The Club at Starr Pass offers history, luxury for Tucson golfers

In Southern Arizona, there's a plethora of golf courses worth playing. Yes, even in peak summer — hey, cheaper rates!

We've created a guide with 10 courses Southern Arizona golfers should play as soon as possible.

Here's the catch: no country clubs or courses that require memberships to play, which excludes sumptuous tracks like Tucson Country Club — the home course of the Arizona Wildcats — along with La Paloma Country Club, Skyline Country Club, The Gallery Golf Club and Stone Canyon Golf Club. 

Oh, and no putt-putt golf, although we don't discourage anyone from working on their short game at Golf N' Stuff, a longstanding Tucson staple.  

Over the next week or so, we're featuring courses that should be on your golf to-do list in Southern Arizona. Quarry Pines, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain and Casino Del Sol's Sewailo Golf Club. Up next: The Club at Starr Pass.

The Club at Starr Pass

Location: 3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd

Length: 27 holes, 10,058 yards (three nine-hole courses)

Par: 72

Notable hole: 6, Coyote Course (Par 4, 350 yards)

The rundown: Have you ever wondered about the origin story of the name "Starr Pass?" In the late 1800s, Richard Starr was the driving force behind a stagecoach trail through the Tucson Mountains. 

The Richard Starr Stagecoach Line was a route between Tucson and Quijotoa, a mining boomtown about 70 miles southwest of the Old Pueblo. The sixth fairway of The Club at Starr Pass' "Coyote Course" is where the trail used to be. 

In 1986, TPC at Starr Pass opened for business. The original 18-hole course was designed by Craig Stadler and Bob Cupp. Coyote and Roadrunner are Starr Pass' original courses. The following year, the PGA Tour selected Starr Pass Golf Club as the host of the Tucson Open.

TPC at Starr Pass, which was later renamed to Starr Pass Golf Club, hosted the Tucson Open from 1987-96 before the tournament permanently relocated to Omni Tucson National. Phil Mickelson won the Tucson Open, thrice, including the 1991 Tucson Open as an amateur, which was his junior season at Arizona State; he also won back-to-back Tucson Opens in 1995 and '96.

The Tucson Open was held at Omni Tucson National on a full-time basis from 1997-2006. The PGA Tour returned to Starr Pass this past December for Stage 2 of PGA Tour Q-School, a tournament for players seeking PGA Tour status. 

Nearly a decade after Starr Pass Golf Club — connected to J.W. Marriott Starr Pass — hosted the Tucson Open, golf legend Arnold Palmer designed an additional nine-hole golf course, known as "Palmer Course." 

All three courses offer dramatic desert views tucked into the base of the Tucson Mountains. The close proximity to the mountains and desert has been known to attract to wildlife, including coyotes, javelinas, deer, bobcats and roadrunners. 

With the change in elevation, the tall saguaro cacti that stand in front of tee boxes and approach shots, along with the occasional bunkers or desert gullies in front of greens, Starr Pass Golf Club lives up to the "desert golf" reputation. It's not as forgiving as other courses in Southern Arizona. Prepare for a challenge, high handicappers. 

Troon Golf, a renowned golf and hospitality management company that oversees nearly 1,000 courses in over 30 countries, was announced as the new course manager in 2023. Troon Golf rebranded Starr Pass Golf Club to The Club at Starr Pass. 

In November, The Club at Starr Pass announced renovations to the course, including new TifEagle Bermuda, a putting surface that is commonly used at prominent golf courses. The golf shop and new restaurant, "Creosote — Sonoran Kitchen & Cocktails," were also a part of the renovations, along with the locker rooms and social areas. 

About 20 minutes from the University of Arizona campus, The Club at Starr Pass combines luxury with a championship-level golf course.