Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield

The Takeaway:  Dove Mountain offers a typical desert golf experience with semi-forgiving fairways and generally unplayable lies outside the fairways. The Saguaro nine is fairly uninspiring, Tortolita is the best nine, and Wild Burro is the wildest nine. Solid but not exceptional track.  Grade B-

Quick Facts

Designer:  Jack Nicklaus 2009

Cost:  Private

Phone Number:  520-572-3500

Course Website:  Official Website - Visit The Golf Club at Dove Mountain's official website by clicking on the link provided.

Directions:  Get here! - 6501 Boulder Bridge Pass, Marana, Arizona  85658 – UNITED STATES

Photos:  See additional photos of The Golf Club at Dove Mountain

What to Expect:  Dove Mountain is located 20 miles north northwest of Tucson in the Arizona desert where saguaros and native bushes pepper the landscape. The course is most well known as the former host site of the PGA Tour's Accenture Match Play event that occurred each February (terminated after 2023) with the club utilizing the Saguaro and Tortolita nines to create the 18 holes that was used for the event while the Wild Burro nine sat on the sidelines. The Saguaro nine is the flattest of the nines found at Dove Mountain and is probably the least inspiring. Tortolita is the best of the nines with a good mix of hole designs and changes in terrain. Wild Burro is the most extreme nine and is reportedly Jack Nicklaus' favorite and is known for some of the most undulating and challenging greens you'll find anywhere. Those wild greens are probably exactly why Wild Burro wasn't included in the PGA Tour's match play event. Throughout all of the property though, the saguaro cacti highlight the landscape and create an unforgettable scene that can never be mistaken as being from any other state. I'd classify the layout as typical for desert golf with fairways that are a bit more generous than standard, as are the greens, and then paired with forced carries over waste areas and lies outside of the fairway that are generally unplayable. So while the conditioning is better than what you'd find at most desert courses, the terrain isn't extraordinary enough to set Dove Mountain apart from other courses in the region. All in all, Dove Mountain is a solid course with three differing nines offering their own personalities, but there are more engaging layouts in the Tucson area.

By the Numbers

Tees	Par	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Blue	72	7250	74.0	144
Copper	72	6753	71.6	134
Yellow	72	6224	68.9	127
Green (Ladies)	72	5234	70.2	126

Individual Hole Analysis

Signature Hole:  3rd (Tortolita) Hole – 203 Yard Par 3 – The 3rd on the Tortolita nine is characterized by a large sprawling bunker that stretches from the forward tee all the way up to the right corner of the green. The tee shot plays over some saguaro cacti enroute to a shallow green that is nearly three times wider than it is deep and will demand distance control. The pot bunker centered in front of the green is a deadly place to find yourself.

Best Par 3:  4th (Wild Burro) Hole – 188 Yards – Desert mountains with saguaro cactus dotting the landscape creates the setting for the 4th hole with no mistake that you are in southern Arizona. The tee shot plays to a heavily undulated green where three putts are commonplace when players get in the wrong portion of it. A fading tee shot is ideal as it follows the shape of the green and yields the greatest chance of hitting it in regulation.

Best Par 4:  5th (Tortolita) Hole – 441 Yards – The 5th at Tortolita runs parallel to the 8th with the 5th slowly ascending uphill and a large bunker separating the two holes. A desert wash crosses the hole and terminates the fairway 100 yards short of the green before picking up again on the opposite side to provide turf to navigate 50 yards from the putting surface. With the green angling from front right to back left away from the golfer and a pair of deep bunkers fronting the angle into the putting surface, this stands as one of the most demanding approach shots at Dove Mountain.

Best Par 5:  6th (Wild Burro) Hole – 541 Yards – The 6th on Wild Burro features a pair of hazards to consider. The first is the pond on the left side that is offset by a bunker on the right side of the driving zone that needs to be avoided for any chance of getting home in two. The second challenge comes with the large waste area that comes into play 100 yards short of the green and must be carried enroute to the putting surface with a bailout area being afforded on the left side. The distance will encourage players to reach the green in two, but they'll need to hit a pair of quality shots to make it happen.

Birdie Time:  6th (Tortolita) Hole – 343 Yard Par 4 – This is an intriguing hole with its risk/reward elements since a desert wash bisects the fairway 100 yards from the front edge of the green. A tee shot that can carry the wash is rewarded with a wedge shot into the green where the front is devoid of bunkers and receptive to low or high shots. This is a time to be aggressive since the penalty for not fully executing isn't bad enough to outweigh the opportunity to card a birdie.

Bogey Beware:  1st (Wild Burro) Hole – 454 Yard Par 4 – Jack wastes no time introducing players to the crazy green contours found on the Wild Burro course with this lengthy par four. But first, the tee shot needs to avoid the fairway bunker on the right before a lengthy approach shot into the green that is fronted by a bunker and boasts additional sand on the left. The movement in the putting surface is confounding with more rises and falls than the best roller coasters experience. With a stiff par four right off the bat and little to prepare you for the greens, bogies are commonplace on this opening hole.