Casino del Sol opened its new Sewailo Golf Club to the public on Friday, with a ceremonial tee shot by Native American pro golfer and course designer Notah Begay III.
The 18-hole, 7,400-yard course — named for the Pascua Yaqui word for “flower world” — caps a $130 million expansion of the property that included a new resort hotel that opened in 2011, said Jim Burns, CEO of the tribal-owned Casino del Sol Resort.
Sewailo, managed by Scottsdale-based Troon Golf, was finished a couple of weeks ago and the clubhouse was completed last week, said Sewailo General Manager Dan LaRouere, who managed La Paloma Country Club from 1991 to 2011.
The course cost about $28 million to build, LaRouere said.
Sewailo is open to the public with pricing that is based on current demand and season, ranging from $50 to $120 per round, LaRouere said.
People are also reading…
Featuring mostly wide, continuous fairways, the course is more forgiving than other desert “target” golf courses, LaRouere said, though its seven lakes make it plenty challenging.
While depressed demand and high water costs have put some local courses in financial trouble, LaRouere predicted Sewailo will succeed by drawing fans of high-end golf from around the area. Sewailo uses Central Arizona Project water under rights owned by the tribe, he said.
“There isn’t a lot of great golf in this part of town,” said LaRouere.
The course will eventually employ as many as 80 to 90 employees, most of them tribal members, he said.
