Tucson Golfers Disappointed
with Municipal Courses

By Ryan Finley,
GolfArizona.com Staff Writer

O'Shea has just fallen victim to one of Tucson's municipal courses, and he is not happy with what he sees.

Traditionally, city-sponsored courses have offered inexpensive golf for players with PGA heart and PBJ budgets. Tucson courses are no different. In Arizona, the golf capital of the West, country club and hotel courses dot the landscape. For the most part, municipal courses are used for locals.

• Past GolfArizona.com course reviews • Past articles by Ryan Finley

Here's the kicker: the city wants to raise greens fees, and that has locals in an uproar. According to Randolph golf course attendant Ryan Brownelo, it makes sense.

"The only way we can make this place any better is if we get more money from the patrons," Brownelo said. "Unless people want to see more of the same, they have to accept the hikes."

Currently, the hover around $30 per round, including cart. The proposed fee hikes will raise the average municipal fees from anywhere to four to eight dollars, according to sources.

Brownelo is quick to admit that the city's backwards logic has been met with, well, an uproar.

"This has been a public relations nightmare," Brownelo said. "This is bad, real bad."

Locals are leaving city courses in droves. Although some head for Phoenix, most will venture twenty miles south to Green Valley, a small town where, according to Simmons, "people are friendly, glad to see you, and willing to do what it takes to make sure you're happy." Courses like Canoa Hills and nearby Haven golf courses are quickly soaking up the people (and money) that have come along with the disenchantment.

Although the current fees are similar, Canoa Hills promises "the best greens in Southern Arizona, with the fairways that would shame those at city courses", according to Simmons. Reservations at Canoa Hills have risen 27% in the month of August alone. Even Brent Newcombe, the city's director of golf courses, admits to sneaking a round at Green Valley.

"Yeah, I head out there during the summer," he said, "it's a nice place." However, Newcombe is quick to claim that golf at municipal courses has raised as well. "Either there are a lot more people playing golf in the summer", he said, "or someone's not telling the truth."

Either way, this much is true: Tucsonans are dissatisfied with their municipal courses. Although Newcombe denies there's anything wrong with the quality of the fairways and greens ("During the rainy season, maybe," he said, "but not now"), people like Nick O'Shea don't lie.

"I'm going to Green Valley from now on", he said. "I can't afford the country clubs and I don't like the city courses."

Newcombe and the city of Tucson should take a hint.