The Gallery Golf Club – Marana, Arizona
After hitting Sewailo Golf Club a day prior, our golf trip continued on to the beautiful Gallery Golf Club. The Gallery is located northwest of Tucson at Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ. Designed by golf course architect John Fought, Gallery’s south course provides more of a links style than the north course but with the same spectacular views. The Gallery provides more than just a tremendous golfing experience. Members of the Gallery have access to the sports club, fitness center, café, spa, and much more. For the total experience and spectacular golf, come out to the High Sonoran Desert and join us and The Gallery Golf Club!
We arrived early for our tee time in and decided to take advantage of the Sunday breakfast buffet. The spread was impressive; consisting of eggs, pancakes, waffles, and omelet station. Once we filled our plates, we sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and view. Staff was professional and attentive while managing a busy crowd.
The View From the Porch of the Breakfast Buffet
After we fueled up, we decided to browse the golf shop and check in for our tee time. The shop surprised me. Typically, golf shops have some nice gear and are moderate in size. Gallery’s golf shop went above and beyond, surpassing my expectations. Not only did the shop consist of high quality gear, but it was twice as big as I expected! As always, I had to get a competitive edge and asked for a few course tips. I was thankful to learn that the fairways are bigger than they seem off the tee boxes. We all need more fairway! The golf pro also told us that the south course’s greens were mostly crowned and rolling at a 13 on the stimpmeter (very fast). I was shocked to say the least, but ready for the challenge!
Once we were fueled up and killed some time, it was time to hit the driving range to get loose (and digest). The range is a bit of a drive from the clubhouse, and located on the other side of the road. A tunnel leads you under the road to multiple practice areas, so make sure to follow the signs to find your way to the range. Balls are provided for you and a beautiful view of the mountains is featured in the background. One of multiple chipping facilities is conveniently located beside the driving range, featuring a sizeable green and 1-2 practice bunkers. If you want to putt a bit before the round, head over to your respective course (north or south) as there will be a putting green before you get to the first tee. We used our practice green a lot beforehand to try and gauge the speed. The starter sitting near the tee box informed us that the practice greens were a tad slower than the course greens. With the practice greens being speedy as it was, it was a little intimidating to know that the course would be even slicker!
Par 5, Hole 1
As we teed off, we couldn’t pass up a picture on the first tee box. The hole overlooked the Tucson valley, affording us a view for miles. We started off fairly easy with an open par-5 playing at 553 yards from the blue tees. I suggest anyone over a single digit handicap play blue tees or shorter to avoid a long round and a severe struggle. As we approached the green and got to putting, I blew my first putt about 8 feet past. The learning curve was immediate and unfortunately it cost me 2 two strokes on hole one.
One of my favorite holes on the front nine was the short par-4 7th hole. Playing at only 314 yards from the blue tees, you have the option to either go for the green with the driver (long hitters!), or pull a long iron or hybrid to set up the second shot. I opted to pull a hybrid in order to give me a good approach shot of about 90-100 yards. The green is also large on this hole, so the confidence is high as you hit your approach shot. While the front nine didn’t beat us with distance, it certainly beat us on the greens.
As we continued on to the back nine, we expected a lot of the same. Hole 10 started our back nine off with a 512-yard par-5. Although narrow, driver is definitely necessary here if you want a shot at scoring. The fairway is split up by a dry wash and features almost an island portion to the right side. I suggest going right, to both set an easier angle in as well as give yourself a bigger target area. The green is fairly small considering how large this hole is overall. If you do choose to go right, you will be approaching the green over the dry wash so make sure you deliver a clean strike.
Overall, The Gallery was an amazing course to play. The pride taken in grooming and manicuring the playing surface truly stood out to our group. The tee boxes were all perfectly cut and level, the fairways were plush, and the greens were spongy but very slick. The amenities both before, during, and after the round were all we could have asked for. We were very excited to learn about how much The Gallery has to offer and will definitely be back to enjoy all it’s other wonderful offerings.
Par-4, Hole 12
Course Rating 4 ½ out of 5 Stars
Overall, The Gallery went above and beyond to meet and exceed our expectations. The strengths of this course are too many to name. From the quick, spongy greens to the laser-level tee boxes, the playing surface at The Gallery is second to none. The extra amenities like fitness center, sports club, and spa is what makes The Gallery different from the competition. The views are spectacular, and topped off what was already a remarkable experience. I will definitely be back to check out the North Course.