AZ Golf Guides

METROPOLITAN TUCSON

Forty Niner Country Club

TUCSON

Forty Niner Country Club, celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, remains a quiet and secluded Tucson original. Since 1961, the traditional William Francis Bell design has developed into a club rich in golf history. The Club has played host to both PGA and LPGA tour events and challenged some of the world’s top golfers such as Jack Nicklaus and Don January.

Although the course has provided a solid challenge for all players since its opening, recent course renovations have only improved an already outstanding experience. Nestled between the Catalina and Rincon Mountains, the course meanders along a wooded riverbed. The gently rolling fairways are lined with mature trees and desert shrubbery to create an inviting 18-hole layout. Mesquite, giant cottonwoods, eucalyptus, and weeping willow trees make their presence known along the course and add even more beauty to the golf course.

Forty Niner is a welcome departure from many of the desert-style courses in the area, with its lush, mature landscaping and abundance of trees. After facing the most difficult hole early in the round on the front nine—the par-4 Number 5—players have the chance to make up scoring ground on the inward nine. It opens and closes with par-3 holes, and features a pair of par-5s in the 11th and 15th holes.

Superb course management is key to scoring well here. If players are able to master their tee balls, they have a chance at success on the slightly elevated greens. The key to carding a low number is to remain cognizant of the distances to the doglegs, where direction and placement often take precedence over distance.

All in all, Forty Niner Country Club provides players with a relaxed round of golf, and luckily for those in the Tucson area, memberships are available.