Legendary No. 7 at Westin's La Paloma Country Club a Lucky Par
By Ryan Finley
GolfArizona.com Staff Writer
Some members call it the “altitude hole”. Others use more
vivid language, usually of the four-letter variety. The seventh
hole on the Canyon nine at the La Paloma Country Club at the Westin
Hotel, nestled in the picturesque and pricey foothills of Tucson,
has caused many a golfer to lose their cool.
“People get incredibly frustrated playing that hole,”
assistant golf professional Dan Flynn said. “It’s hilarious…they
come into the pro shop talking about beating the seventh hole,
and, for some reason, when they come back, they’re real quiet.
I guess they didn’t do too well.”
Here’s why.
The seventh hole is a 455-yard par 4. Just past the box, there
is a 60-foot drop leading to a 400-foot fairway.
“Most golfers are pretty confident coming off of the tee,”
Flynn said. “They usually get a good roll coming off of the
drive and think they can get on the green in three.”
The subsequent 80-foot hill leading up to the green has been
the cause of many wide-eyed, dull stares. Players who try to run
the ball up the hill with a wood will see it roll back down. Golfers
who try to chip it up the over the high crest can see it go long
or roll straight back down.
“That’s where the hole can really bite them,”
Flynn said. “Some golfers don’t realize that they have
to be patient with the hole. Not everyone can make the money shots.”
"The seventh hole
here is a good indicator of what kind of a golfer you are."
|
The success rate of the “Canyon 7”, as it’s called,
is minimal. “The seventh hole here is a good indicator of what
kind of a golfer you are,” Flynn said. “To par that sucker
is like eagling just about anywhere else.” A club member somehow
eagled it last weekend, raising eyebrows throughout the course.
How anyone could score a two on that par four is the stuff of legends.
“The stories they told about the eagle were unbelievable,”
Flynn said. “I can’t tell you how much money he won,
but was a ridiculously large amount. Whoever he was, he went home
a richer man.”
To play the course, he had to be a rich man to begin with. At $100-plus
dollars per round, the La Paloma is one of the most expensive courses
in town. However with the country-club prices comes one of the best
views in town.
“The sunset view from the Canyon course is the best in
town, bar none,” Flynn said. “There is absolutely no
better way to top of off a fun (yet frustrating ) day of golf
than by watching that sunset.”
Flynn doesn’t want people to be scared off by the rates
and the seventh hole, however.
“The course is worth every cent,” Flynn said. “Hell,
the hole itself is worth every cent.”
The lucky golfer who hit the eagle would agree wholeheartedly.
ARIZONA
NEWS
Grayhawk Golf Club - Raptor Course