The Course
Arizona National Golf Club
9777 E Sabino Greens Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85749
Arizonanationalgolfclub.com
Pro-Shop Manager – Alex Gray
(520) 749-4089
First Impressions:
Wow! There is a whole lotta cactus out here. This golf course has probably some of every kind of cactus there is. The very tall ones are called Saguaro’s. They are the largest cactus in the United States and they can grow up to 50 feet tall. If they have one or more arms then they are at least 75 years old. One smaller one has these small parts of the plant that can jump and stick to you. I learned this the hard way, see picture #4. The views look fantastic everywhere, the pro-shop is well stocked with most anything you need and the restaurant looks great, I ate lunch there and the food and service was excellent.
Alex Gray (Pro-shop manager) connected me with one of the members there (Brad) and it was just the two of us for this game.
About the course:
This course has 4 unique features that are interesting to note.
- They sell only 18-hole games
- It is drive only for good reason. Long distance between some holes and hilly in some areas.
- The 5th and 18th holes end at the club house.
- Hole #11 is a blind tee shot. You cannot see the landing area down below and you will need to check the cart GPS screen for the signal that the area below is clear and ok to hit your tee shot (see picture#17).
This course can be fun and challenging for all skill levels but higher handy cappers will most likely not improve their handicap after the first time playing here. Some of the par 3 holes do not allow much or any room for a stray tee shot (see picture# 7). The views are stunning (see picture#16). Expect to see some critters like deer, roadrunner birds, and snakes. Fortunately, I did not run across any snakes but did see plenty of deer and roadrunner birds. This is a very pretty and fun course to play and I will love to do it again next time I am in the area.
About Our Game:
Brad and I got started on Thursday morning 1/23/25 and the sky was sunny and the temperature was great for Arizona about 63 degrees. I learned that Brad lives here near hole #18 and he has his own custom golf cart that he calls the big bad ass banana. (See picture#15). Brad is loaded with information about the history of this course ant the course layout. His advice along the way probably saved me at least 5 or 6 strokes off my final score. We did not keep actual score for each other but I kept mine and we agreed to tracking all our birdies and pars.
Hole # 4 (par 3) we both missed the green with Brad in the bunker on the right and me in the bunker on the left.
Hole #5 (par 5) My shot rolled into the water. Brad hit a great 3rd shot on to the green and made par. I am told Tiger Woods played here when he was in his 20’s and there is some pictures of him hitting from the tee box at this hole.
Hole#6 (par 3) I made par.
Hole#8 (par 4) Brad made a long putt for par
Hole #9 (par 3) Brad made a great tee shot and made par for two in a row.
Hole #10 (par 4) Brad calls this the most difficult hole on the course because it is all up hill. I agree and neither of us made par here.
Hole #11 (par 5) This is the most difficult hole per the pro-shop guys. My first 2 shots went great and then my third went into cactus plants and I finished with a bogie and was happy with that.
We finished the game with zero birdies and Brad won the par game with 3 to my 2.
My Favorite Hole:
I must give my vote to #5 because the view from that tee box is so spectacular and the challenge of staying away from the water is fun.
