bhilln
New member
Ventana Canyon Golf Club sits under the shadow of the Santa Catalina Mountains overlooking the city of Tucson AZ. Although a private club, times on GolfNow are available for both the Canyon and Mountain courses. Both courses are a Tom Fazio design and are pure resort style course set in a desert landscape.
Practice area - B
Driving Range – Plenty of stations were available with standard range balls stacked at each station. I played early and the turf was still quite wet from a heavy watering. The driving range is about a mile from the clubhouse and requires a lengthy ride in the cart down from the Pro Shop after checking in. There is a snack stand available at the range with drinks and typical course fare. The staff was very attentive kept everybody on schedule by letting them know when they were up to tee off and introducing the members of the group to each other being paired up.
Turf was in great shape and there was no issue finding good grass to warm up on. There were 5 sets of flags ranging from 100 yards to 240 yards color coded with each range posted at the hitting stations. Club cleaner and plenty extra tee’s were a nice touch all well.
2 practice putting greens were on site and provided a number of holes to hit towards. Up & downhill, breaking puts and fringe were all available to practice on. The green seemed to be very similar to what was on the course.
While it may have been available, I didn’t observe any bunker practice area at the range. Greenside and fairway bunkers would be something I would expect at a club of this caliber on the range.
Course conditions - A
Tee Boxes were well marked into 5 sets of tee’s for a variety of abilities. Tee boxes were immaculate shape, grass evenly cut and level. Often the tee boxes were set off the cart path, painted rocks with the tee color were along the cart path in addition to frequent signage directing you to start of each hole. The Tee boxes were free of debris and broken tee’s left from others; yardage markers in placards were also present on each tee box. Water stations were present on about every 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and had cold water, a necessity for desert golf. Ball cleaners were also present at the start of each hole.
Fairway’s were all cut evenly and had no debris present. The turf was consistent, divots few but filled in evenly when present. Fairway’s were generally flat with a few occasions where the ball would be very far above or below the feet. Turf was green and well kept in everyway. Sprinkler heads were also all marked with yardages and 150 yard stakes were posted in the fairways. With frequent bunkers and uneven terrain adjacent to the fairway’s, keeping it in the center is a must for scoring well.
Rough was maintained in the same impeccable manor as the fairways were, thick grass kept the ball up and provided little penalty for hitting slightly off the fairway in these areas. The amount of rough was pretty limited until the sides go into desert areas that provided little chance to find or retrieve your ball without risking a run in with a cactus or snakes. Desert areas were thick with native vegetation with steep drop offs on many occasions making keeping the ball in the fairway crucial to staying in play.
Bunkers were plentiful along the course and were well maintained. Access points made entry and exit from bunkers easy; rakes were plentiful after you’re escape. Sand was heavy but even throughout the course.
Greens were immaculate consistent with the rest of the course. The Bermuda grass rolled true and smooth. The greens were hard and I (and others in my group) did find it hard to hold the green even on towering wedge shots. Adjusting to hitting to the fronts of the green were required as was common for them rolling off the sides or back. Size of the greens were fair and usually had at least 2 tiers of 2-3 feet transition.
Layout - A
This course consists of two 18-hole courses, the Canyon and Mountain course. I had the chance to pay the Mountain course in my visit here. The Mountain course starts off for the first few holes playing off the side of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The layout takes advantage of the elevation changes and the desert terrain found throughout the area. With 5 sets of tee’s ranging from 4709 up to 6907 from the tips and a slope rating of 147. The distance between holes can be extensive but provides scenic views of the area and natural vegetation in the travel.
The layout had what I would consider several signature holes but none compare to the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] hole, a 120 yard Par 3 that requires multiple switchbacks up the side of a mountain and then another dozen stairs carved into a rock face to the tee boxes. Hitting into a green carved out of a rock face over a large gap in the rock requires precision and is one of the most impressive holes on the course. The view towards the mountain are fantastic and behind you displays miles across the Sonoran Desert into Mexico.
The Mountain Course has many forced carry across desert areas and wide fairways are few and far between. The views of the mountains and open desert are on display on a majority of holes and provide a pleasant distraction from the game at hand.
The layout is challenging but fair for the Mountain Course. No two holes are alike and variety of style and lengths will challenge the best of golfers yet remain playable to the mid-handicappers.
Pace of play - B
Pace of play was average; this is a very busy course and today was no exception. Don’t expect to play quickly and plan on a 4 ½ to 5 hour round. The long length between holes and volume of players slow down fast play but I didn’t find myself waiting an overly long period of time for groups ahead of us.
Price - A
Price was more than fair for the golf experience; courses in this area vary in price greatly based on the time of year and time of day. The morning round from GolfNow of $69 was well worth the cost for this course. This is a high-end resort and the price was more than fair in my opinion.
Amenities B+
The pro shop is located at the Lodge hotel along with the fitness center and spa. The pro shop could have been more clearly marked as it required going to the rear of the building to check in. Walking down a flight of stairs to where the carts are staged. The pro shop was small but offered the standard logo’d apparel and accessories.
Beverage carts were available on the course and there is a snack stand at the turn with cold drinks, food and grilled items. Water stations are abundant and an ice machine at the start / turn is available for the cart mounted cooler provided.
The carts displayed hole location numbers for the day, ball / club cleaner and a cooler. The carts didn’t have GPS systems which was surprising for me at a course of this caliper.
Restrooms were available through the course and were well maintained. I didn’t observe locker rooms at the clubhouse so I can not rate that aspect.
Overall – A
This course provides a great resort golf experience. The challenge and variety of layout keeps things interesting and the scenic views are abundant throughout the round. If you told me I could only play one course for the rest of my life, this would make the short list without much thought. If you’re in the area, getting a round in here is a must.
Practice area - B
Driving Range – Plenty of stations were available with standard range balls stacked at each station. I played early and the turf was still quite wet from a heavy watering. The driving range is about a mile from the clubhouse and requires a lengthy ride in the cart down from the Pro Shop after checking in. There is a snack stand available at the range with drinks and typical course fare. The staff was very attentive kept everybody on schedule by letting them know when they were up to tee off and introducing the members of the group to each other being paired up.
Turf was in great shape and there was no issue finding good grass to warm up on. There were 5 sets of flags ranging from 100 yards to 240 yards color coded with each range posted at the hitting stations. Club cleaner and plenty extra tee’s were a nice touch all well.
2 practice putting greens were on site and provided a number of holes to hit towards. Up & downhill, breaking puts and fringe were all available to practice on. The green seemed to be very similar to what was on the course.
While it may have been available, I didn’t observe any bunker practice area at the range. Greenside and fairway bunkers would be something I would expect at a club of this caliber on the range.
Course conditions - A
Tee Boxes were well marked into 5 sets of tee’s for a variety of abilities. Tee boxes were immaculate shape, grass evenly cut and level. Often the tee boxes were set off the cart path, painted rocks with the tee color were along the cart path in addition to frequent signage directing you to start of each hole. The Tee boxes were free of debris and broken tee’s left from others; yardage markers in placards were also present on each tee box. Water stations were present on about every 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and had cold water, a necessity for desert golf. Ball cleaners were also present at the start of each hole.
Fairway’s were all cut evenly and had no debris present. The turf was consistent, divots few but filled in evenly when present. Fairway’s were generally flat with a few occasions where the ball would be very far above or below the feet. Turf was green and well kept in everyway. Sprinkler heads were also all marked with yardages and 150 yard stakes were posted in the fairways. With frequent bunkers and uneven terrain adjacent to the fairway’s, keeping it in the center is a must for scoring well.
Rough was maintained in the same impeccable manor as the fairways were, thick grass kept the ball up and provided little penalty for hitting slightly off the fairway in these areas. The amount of rough was pretty limited until the sides go into desert areas that provided little chance to find or retrieve your ball without risking a run in with a cactus or snakes. Desert areas were thick with native vegetation with steep drop offs on many occasions making keeping the ball in the fairway crucial to staying in play.
Bunkers were plentiful along the course and were well maintained. Access points made entry and exit from bunkers easy; rakes were plentiful after you’re escape. Sand was heavy but even throughout the course.
Greens were immaculate consistent with the rest of the course. The Bermuda grass rolled true and smooth. The greens were hard and I (and others in my group) did find it hard to hold the green even on towering wedge shots. Adjusting to hitting to the fronts of the green were required as was common for them rolling off the sides or back. Size of the greens were fair and usually had at least 2 tiers of 2-3 feet transition.
Layout - A
This course consists of two 18-hole courses, the Canyon and Mountain course. I had the chance to pay the Mountain course in my visit here. The Mountain course starts off for the first few holes playing off the side of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The layout takes advantage of the elevation changes and the desert terrain found throughout the area. With 5 sets of tee’s ranging from 4709 up to 6907 from the tips and a slope rating of 147. The distance between holes can be extensive but provides scenic views of the area and natural vegetation in the travel.
The layout had what I would consider several signature holes but none compare to the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] hole, a 120 yard Par 3 that requires multiple switchbacks up the side of a mountain and then another dozen stairs carved into a rock face to the tee boxes. Hitting into a green carved out of a rock face over a large gap in the rock requires precision and is one of the most impressive holes on the course. The view towards the mountain are fantastic and behind you displays miles across the Sonoran Desert into Mexico.
The Mountain Course has many forced carry across desert areas and wide fairways are few and far between. The views of the mountains and open desert are on display on a majority of holes and provide a pleasant distraction from the game at hand.
The layout is challenging but fair for the Mountain Course. No two holes are alike and variety of style and lengths will challenge the best of golfers yet remain playable to the mid-handicappers.
Pace of play - B
Pace of play was average; this is a very busy course and today was no exception. Don’t expect to play quickly and plan on a 4 ½ to 5 hour round. The long length between holes and volume of players slow down fast play but I didn’t find myself waiting an overly long period of time for groups ahead of us.
Price - A
Price was more than fair for the golf experience; courses in this area vary in price greatly based on the time of year and time of day. The morning round from GolfNow of $69 was well worth the cost for this course. This is a high-end resort and the price was more than fair in my opinion.
Amenities B+
The pro shop is located at the Lodge hotel along with the fitness center and spa. The pro shop could have been more clearly marked as it required going to the rear of the building to check in. Walking down a flight of stairs to where the carts are staged. The pro shop was small but offered the standard logo’d apparel and accessories.
Beverage carts were available on the course and there is a snack stand at the turn with cold drinks, food and grilled items. Water stations are abundant and an ice machine at the start / turn is available for the cart mounted cooler provided.
The carts displayed hole location numbers for the day, ball / club cleaner and a cooler. The carts didn’t have GPS systems which was surprising for me at a course of this caliper.
Restrooms were available through the course and were well maintained. I didn’t observe locker rooms at the clubhouse so I can not rate that aspect.
Overall – A
This course provides a great resort golf experience. The challenge and variety of layout keeps things interesting and the scenic views are abundant throughout the round. If you told me I could only play one course for the rest of my life, this would make the short list without much thought. If you’re in the area, getting a round in here is a must.
