Tucson Private Clubs

[ORGolfer]

We are considering a move to Tucson within the year and I am seeking information on Tucson private country/golf clubs. Specifically interested in any information/thoughts people may have on the following courses: Ventana Canyon, La Paloma, Tucson County Club, Skyline Country Club and Oro Valley County Club. We are a family of three, with a son who is currently 11. We all golf. I play to a 5 handicap currently and my wife is around a 20 currently. Son has been playing off and on but seems to be getting more interested. We are definitely looking for a full-service club with fitness, aquatics, etc. with golf being the most important to me. I like weekly games and a nice course that is not too slow and doesn't close that much of the year. 

 

Thanks in advance for any input. 

[teejaywhy]

I have played only Ventana, which may offer memberships, but is open to the public.  I very much disliked the Canyon Course.   A nice cart ride interrupted on occasion by golf holes.

 

La Paloma is 27 holes of Jack Nicklaus.

 

Tucson Country Club is an old-school Billy Bell layout from the 40's.  A core routing with no housing intrusion.  I find that to be the more interesting, for me anyway but some may not like it because it's flat or not terribly long by today's standards.   

 

Skyline Country Club; Oro Valley Country Club  - Don't know anything about either of these courses/clubs. 

 

[Bonneville85308]

Tucson CC is currently closed until this winter for a major renovation which involves completely rebuilding the green complexes including bunkers, some new lengthened tees, etc. It is the UofA's new home course, UofA is building a new facility of their own next to the driving range. Good old school walking course, currently about 7,000 yards from the tips and will be getting longer. Membership has been getting younger in recent years as well. I play it a few times per year as a guest of a member. I've never played a round over 4 hours there. Has good amenities like a lap pool plus a family-friendly pool, tennis, pickleball, etc.

 

Ventana Canyon is just a goofy extreme cartball course I'd never want to join.

 

Oro Valley is a ClubCorp/Invited club so that in itself comes with its own set of pros and cons.

 

I don't know anything about Skyline or La Paloma.

 

Also keep in mind where you are going to live when looking at clubs, because Tucson has no east-west highways, and no north-south highways besides I-10 on the west side, so it takes forever to get from one side of town to the other.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Bonneville85308

[puttnforthe8]

I'll add La Paloma is a pretty boring, unispired 27 holes tied to the Westin.  Skyline is a short course with a decent layout, but it is a mess as a "country club" - it is run down, poor conditions most of the year, managed poorly and a very unfriendly atmosphere.

 

Personally, the only private course I would join in the Tucson area would be The Gallery or Tucson CC.

 

I have not got to play Highlands, but it seems to get good reviews.

 

 

[AzRoger]

I would look into the Dove Mountain area, some nice golf courses with a combination of public/private, and also nice area to live, just north of Tucson. The Gallery mentioned above is located there.

[Shipwreck]

You can also add in Tucson Omni to the list. Two 18 hole courses with vastly different layouts (Catalina is where they hold the Champions Tour Cologuard event). Great facilities and some serious sticks play there too. 

[toddlasher]

Are these clubs still accessible or shut out like Scottsdale?

[Bonneville85308]

3 minutes ago, toddlasher said:

Are these clubs still accessible or shut out like Scottsdale?

 

Last I checked with my friend who is a member, Tucson CC doesn't have a waitlist but the initiation fee has increased. The Tucson private club market doesn't seem to be as undersupplied and oversubscribed as Phoenix/Scottsdale.

[Phreddy]

Coming from the midwest Tucson is a different animal.  You don't see 36 hole clubs in my home area like you do in Tucson.  I think, and I could be wrong, Omni and Ventana alternate their 18's daily.  One day is member only on one course and outside play welcome on the other.  If true it is an interesting way to generate non-member revenue and keep member costs down.

 

The trend nationally has been for course aggregators, Escalante, Concert Golf, Club Corp...., to buy clubs and build a portfolio.  Escalante owns The Gallery and Dove Mountain.  From my experience joining a club owned by an aggregator has the benefit of protection from any future assessments, however, you lose the feel and input of a member owned club.  The aggregators are cash flow models and generally host an outsized number of events to drive incremental member spend, at the expense of monopolizing the use of the course.  Another item to bear in mind when looking at a club owned by an aggregator is geography.  Most of these business models have a "join one-member of all" policy.  Unless they own several warm weather clubs you can expect your tee sheet to be over run by northerners who need a golf vacation.

 

Initiation creep has certainly been a COVID bubble/golf boom phenomena, but I have not heard of wait lists.

 

Like all decisions there is no silver bullet answer.  There are pluses and minuses across the board.

 

Phred

[BobbyLite]

Go w/ Tucson CC or the Gallery. All the clubs in the Tucson area are pretty close knit - as a member at one, you can play the others with not much hassle...just befriend the head pro.