Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort: Review from Arizona Golf Guides

Few resorts can claim as prestigious a collection of courses as Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort. All three of its golf courses in the Tucson area are worthy of the attention of local and visiting golf fans.

520-544-1800 or 520-544-1770 Cañada & Conquistador Courses: 10555 N. La Cañada Dr. Tucson, AZ 85737 Pusch Ridge Course: 10000 N. Oracle Rd. Tucson, AZ 85704 www.hiltonelconquistador.com semiprivate/resort holes: 45 course par: 72 (Cañada), 71 (Conquistador), 35 (Pusch Ridge) rating/slope: Cañada - championship 71.9/130 - regular 66.9/118 - forward 70.6/123 Conquistador - championship 72.7/126 - regular 67.0/119 - forward 69.0/121 Pusch Ridge - 65.6/110 range of yardages: 5,093–6,626 (Cañada) 4,821–6,781 (Conquistador) 2,322–2,788 (Pusch Ridge) director of golf: Mark Oswald head pro: Brian Frisch membership: contact Michelle Keilen, 544-1910 cart & green fees: phone for information course designers: Jeff Hardin, Greg Nash shoe policy: alternative cleats

In the Oro Valley area north of Tucson, the venerable Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort sits high on the western slope of the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2,000 feet below a mighty landmark, Pusch Ridge, in what has to be the quintessential setting for a luxurious Southwest getaway.

The nine-hole Pusch Ridge Course winds, dips, and climbs through a 175-foot vertical drop in the foothills. This daring 2,788-yard layout, set immediately adjacent to the resort, challenges all takers for a quick nine, and more often than not catches the most skilled players off guard.

Six of the nine holes play steeply either uphill or down, and the ones in between show a little movement as well. The 1st hole is a short par-5 dogleg left that requires little more than a fairway wood to start. And then comes the occasional water, such as on Number 5, where a pond nearly encircles the green from the front right.

After a few holes it becomes clear why the course record 32 is a mere 3 under par. There’s been talk of building another nine. But more than a few players in Tucson claim that two turns around the current Pusch Ridge nine make one of their favorite 18-hole tracks in the city.

Seven minutes west of the hotel via hotel shuttle, the Cañada and Conquistador Courses anchor the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Country Club and remain a strong pair on the Tucson golf scene. Designed and built by Arizona-based architects Jeff Hardin and Greg Nash, the two layouts favor a traditional design style, considering their urban desert setting, where the inspiring Sonoran terrain still taunts. Both courses play through varying terrain, where fairways rise and fall through the shallow ravines unique to the area, with only a minimal number of water features on each layout.

Named after Cañada del Oro, the nearby river whose tributaries have cut a number of washes and arroyos through the property, Cañada has a more desert-style design. Hundreds of mesquite trees line the fairways and protect greens on approach. And while the amply turfed fairways are wide and forgiving, arroyos and outcroppings manage to impede from the edges on more than a few holes. Half of Cañada’s 18 holes begin from elevated tees with tactical vantage points and play to elevated greens, which afford spectacular views of the surroundings.

The Conquistador Course clearly lends a more traditional feel, but still has picturesque touches of desert flora. Golfers still must contend with rolling terrain and the occasional side hill lie. The gently elevated greens have openings in the front, while the generous mounding to the sides and back put added pressure on pitch shots fired at the pin.

Resort guests may reserve tee times in advance. Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort operates on a semiprivate basis, and daily-fee play is available on a limited basis at all three courses.

DAVID HUBBARD

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