I got down to Marana to play Dove Mountain. I purchased the Underpar deal for two players at about $70 including a free replay. I went down there with high expectations given the reputation of the cou... Continue »

I got down to Marana to play Dove Mountain. I purchased the Underpar deal for two players at about $70 including a free replay. I went down there with high expectations given the reputation of the course and the association with Ritz-Carlton.
I was surprised with the lack of Covid precautions. The shop attendant was not masked and neither were any of the employees. Pins were raised, no sand bottles on the carts yet they had rakes in every bunker.
The bag drop was unattended when we showed up. The number of employees seemed on the light side with no designated starter and the two attendants pulling range duty, loading bags and being the starter. We tried to purchase some drinks before going out but were told the restaurant was closed. Turns out it didn’t open until 3pm. The halfway house was closed all day and only one F&B employee was on duty trying to run the halfway house and the beverage cart. When we inquired about getting food at the turn we were told our only option was turkey wraps but no place to get a drink or chill out for a few before our second 18. I was surprised at the lack of services and employees on a weekend morning at a high end course like here.
Onto the course. Conditions were mixed. Tee boxes were all level but were on the thin side with lots of bare spots and divots. The fairways were all thin with little grass and numerous bare spots. We did get a lot of roll out on tee shots which was good and bad. Many good drives ended up rolling through the fairway or into hazards. The bunkers were all in good shape but had a number of large rocks. The greens were mostly good. They were very receptive of shots but were filled with ball marks, bare spots, old hole locations and sanded spots. They were difficult to get a read on and very undulated. You definitely needed to be on the right level and side of the hole to have a chance at your putt. A two putt from distance felt like making birdie and not par.
I thought the course was challenging overall. Many holes required less than driver and would still require a mid iron to the green. You definitely have to place your shots in the right are to have a chance. The course appears tight than it really is from the tee box. You have to deal with a lot of desert on approach shots. Most par 5s required lay ups unless you can accurately hit a 300++ yard drive.
I would enjoy playing this course again with better conditions. I’m not sure how they are getting any play especially at the “normal” price they are charging. The Underpar deal was good and I will probably purchase again next year if the run it again.

Played first up 5/29/20. 3 hour round. Thank God cuz it was hot at 6:20am. First of all a shout out to pro Matt in the pro shop. Guy is a superstar. Awesome dude and remembered us from times past. Als... Continue »

Played first up 5/29/20. 3 hour round. Thank God cuz it was hot at 6:20am. First of all a shout out to pro Matt in the pro shop. Guy is a superstar. Awesome dude and remembered us from times past. Also to Jake for his assistance in getting us going. Guy at the end (didn’t get his name, looks a little like Dale Earnhardt) super nice guy. When everyone that works at a course is this genuine and awesome to be around, it makes you want to golf there even if conditions aren’t perfect. However… This is Dove Mountain and it is rare that you would find anything other than an exceptional course to play on. Today was no different. Teeboxes perfect, level, no divots. Fairways as expected, again wonderful. Rough not penalizing… Which was nice this time! Sand was wet a little because it was still early but I’m sure fine during the day. Greens were smooth… Not as fast as previous vacations, not complaining! This is a tough course folks. Signature Nicklaus at his best. Tee shots are pretty manageable but as you get to the green you have pretty giant bunkers, deep, guarding the greens like a sand monster. Luckily I have no issue with sand. Greens are very undulated. You need to really place your shots and know what you’re doing. Luckily the GPS on the cart, for us resort golfers, helps you gauge your shot a bit. The Course layout booklet is definitely helpful if you haven’t played here before. TeaGal and I had a few blowup holes but overall played fairly well. This is one of, if not my favorite, place to golf. Today did nothing to sway that opinion. Very highly recommended. It’s not as tough as say, Pete dye Stadium, but bring your big boy pants. You’ll need to wear them!

We played both Saguaro and Wild Burro today. We were THE FIRST ones out at 6:20AM, good thing too because it gets super hot really fast. Played from the green tees. Tee boxes were perfect, nice and fl... Continue »

We played both Saguaro and Wild Burro today. We were THE FIRST ones out at 6:20AM, good thing too because it gets super hot really fast. Played from the green tees. Tee boxes were perfect, nice and flat with zero divots. Fairways were nice and green, no divots as well. I was in the sand quite a bit and the sand was nice to hit out of. Greens were great as well. Some of the pins were in tricky locations. Shout out to Matt in the Pro Shop and Jake for taking care of us. We played in just under 3:10. One of my favorite places to play, even though it is challenging and very fun. Beautiful saguaros so you can't have a bad day :)

Played here 2 weekends ago taking advantage of the Underpar deal.

This course is sweet. We played directly after the rain so it couldn't have been more lush. It's as pure, pure desert golf you ... Continue »

Played here 2 weekends ago taking advantage of the Underpar deal.

This course is sweet. We played directly after the rain so it couldn't have been more lush. It's as pure, pure desert golf you can find. Tee boxes were immaculate, every bit of grass was lush and cut perfectly. The dormant rye around the bunkers was perfect. Great bunkers. Greens are fast but not not unfair. You can tell it is a modern course design and it really shows. While there are lots of forced carriers, ravines etc nothing is overly difficult in that aspect and the multiple tee options can properly fit a skill level. The course' main defense fortress like green complexes. All of them are elevated, heavily bunked, multi tiered undulating, slick greens. Improperly placed approaches or pitches will roll off or roll past where you initially started.

That being said. I have played here during summer summer and while it plays 7800 yards from the tops depending on the rotation (27) it didn't feel unfairly long.

However with soggy conditions the 7800 yards played more like 8800. With zero roll on the drives, sticky thick rough around the greens, with no roll up, this might have been the most difficult course I have ever played with those conditions. We had to play half the par 4's as 3 shot holes.

This course is a must play in the Tucson area. I highly recommend playing the correct tees here though to your driving distance. You also need to be prepared to hit hit long irons.

Rode the Copper tees (6753/71.6/134) on the Wild Burro/Tortolita combo in 3 hours with Alvin early morning using Forelinx. Around 90, fairly calm and sunny. Nicklaus Signature course that was used f... Continue »

Rode the Copper tees (6753/71.6/134) on the Wild Burro/Tortolita combo in 3 hours with Alvin early morning using Forelinx. Around 90, fairly calm and sunny. Nicklaus Signature course that was used for the World Match Play a few years back. The course has alot of undulation that produced more uneven lies than you would expect based on what you see from the tee. The layout is around 3000' elevation, so it plays shorter than the yardage indicates. The mostly raised green complexes are typical Nicklaus, except on steroids. The Bermuda tees were mostly lush and well maintained. The Bermuda fairways were nice, very good bordering on excellent. The Bermuda rough was penal, just long enough that the ball usually sat down. A few bare areas here and there, but mostly lush. The sand traps were large, plentiful, deep and very well maintained. Many of these traps need to flat out be avoided by most amateurs because of the size of the lips. The bent greens putted medium fast speed and were smooth. They would have been excellent "but for" the amount of unfixed ball marks by uncourteous players. The customer service was excellent from all encountered. Cart attendant cleans your clubs and provided plenty of water on a hot day. Nice putting/chipping greens and all grass driving range in included with your fee. One of the toughest courses I have ever played from the next to back set of tees. Unforgiving unless you are precise from tee to green. Greens are huge with many contours, and missing the greens by a little produces really challenging chips. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart.

Played the Wild Burro/Saguaro nines and I have to say it is a wonderful course. I won't lie the lack of rain has hurt this course and there are a few thin spots, but all in all the course is very play... Continue »

Played the Wild Burro/Saguaro nines and I have to say it is a wonderful course. I won't lie the lack of rain has hurt this course and there are a few thin spots, but all in all the course is very playable. Typical Jack Nicklaus design where off the tee you have options either to let it rip over forced carry's or fairway bunkers or play it safe and set yourself up in the fairway. Fairways are wide so you have a lot of play and can afford to spray the ball a bit off the tee, but if you do miss the green stuff prepare to play out of the desert. This is target golf, but more forgiving. With the dry conditions expect a lot of roll out of the fairways, but be careful because you may run out of runway and end up in with the cactus. The greens are just as big and move like a rollercoaster. Some of the greens are bigger than most houses so make sure you are on the right level because you can easily find yourself with a 100' putt up and over hills and swales. The only thing that I had an issue with was with the bunkers. Most were hard and wet so it made blasting out a real chore and combine that with the steep faces on them you could spend a few shots trying to excavate yourself out of them. Even with the dry conditions, the heat and soggy bunkers it was still a joy to play and I look forward to playing it again.

This is a desert rack out of a travel magazine. You are out in the middle of nowhere when you play here (25 minutes out of Tucson) The facility and staff is top notch here. It's a little pricey to ... Continue »

This is a desert rack out of a travel magazine. You are out in the middle of nowhere when you play here (25 minutes out of Tucson) The facility and staff is top notch here. It's a little pricey to play here so the course was wide open for an early Saturday 9 am tee time. 27 holes and we played Saguaro and Wild Burro. The fairways are cut out from the desert and surround by saguaros everywhere. You are truly isolated in the middle of the desert playing this course. Classic Nicklaus shot makers track with an emphasis on driving accuracy. I played really well (Nicklaus courses fit my style) but this is a hard course and half way through the round the wind started to howl and mind it near impossible. The greens are very firm and you need to bump your approaches on or they will roll right off. The greens are very undulating and fast so you better be on with your distance control. Luckily I had a pinpoint driving day from the blues because this course is long and demanding off the tee. You have to be long straight and accurate. No margin for error but it's fair. My biggest complaint is the bunkers. For a course this nice the bunkers were way to gravely and dense. Every bunker shot grabbed and made getting out way too difficult. I left many balls in the bunker on sand attempts and I never do that. A few of the holes weren't fair but a blast of a course an a true test. (Passable but difficult unlike Starr Pass) Carts are plush and have top of the line GPS which is essential here. My new favorite purest desert track with absolutely stunning views and desert backdrop.

Played the Copper tees (72.1/132/6756) on the Wild Burro/Saguaro combo in 4.5 hours mid day. Matched up with Aaron, Art & Jeff, we played in hot & humid conditions. It was fairly still for the 1st 2/3... Continue »

Played the Copper tees (72.1/132/6756) on the Wild Burro/Saguaro combo in 4.5 hours mid day. Matched up with Aaron, Art & Jeff, we played in hot & humid conditions. It was fairly still for the 1st 2/3 of the round, with the wind whipping up in the 20-25 mph range as a storm approached as we were finishing up. Nicklaus Signature course that was used for the World Match Play a few years back. From tee to green it was fair for a high end desert course designed to test PGA Tour players. On 1st glance, it seems mostly flat, but the course has alot of undulation that produced more uneven lies than you would expect based on what you see from the tee. The course is at elevation (3000'?), so it plays shorter than the yardage indicates. The mostly raised green complexes are typical Nicklaus, except on steroids. Not only fairly severe undulations, but most greens had numerous pin locations that were out on a shelf where if you missed the green you were in a deep bunker or had almost no green to work with on a severely uphill chip. The Bermuda tees were mostly lush and well maintained. The Bermuda fairways were nice, very good bordering on excellent. the Bermuda rough was penal, just long enough that the ball usually sat down. A few bare areas here and there, but mostly lush. The sand traps were large, plentiful, deep and very well maintained. Many of these traps need to flat out be avoided by most amateurs because of the size of the lips. The greens were medium speed and putted mostly smooth. I had a good putting day, but these things would be unmanageable for most players when they are fast. I had numerous double breakers and several putts I played 4-6' of break on. The customer service was very good from all encountered. Cart attendant cleans your clubs and provided plenty of water on a hot day. Nice putting/chipping greens and all grass driving range in included with your fee. Really good course. Definitely recommended.

First round of my Tucson Thanksgiving was at Dove Mountain. I had found a great "hot deal" on GN for $60 at 12:10. However, I arrived quite early. It was pretty busy today, but they were able to get m... Continue »

First round of my Tucson Thanksgiving was at Dove Mountain. I had found a great "hot deal" on GN for $60 at 12:10. However, I arrived quite early. It was pretty busy today, but they were able to get me out around 11:20 instead. It worked out great because it ultimately enabled me to play all 27 holes. I played the Wild Burro and Tortolita nines with another twosome, finishing in about 4:20 and never really having to wait on anyone ahead. Though "busy," they space the tee times generously and allow for the three-way routing of the courses. They charged me a $25 replay rate to do the Saguaro nine, which I thought was fair. It took about 2 hours behind some other groups, but I finished with just enough daylight while enjoying one of the most glorious sunsets I've ever seen at the end of a rather cloudy/gloomy day. The course is in excellent shape all the way around. Far from immaculate, but nothing to complain about. The Saguaro nine was maybe the weakest as it was the last to overseed and aerate. Tee boxes exceptional. Fairways very good with just a few thin spots here and there. Rough lush and green, except for the dormant bermuda rings they leave around the bunkers for that winter look. Bunkers great. Some greens looked a little beat up and showed some maintenance, but they generally ran smooth. They were receptive and rolling at medium/quick speeds. Speaking of the greens, they are really the story at Dove Mountain, as you might expect on a Nicklaus course. Apparently, they were "softened" on the Saguaro and Tortolita nines to appease the pros. However, they still feature a ton of undulation and the pin is always precariously placed on top of mound, on a small shelf or along the edge of a little ridge. You MUST be below the hole here and you definitely want to try and be on the same level, but good luck with that. As tough as the greens on those two nines are, they are amped up even more on Wild Burro. Because it was not used in the Match Play events, they left those greens untamed. Wow! Overall, Dove Mountain has some of the toughest green complexes I've ever encountered. Oh, and did I mention almost every green is elevated and well protected by deep bunkers, false fronts and collection areas? From tee to green, however, the course is rather forgiving. There are some well-placed fairway bunkers, but the fairways have wide landing areas. There are a number of great risk/reward options throughout the course and plenty to keep you on your toes. The staff here is excellent and it's cool to see the rates have come down. Apparently, the prices have corrected so that it's in the same range as the other high-end courses in Tucson rather than being way more expensive than anything else here. One of the guys I played with said Ritz-Carlton sold the course recently, so things have changed some since then to make it a more public-friendly venue. It sounds like they still do have some stay and play deals with the Ritz, though. Great secluded desert setting that reminded me of Paiute in some ways. Big saguaros everywhere and nice elevated views of the valley below. Even as the greens were causing frustration, I was enjoying the rest of it so much I didn't mind the torture.