The Golf Club at Dove Mountain
The final stop of the Tucson golf trip led us to the beautiful Golf Club at Dove Mountain. The course is located just northeast of Tucson in the city of Marana, Arizona. Home to The WGC Accenture Match Play Championship and crafted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain boasts 27 holes (Wild Burro, Saguaro, Tortolita) and winds through the Tortolita Mountain Range. With elevations ranging from 2,300 to 3,200 feet, Dove Mountain is a true challenge to both amateurs and pros alike.
Dove Mountain Pro Shop
As we arrived at the course, the staff loaded our bags as we went to check out the golf shop. With vaulted ceilings, it was fairly large in size and featured top-of-the-line apparel. All the large name brands are featured and you can even pick out a pair of Oakley sunglasses! After we checked in, it was only a short walk to the practice area, where we found our carts waiting. We decided to putt first as the driving range was a bit further away from the shop. The practice green was well-undulated to simulate the courses sloped greens. It shared a surface with the chipping area, which featured a few practice bunkers. If you are looking for more real estate to chip, there is a separate chipping facility located on the other side of the driving range from the putting green. The range was in flawless condition and supplied balls at each station. We had to wait for a station to open up, but it didn’t take long. If you need sunscreen and happened to forget it, don’t worry as there is sunscreen provided in the restrooms next to the golf shop. There are also 4 water bottles provided per cart, which is an important part of golf in Arizona, especially if you are playing in the summer. There is no water out on the course, so make sure you stock up on enough bottles to get through the front nine and restock at the turn.
Once it was time to tee off, the starter retrieved us from the driving range and led us to the first hole. He was very helpful in explaining the layout of the course and offered helpful tips to be successful. One big takeaway was to make sure to miss below the hole. The undulation of the greens will exacerbate any misjudged putt and potentially set up the dreaded three putt. He let us know that not only did each cart have a GPS display, but each hole featured a flyover feature with a descriptive narration. This would be especially helpful in identifying hidden traps and hazards.
Throughout the first few holes I immediately noticed the number of bunkers on each hole, mainly bunkers that jut out into the middle of the fairway. This made it extremely difficult to find a place to land your tee shot. You best be sure to either clear the bunker or come up short. Unfortunately, I found myself in many of these fairway bunkers. The frequency of bunker play made me think I should grab a beach chair and a Corona, but hey, at least I got a ton of sand practice that day!
Wild Burro Nine: Par-4, Hole 1
As the round continued, it was evident that the course called for all types of shots to score well. The front nine had a good mix of short and long par 4’s, calling for both precision iron shots and booming drives. Getting to the green is only half the battle though. Once you are on the green at Dove Mountain, you are faced with daunting break on most greens that will exacerbate any misread. The greens were rolling at a 10.5 on the stimpmeter while we were there. Although not overly fast, the undulation made putting tricky and called for a heightened sense of concentration.
Although briefly, water came into play on the Saguaro nine in this arid desert setting. The par-3 third hole of the Saguaro nine features water on the right side and partially in front of the green. The ideal play is a high left to right shot that lands softly. The green slopes left to right towards the water, so it is important to come in high to avoid rolling into the bunker or water hazard. The water comes into play again on the par-4 fourth hole as the lake stretches in front of the tee box, requiring a 100+ yard carry to get it onto dry land. Unless you really mishit your shot, the water on number four shouldn’t be a problem.
Wild Burro Nine: Par-5, Hole 2
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain offers golfers the opportunity to play championship golf on a championship level course. As you wind through the mountains, the course demands all different types of shots while keeping you honest on and around the greens. The fairways include a plethora of bunkers located at ideal landing distances, making it challenging to find the fairway grass off the tee box to set yourself up with a good second shot. The challenge of Dove Mountain combined with the world class golf experience and panoramic views make this course a bucket-list destination.
Saguaro Nine: Par-4 Hole 4
The Golf Club at Dove Mountain Rating
(Overall Rating 4 ½ stars out of 5)
The golf shop and course amenities really made a big difference in our experience. The 2 criteria that affected the rating the most were on-course beverage service and condition/speed of greens. While the beverage service was there, we didn’t see it more than once throughout our round. As far as the greens were concerned, the pace was great, but the greens were beat up a bit on a few holes and made it harder to putt. The negative features were not enough to prevent Dove Mountain from landing in the top tier of courses we have reviewed.