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Mountain's signature 107-yard par 3 3rd

As a tourist destination, Tucson is catching up fast to Phoenix. One third the size of its northern rival, Tucson is also surrounded by desert mountains that look as if they've been pasted on to the azure sky. Here, the high Sonoran Desert delights the eye and ear with spectacular sunsets, the nocturnal cries of the coyote, and the proud saguaro.

Tucson -- "The Old Pueblo," the oldest continuously inhabited city in North America -- was settled by a rich mix of settlers: Native Americans, the Spanish and Mexicans, and the early American pioneers. Variously, they all tried to tame her -- some with force, some with God. However, in the early frontier days, peace was more likely to be settled at the end of a gun than a rosary.

Tucson today is growing at a breathtaking rate around the preserved historic district ("El Presidio"). Sprouting up like prickly pear cacti in the desert are vast housing developments, malls, roads, and golf courses including those of three world-class golf resorts -- The Lodge at Ventana Canyon, The Westin La Paloma and the ITT Sheraton El Conquistador Resort & Country Club. Here, in the newest golf capital of the Southwest, the six-iron has replaced the six-shooter.

The Lodge is nestled against the foothills of the 9000-foot Santa Catalina Mountains 30 minutes northeast of Downtown Tucson. Like Carefree Resorts' other award-winning properties, including The Boulders in Scottsdale and Carmel Valley Ranch in California, The Lodge has a decidedly personal feel to it. In addition to meeting rooms for small business groups, the resort has only 49 suites.

Fifty-one additional suites and a new pool complex are planned, but the resort will always remain relatively small, in keeping with the company's philosophy that less concrete and mortar means greater experience of setting, place and the environment.

Originally developed as a private golf and racquet club with time-share living quarters, the property was taken over by Carefree Resorts in 1995. The company, which was recently acquired by a Dallas-based Real Estate Investment Trust, renovated the entire property, turning it into a worthy addition to its prized portfolio. The club with its 400 members continues to operate on site.

The resort is elegant in an understated way. Mahogany wood paneling and desert earth tones have replaced the art deco plastic furnishings and sharp colors of the old club. The centerpiece of the main building is a 30-foot stacked fieldstone fireplace that separates the lobby from the Hearthstone, The Lodge's award-winning dining room where I feasted on a mahi mahi dish that was out of this world. The suites, which include patios or balconies overlooking the mountains, are spacious and comfortable, and the impeccable service includes a freshly baked cookie and a printed schedule of the next day's events left on your pillow at turn down.

Golf at The Lodge is convenient and spectacular, consisting of an exceptional practice facilities, outstanding service and two Tom Fazio layouts -- The Mountain Course and the Canyon Course. The pro shop is in the main building within a minute's walk of your room, and the staging area is directly behind the pro shop. The first tee to The Mountain Course is but a chip shot away, while Canyon #1 is a short cart-ride down the hill.

Both courses have received top industry honors including Golf Magazine's Silver Medal. A master craftsman, Fazio allowed the natural terrain to shape the courses' character, using the desert elements and contours of the land to create a challenging yet very fair test of golf for player's of all caliber. Exceptionally well maintained, these courses are not typical "resort courses" nor do they resemble some of the modern target-style desert courses with their tricked-up holes and intimidating carries.

The Mountain Course is the more heralded of the two layouts, only because of its higher elevation, but some consider the Canyon Course to be more scenic. The resort owns and manages the courses for club members and guests of The Lodge and the nearby Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and Hotel.

The front nine of the Mountain course works its way up the slopes of the hills. At the highest point is the signature 107-yard par 3 3rd hole. It is a visual marvel and, if golf had a Seven Wonders of the World, this hole would be included. The tee box sits atop a large rock outcropping and to get to it you follow a path so steep you wish your cart had 4-wheel drive. The tee box offers a dramatic view of the canyon and the Mexican mountains some 50 miles to the south. When you finally decide to tackle this spectacular hole, you must carry your tee shot over a deep, cactus-studded ravine to a green set up against the mountains and bordered by more rocks on the right and a steep arroyo on the left. Hit the green with your tee shot or you may need a calculator to tabulate your score.

Environmental sensitivity was a major component of the design and construction of the golf courses and, as a result, wildlife thrives here. Red-tailed hawks, deer, coyotes, roadrunners and gambel's quail are but a few of the many species you are liable to see on your round. I played the Mountain Course with  two software developers from Montana who saw a bobcat on the hill behind the second green. "We guessed it was gathering food for its cubs," said one, "because it made short work of a whole family of rabbits who never had a chance."

Ranked #15 in Conde Nast Traveler's "Fifty Best Golf Resorts" readers' poll, The Lodge is a certified member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary program. The resort also offers a tennis and swimming complex, fitness and spa facilities, an outdoor fitness trail that meanders through the resort's 600 acres and a variety of outings such as desert jeep tours, horseback riding, hiking, hot-air ballooning, excursions to Spanish missions, El Presidio, and Saguaro National Monument. For reservations call 1-800-828-5701. 

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Alan B. Nichols is a professional golf-travel writer residing in Bethesda, MD.
He is the featured golf-travel writer for GolfLink. Alan appreciates your
comments on his features and the courses he has written about. 
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