DESTINATION GUIDES
Southern Arizona a hotbed of hidden gems
Make the trip out to Arizona for a golf vacation, and the Phoenix area will attract you like a magnet with its legion of courses and resorts, all fighting over your golfing dollar. If you are overwhelmed by the choices the "Valley of the Sun: has to offer, head south on Interstate 10 past Tucson into spacious, affordable Southern Arizona.
Following I-10 southeast, you will come to the southern most part of Arizona and Cochise County on the Mexican border. Summer temperatures are up to 15 degrees cooler than in Phoenix. In the winter comes frosty mornings and 75 degree afternoons.
The small towns of Southern Arizona have a certain charm large cities in Arizona such as Phoenix, Tucson and Scottsdale lack. No where is this more evident than in Green Valley, just 25 minutes south of Tucson. This "retirement" town is home to a handful of challenging, affordable tracks including Torres Blancas, San Ignacio, Canoa Hills and Canoa Ranch.
South of Green Valley are two of Southern Arizona's most talked about properties - the Tubac Golf Resort and Rio Rico. Tubac, home to a U.S. Open qualifier in the movie Tin Cup, is a classic Red Lawrence designed course that winds its way around the lush turf of the Santa Cruz River Valley. Rio Rico is a classic Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout with a $2.5 million renovation that has given the resort a modern, pristine look.
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Knowing it is easier to sink an 80-foot putt than to convince the millions of golfers in Arizona to head deep into the south, central part of the state, Turquoise Valley built a 727-yard par-6 monster to attract curious, heavy hitters. The original course was built in 1908 and is a integral part of Naco history.
Most of Southern Arizona is still at a lofty elevation of 4,000 feet. This means golfers of any ability can watch their drives sail through the lighter air for an extra few yards.
Southern Arizona also attracts golfers and tourists due to its rich American history. This includes Naco, home of Buffalo Bill and the only bombing by a foreign country in the U.S. The mountains around Rio Rico also served as a refuge for American soldiers during the Apache Wars.
Southern Arizona is home to some of the state's most intriguing, scenic and affordable resort and daily fee golf. The stories surrounding the courses are often as captivating as the layouts themselves. Serious golfers and weekenders alike owe it to themselves to explore this untapped region of the Grand Canyon State.
Southern Arizona
- Newly renovated Wigwam Blue golf course: A quirky shot-maker's pal
- Northern New Mexico beckons for Southern Arizona golfers
- On the way to Tombstone, stop off for a cooler 18 at San Pedro in Benson
- Turquoise Valley Golf Club
- Rio Rico Resort
- 8th hole at San Ignacio Golf Club
- Torres Blancas Golf Club
- Turquoise Valley’s par 6 an Arizona original
- Gentlemen Only: Southern Dunes Ignites Debate
- Check pretentiousness at the door when visiting Carefree Resort and Villas
- Green Valley's biggest gem at Torres Blancas
- How the West gets watered
- Safe and (economically) sound weekend golf trips out West
Kierland Golf Club - Mesquite/Ironwood