CORONA DE TUCSON —
With so many golf courses throughout the Tucson area, it's hard to stand out from the crowd.
But for the Santa Rita Golf Club, its location does most of the work.
On South Houghton Road about seven miles south of Interstate 10, Santa Rita is 25 minutes from Downtown and a good 15 to 20 minutes away from its nearest competitor.
The majority of its regulars hail from the Corona de Tucson area, but with more than 35,000 rounds of golf played on it each year, Santa Rita is still able to draw from all over.
"Everyone wants to play a difficult course, and this is a good one to play," said 71-year-old George Soetaert, who lives on the 12th hole.
The course weaves through a neighborhood that was built in the 1960s and was originally intended to be a retirement haven for Southern Baptists, hence the street names in tribute of Southern cities: Atlanta Drive, Charleston Place, Montgomery Avenue and Tallahassee Drive.
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As it snakes into the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains, the views of the Tucson valley can often help a struggling golfer take his mind off the bad shots that have occurred that day.
"It's a very pretty area," general manager Frank Brown said. "You get some pretty nice views. You can see all of the area depending on what hole you're on."
● Meet some of the regulars and see what they have to say about the course.
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Course facts
Year built:
1976, as a 9-hole course; holes 5-13, known as the "new nine," were completed in the early 1980s.
Course architect:
Red Lawrence, who also designed Tubac Golf Course and the South Course at the University of New Mexico, where the UA men's golf team won the 1992 NCAA championship.
Distance:
6,523 yards from the back (blue) tees, 5,400 yards from the women's (red) tees
Par:
72 (73 for women)
Elevation:
About 3,500 feet
Rounds played per year:
35,000-38,000
Grass used:
Bermuda on fairways; greens are bent grass.
Home to:
About 50 members and the boys and girls golf teams from Palo Verde and Santa Rita high schools.
Claim to fame:
Scenes from the 1996 movie "Tin Cup," starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo, were shot here. To commemorate the movie, the café inside the clubhouse was renamed the Tin Cup Lounge.
Survival info:
Strong winds coming off the Santa Rita Mountains can wreak havoc on shots; putts toward the north and west go faster because of the drop in elevation toward Tucson.
