The Golf Club at Dove Mountain is a key part of Tucson's sports history

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, the host of the "The Match: Change for Charity," a made-for-TV charity with Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley against Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning. 

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 kicked off the countdown. The next course isn't too far of a drive from Quarry Pines. 

The Golf Club at Dove Mountain

Location: 6501 W. Boulder Bridge Pass

Length: 27 holes, 7,849 yards

Par: 72

Notable hole: 3, Tortolita Course (Par 3, 203 yards)

The rundown: Designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana first opened in 2009 and took over as the site of WGC-Accenture Match Play, a tournament that hosted the top golfers in the world. 

WGC-Accenture Match Play was previously held at The Gallery Golf Club in 2007 and '08. Henrik Stenson and Tiger Woods were the winners of the first two match play events at The Gallery Golf Club, before the tournament moved to The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, which is connected to the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. 

The Golf Club at Dove Mountain has three nine-hole courses: Saguaro, Tortolita and Wild Burro. It's desert golf, so extra golf balls are recommended. 

The Tortolita course is tucked near the Tortolita Mountains. When WGC-Accenture Match Play was held at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, it wasn't considered a favorite amongst the PGA players — and the complex greens were the most popular reason why.  

In 2009, Woods said, "the greens are a bit tough." 

"They’re a little severe out there," Woods said. "The green speeds are down because if they ever got them up, you couldn’t play."

Added Phil Mickelson: "From what I can tell around the greens, it is very severe and will require some interesting shots, bump-and-runs, flops, spinning shots." 

Between the yardage and the greens, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain became known as one of the most challenging venues in PGA Tour history. Woods, Mickelson and Adam Scott were among the players to skip WGC-Accenture Match Play in the tournament's final season at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain. 

The tournament also experienced weather delays (snow and hail) in 2011 and 2013. After 2014, WGC-Accenture Match Play moved to the Bay Area for a year and has settled in at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. Since the departure of WGC-Accenture Match Play, the Cologuard Classic — a PGA Tour Champions event — has become the most prominent golf tournament hosted in the Tucson area. 

Want to follow in the footsteps of the winners? Here are the players who won the WGC-Accenture Match Play at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain: Geoff Ogilvy, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar and Jason Day. The Saguaro Course was the front nine of the WGC-Accenture Match Play — Tortolita the back nine, which comes with scenic views featuring desert and mountains.

The third hole on the Tortolita Course — a 203-yard par 3 surrounded by sand traps — and the 15th hole — a high-risk, high-reward par 4 with a ditch in front of the drivable green — are the signature holes at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain. 

Up for the challenge?