This was my final round in Tucson yesterday morning, and it was also my biggest splurge price-wise. I booked a 7:40 time through GN for $99, which isn't too bad for a Saturday morning round here. The ... Continue »

This was my final round in Tucson yesterday morning, and it was also my biggest splurge price-wise. I booked a 7:40 time through GN for $99, which isn't too bad for a Saturday morning round here. The check-in process did not go well. I got there and was turned away at the main gate. Apparently, if you book through the resort or a booking site, you need to go park and check in over by the Loews Hotel up the street. Signage is sparse up that way, so you then find the little pro shop. I checked in and the guy said there was an hour frost delay, so I would be in the third group out at 8:50. No worries. They give me a cart and then you just work your way down to the driving range area, which is a long ways away through an entangled cart path system. The starter booth for the Canyon course is down by the driving range along with a snack shack if you want to grab something. The range didn't open until after 8:00. They trade-off which course is the member course and which is the resort/guest course. I don't know the pattern, but I do know it was Canyon all during the week I was there and then it switched to Mountain on Saturday. The starter for the Mountain course is over by the first tee, which is another drive away, so I check in with him close to my new tee time and he says he'll come grab me at the nearby putting range. As my tee time comes up, then the starter lets me know I have to head back to the pro shop to check in again because the first guy never had me pay. He then sends me over to the other pro shop, which is for the members (and much bigger/nicer obviously) and now I'm feeling all rushed as the rest of my group is teeing off already. I wait in line, check in again and pay, and then rush back over to the tee to hit. Sorry for the big story, but it was extremely confusing and frustrating, and like the previous reviewer noted, you kind of feel like a second-class citizen around here if not a member—even though you're still paying a steep green fee. Anyway, once I was finally out on the course, all was good. I was paired with three members who were very nice and fun to play with, as well as helpful with playing tips. The group ahead was a bit slow, but we still finished in about 4:20. The course is in very good condition. The tee boxes were nice. The fairways were good with just some scattered thin spots here and there that rarely came into play. The rough was nice with a mix of lush rye in most stretches and then semi-dormant bermuda in others. There are a number of little burms that show up in the middle of fairways and around some edges, which are just mounds/shelves of the dormant bermuda. They just kind of mix things up and present some visual intimidation, but they are easy to play from when the grass is tight and dormant. Then, by the greens there are a lot of shelves and steep faces that have the thicker semi-dormant bermuda that is very tricky to hit from, especially because you may be standing at a 45-degree angle! The bunkers were good and the greens were some of the best I've played on all year. They were cut tight and rolled smooth. They were firm and quite fast, adding a lot of challenge to the course. The greens here are big and have some significant undulation, as you would expect on a Tom Fazio course. The layout is very nice. Kind of reminded me of Desert Willow (Palm Desert) at times as most of the course winds gently through many desert trees, cacti and scrub brush. However, the course kind of shoots itself in the foot with the 3rd hole as the signature hole. Not only is it the signature par-3, but it is one of the most amazing holes you'll ever play. It is carved into the side of the mountain and is an amazing feat of design, landscaping and engineering because of how it is feels chiseled out of the rocks. It is just spectacular to look at and fun to play because it's just a 100-yard do or die shot to basically and island green. It's a bit of a bummer because it comes up so early in the round and there's not a lot of build up to it. All of a sudden you are just there and hiking up to the tee boxes. And then just like that, you go back to the rest of the course which has nothing similar. Then, you are left hoping you get to play more holes later that bring in some similar elements, but you never do. So, basically you have 17 very nice golf holes that are very enjoyable, along with one jaw-dropping hole that you'll never forget. I think if it were later in the round, it would fit better and allow for more anticipation, but that's not how the routing works. I'll end this never-ending review now. Basically, the course itself is excellent and the signature hole is something quite special to behold. The staff could be more friendly and helpful to guests and the property could be much less confusing. I'd still recommend it. I don't think the frost delay helped with the confusion of getting started. It seemed things were running smoother by the time I left and people knew where to go and what to do after checking in at the smaller pro shop.