Tucson's Best Family Courses

by Scott Behmer

January 8, 1999
TUCSON, Az - When planning a family golf outing it's important to select a course that all members can enjoy. You can still choose a challenging golf test, just make sure beforehand that everyone will have an opportunity to post a good score. It's no fun to play a hole where you can't carry the water, or at least play around it. These are the courses that I would suggest for a family foursome.

Dell Urich Municipal Golf Course was created for every level of golfer. The wide fairways with no bordering rough are very popular with players who have difficulty hitting their target.

Errant drives are penalized, though, with multi-tiered fairways, berms, and doglegs, and putting the ball in the wrong place off the tee makes the holes play much longer.

Also, there's little rough around the greens so the players can concentrate on just hitting a good chip. The greens are not fast, helping on chips and short putts, but they are very undulating, making for some creative long putts. Finally, Dell Urich's inventive design offers a unique layout that allows players to atone for a poor shot with a good recovery.

Randolph North Municipal Golf Course hosts the LPGA's annual Ping Championship in March. It is adjacent to Dell Urich and together they are the second most played public golf complex in the U.S. Randolph North is a traditional layout with beautiful pine trees lining the holes. Shade creates a cooler atmosphere and helps combat Tucson's intense sun. Off the tee, if you miss the fairway you'll be in short rough that any golfer can play out of. Overall, Randolph North plays longer and tighter than Dell Urich, with some very difficult holes. However, there are plenty of short, creative holes that everyone will enjoy.

Arthur Pack Desert Golf Course is one of the few desert courses designed for all golfers. Most of the holes are straightforward with desert bordering just one side, so you can always play away. The men's club has requested that the rough not get too thick, allowing even bailout drives into the rough an opportunity at the green. And on the water holes, there's always an area to play to if you can't carry it. Some of Tucson's finest greens are elevate, making chipping easier. One other important aspect for family fun is that the tees are placed so that the hole plays similarly for each player. This makes formats such as fourball, alternate shot, and scramble much easier to play.

The Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, which hosts the PGA's annual Tucson Open, is a fair test from each set of tees. Unlike most courses, the tee boxes are stretched out rather than individual, so every player hits from the same angle to the fairway or green. For short hitters a fairway has been cut on the two very long par 3's so that straight shots that cannot reach the green aren't penalized. Another equalizing aspect of many holes is that the fairway narrows severely where a long hitter drives to. Thus the long hitter is forced to take less club off the tee, bringing him back to the other tee shots.

El Rio Municipal Golf Course is an especially good course for juniors. Behind the sixth hole is the clubhouse, so if your children are tired they can walk in and wait while the rest of the group finishes the round. The first six holes are short and fun to play, whereas the final three are very long and difficult. El Rio is a short course, and the difficulty comes from the small greens, which are tough to hit. But when you do hit one you won't be faced with a long putt, generally the hardest aspect of the game for inexperienced golfers. El Rio is indeed a fun test for all golfers.

Tucson's best family courses are all championship caliber. They have been designed with all types of golfers in mind, insuring that everyone has both a fair test and a fun time.