in line, check in again and pay, and then rush back over to the tee to hit. Sorry for the big story, but it was extremely confusing and frustrating, and like the previous reviewer noted, you kind of feel like a second-class citizen around here if not a member—even though you're still paying a steep green fee. Anyway, once I was finally out on the course, all was good. I was paired with three members who were very nice and fun to play with, as well as helpful with playing tips. The group ahead was a bit slow, but we still finished in about 4:20. The course is in very good condition. The tee boxes were nice. The fairways were good with just some scattered thin spots here and there that rarely came into play. The rough was nice with a mix of lush rye in most stretches and then semi-dormant bermuda in others. There are a number of little burms that show up in the middle of fairways and around some edges, which are just mounds/shelves of the dormant bermuda. They just kind of mix things up and present some visual intimidation, but they are easy to play from when the grass is tight and dormant. Then, by the greens there are a lot of shelves and steep faces that have the thicker semi-dormant bermuda that is very tricky to hit from, especially because you may be standing at a 45-degree angle! The bunkers were good and the greens were some of the best I've played on all year. They were cut tight and rolled smooth. They were firm and quite fast, adding a lot of challenge to the course. The greens here are big and have some significant undulation, as you would expect on a Tom Fazio course. The layout is very nice. Kind of reminded me of Desert Willow (Palm Desert) at times as most of the course winds gently through many desert trees, cacti and scrub brush. However, the course kind of shoots itself in the foot with the 3rd hole as the signature hole. Not only is it the signature par-3, but it is one of the most amazing holes you'll ever play. It is carved into the side of the mountain and is an amazing feat of design, landscaping and engineering because of how it is feels chiseled out of the rocks. It is just spectacular to look at and fun to play because it's just a 100-yard do or die shot to basically and island green. It's a bit of a bummer because it comes up so early in the round and there's not a lot of build up to it. All of a sudden you are just there and hiking up to the tee boxes. And then just like that, you go back to the rest of the course which has nothing similar. Then, you are left hoping you get to play more holes later that bring in some similar elements, but you never do. So, basically you have 17 very nice golf holes that are very enjoyable, along with one jaw-dropping hole that you'll never forget. I think if it were later in the round, it would fit better and allow for more anticipation, but that's not how the routing works. I'll end this never-ending review now. Basically, the course itself is excellent and the signature hole is something quite special to behold. The staff could be more friendly and helpful to guests and the property could be much less confusing. I'd still recommend it. I don't think the frost delay helped with the confusion of getting started. It seemed things were running smoother by the time I left and people knew where to go and what to do after checking in at the smaller pro shop.

This course has a local reputation as on of the finer courses and the price reflects it at 100 + dollars a round. When I consider a truly fine course it encompasses all the elements you would think on... Continue »

This course has a local reputation as on of the finer courses and the price reflects it at 100 + dollars a round. When I consider a truly fine course it encompasses all the elements you would think on an A+ level. This course is a B. The layout is a nice desert design with alot of target golf/risk reward shots so be prepared for a challenge if not familiar with it. The condition was alright but the greens were quite "splotchy" and the rough is all dried out which is common on city courses but I would have hoped these would be green. The sand is nice and boy are some bunkers DEEP. The biggest let down was the feeling you get from staff and members that you are NOT a member. The staff had me waiting with my bags as they hustled around the members carts and we tee'd off late waiting for the members who get to take their sweet time. All day I had to hear how they like to do their divots with sand and not picking them up , and wait while they picked up stray balls to throw in the trash because they like to keep the desert clean and of course how play each green because they play ALL the time and until we get to know it well... That made me not want to hurry back. For the money Arizona National blows this place away on every level. Just sayin'.

Played this March. Resort type course in excellent shape. Desert course with houses that are not obvious. Very deceiving holes, not always clear if uphill or down. Go to back tee on famous short par 3... Continue »

Played this March. Resort type course in excellent shape. Desert course with houses that are not obvious. Very deceiving holes, not always clear if uphill or down. Go to back tee on famous short par 3, great view. Had always heard a lot about this course. Was a little disappointed, guess I expected too much. Still, one of the best courses in Tucson.

Mountain Course at Lowe's Ventana Canyon. This resort has 2 18 hol courses, The Canyons and the Mountain.
My preference is the Mountain 18. TheThis 18-hole golf course, designed by famed Tom Fazio, i... Continue »

Mountain Course at Lowe's Ventana Canyon. This resort has 2 18 hol courses, The Canyons and the Mountain.
My preference is the Mountain 18. TheThis 18-hole golf course, designed by famed Tom Fazio, is built around the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, and features the famous 100-yard par 3 signature hole # 3. What you get is a classic desert-style, target course, the Mountain has many changes in elevation and several elevated tees. Putting is a challenge because the greens are undulating and typically fast. The fairways are lush and wide enough to make it enjoyable from all tee's. Typically the desert course will burn in the summer but not Ventana.
A little disappointed in the tee's, particularly #3 lots of unfilled divots and grass was shaggy. This is a thinking man's course from the back tee's. The staff is very friendly except for the crone at the snack shop.... We typically play 36 holes so seeing the course twice really makes you study the condition and palyability. One of my favorite Tucson courses.

The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Review
Tucson Arizona Golf Course Reviews

Played here on 1/26/12. After reading the previous reviews, we gave this course a chance and I'm glad we did. We arrived from Minnesota, so this was our first round since October, which made this cour... Continue »

Played here on 1/26/12. After reading the previous reviews, we gave this course a chance and I'm glad we did. We arrived from Minnesota, so this was our first round since October, which made this course a little tougher then normal I'm guessing. Very nice course with amazing views of the Mountains. The first par 3 on the course was pretty awesome, as it was an elevated tee and carved out of the mountains. A few other elevated tees as well that made the course very cool and the views are great. It was in great condition and the whole facility is pretty cool. And the $79 price we paid was very nice as well. The round was a little slow, but we didn't care as the weather was perfect. Very playable course if you're in midseason form. Showing up and not getting to hit the range is not recommended though.

The Lodge at Ventana Canyon Review
Tucson Arizona Golf Course Reviews

Played Ventana Canyon (Mtn) course for the first time today. I was invited to play by a customer of mine from work. He is a member. I've wanted to play this course for a long time. We hooked up wi... Continue »

Played Ventana Canyon (Mtn) course for the first time today. I was invited to play by a customer of mine from work. He is a member. I've wanted to play this course for a long time. We hooked up with two others, and they were great company and had a great time. The course is a Tom Fazio design. There are numerous bunkers, elevation changes, and direction changes on holes. The design of the course is fantastic. The landing areas are wide for the most part, and pretty forgiving off the tee. They are very generous with the lateral hazards. Where many courses in the area are OB, Ventana would have red-staked so you'd get a drop. I was disappointed with the greens. I've heard so much about how they are immaculate . . and right now they're anything but! I don't know whether they've been cut too short and are struggling to "come back" or what . . but they certainly weren't even close to great. It's a nice track. They are very generous with the placement of the forward tees, so shorter hitters don't have real long carry areas over desert to reach the fairways. This is a very nice track. The fairways were in very good shape and the desert rough is punishing. As soon as they get the greens back in shape this course will be beautiful.