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4.4
1155 Reviews (1155)
5 Stars
805
4 Stars
251
3 Stars
60
2 Stars
19
1 Stars
20
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.0
Layout
4.6
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.0
88.3%
Recommend this course
1065 out of 1155 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
16 Reviews (16)
5 Stars
11
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.7
Value
3.9
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.3
87.5%
Recommend this course
14 out of 16 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
16 Reviews (16)
5 Stars
11
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.7
Value
3.9
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.3
87.5%
Recommend this course
14 out of 16 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Style Desert
Par 72
Length 6836 yards
Slope 137
Rating 72.1

One of two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses at this Tucson resort, the Canyon Course at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon is classic desert golf, set against the backdrop of the Sonoran Desert enhanced by its surroundings of saguaros, deer, roadrunners, quail and birds. The 6,836-yard, par-72 layout rolls through the Esperro Canyon, incorporating a massive formation known as Whaleback Rock in its design. The golf course has several memorable holes, including a couple of difficult par 3s - the 13th and 16th - as well as the reachable par-5 finishing hole, which features a man-made waterfall.

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Ventana Canyon Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1984
Golf Season Year round
Architect Tom Fazio (1984) Andy Banfield

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS No
Pull-carts No
Caddies No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes - "Ventana Canyon Golf Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed No
Dress code Collared shirt required, no denim

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

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Reviews

4.4
1155 Reviews (1155)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 37
19th Hole Scenic Views 26
Patio Dining 24
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 122
Bunkers 104
Undulating Greens 92
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 116
Advanced Golfers 93
A Weekend Splurge 82
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 125
Worth the Drive 87
Convenient to the City 60

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

A championship course that my wife and both enjoyed the opportunity to play for the rate we did as compared to the winter rate.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Response from on 09/06/2017:
Hello, Jerry. Thank you for reviewing the course. We appreciate the 5-stars and are going to notify the teams responsible, so they know their hard work is paying off. We hope to see you for another round soon. Thank you for playing The Lodge at Ventana Canyon.
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 09/06/2017:
Hi, Jeremy. We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us 5-stars. We will inform the entire team, so they know their hard work is paying off.
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Challenging course with great views and scenary

Ventana Canyon Mountain course is a challenging course with excellent conditions, Our tee time was an 8:00 AM shotgun start with a foursome on every hole. This made the pace of play very slow as the round took 4 hrs 45 mins.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Response from on 09/06/2017:
Hi, Mark. Thanks for taking the time to review us 5-stars! We are glad you had a memorable and enjoyable experience. We will escalate your feedback about the pace of play to our staff. See you again soon!
Played On
Reviews 65
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

8am shotgun

lush, well maintained resort course. everything is right in front of you, no crazy blind shots . fairways and greens in excellent conditions.

only complaint was 5 1/2 hours to finish, was hot tired and wanted to get to cold shower asap.

top 5 course to play in Tucson

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Pace of play is terrible

Having to wait 10+ minutes at each tee box makes it hard to find a rhythm throughout the round.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 08/22/2017:
We're sorry to hear the pace of play was not ideal. We will inform our staff about your concern. We understand it can be tough to get into a rhythm with the stop and go. Come back and see us soon!
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Ventana calls you in

My favorite course in Tucson. Played it for $129, played it for $39(summer) always beautiful and what views! About an hour away now, but worth the drive through Tucson to get there. Will do'er again

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Response from on 08/22/2017:
We love our fans! Can't wait to see you back and glad you loved the scenery too!
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Excellent August Conditions on Canyon Course

Summer conditions were excellent all around. Lush fairways and greens. Greens could have been faster but were consistent medium speed across course. Some small areas on course being worked on due to water damage from heavy rains, but did not affect play. Highly recommend this course for summer play and great value.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 09/06/2017:
Hi, David. Thank you so much for the spectacular review. 5-star feedback is what we strive to achieve. We are glad you had an incredible time and hope to see you again soon.
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great course & staff

Course was really nice with amazing views. Played several courses in Tucson area and the entire staff here was exceptional!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 08/15/2017:
We're so happy to hear your round was exceptional and our talented staff made your experience with us memorable!
Played On
Reviews 1001
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 1 Contributor
California Advisor
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Ventana Canyon... a must play in the Tucson area...

Played the Greens (70.8/136/6537). The weather was clear & hot, with temps around 100 by the time we were finishing. Matched up with Rob, Sam & Kay for a very enjoyable round. We played 4 different sets of tees and were never pushed from behind, finishing in 4H, 20M.

Tom Fazio design. Very difficult course but also fair and very fun to play. Tight but not overly tight... but anything much offline is going to bite you on most shots.

Loved the layout. Constantly Up/down rolling hills, much more down than up. You would play a couple of holes downhill, then have a long climb back up the hill to a new tee box to start a new downhill stretch. Only a few holes played uphill, so overall, the course played shorter than the yardage would indicate. Some risk/reward par 4's and a good collection of par 3's. This would be an almost impossible course to walk, numerous long distances from a green to the next tee box. #9 green was probably 1/3 mile from #10 tee as an example. No tricked up holes, the forced carries were fair. The tight holes were balanced by more open holes. However, there are no holes I would classify as wide open, at most you had a bailout on 1 side.

The Bermuda tees had good coverage, mostly lush and were nice to play from.

The Bermuda fairways were mostly lush and deceptively undulating, few flat lies.

The Bermuda rough was generally penal, the ball sat down. A few bare areas here and there farther away from fairways, but good to very good overall.

The sand traps were plentiful and very well maintained with good quality, light sand.

These were the best Bermuda greens I have ever putted on, period. Medium fast, smooth and very consistent from green to green, maybe the quickest Bermuda greens I have ever putted on. Firm, you could barely leave a ball or pitch mark and immaculately maintained.

The customer service was excellent from all encountered. Very nice grass driving range is included in your fee. Considering the layout and playing conditions, this is probably among the top dozen courses I have ever played. Definitely recommended.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Response from on 08/15/2017:
Thank you for this detailed and awesome review! Happy to hear you loved the layout and your overall round. Can't wait to see you back again, thanks for this stellar recommendation!
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Wonderful experience

Visiting family in Tucson and decided at last minute to Play golf. Contacted website for Ventana golf and racquet club and signed up for a 1:50 pm tee time at a discounted rate. Arrived at the Lodge/Ventana and was greeted immediately with courtesy and a professional staff that made my experience extremely pleasant and enjoyable! Will look forward to the next trip to Tucson and play the Mountain course. Great experience!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Response from on 08/15/2017:
We're so happy to hear your round and experience with us was great! Come back and see us again when you visit next.
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Nice course, great conditions. Slow pace

Beautiful course, but no real standout holes. Great conditioning, the greens were immaculate.

I'll play it again while it's cheap with the summer rates.

Long drive from the clubhouse to the practice area was kinda odd.

Pace of play was slow, in part due to who we were paired with. Nice gentlemen, but definetly playing from the wrong tees.

Group in front of us was 2 holes behind when I finally called the pro shop. To their credit, they picked up the pace when asked, leave us and our slow partners......

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Response from on 08/15/2017:
Glad you loved th course and the conditions too!
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Good course, outstanding staff

Thoroughly enjoyed the canyon course. The staff was more than pleasant and very helpful and friendly. Pat O'Niell was terrific and a valuable asset to the management. Would play there again in a heartbeat!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Response from on 08/15/2017:
Great! We're so glad you loved your round and our talented staff made your experience awesome. Come back and play another round!
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

I love everything about the Ventana "Canyon" course, except that it's confusing trying to figure out where to check in for your round at the Ventana Resort (it varies, for reasons that I don't understand). In addition, it's very confusing when you finish the 18th hole and THINK you're back where you started when, in fact, you started almost a mile down the road! the course needs better signage as to where to check in and how to get back to your car after you finish.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 08/15/2017:
We hear you about the signage and we understand that could cause confusion. We will address this at the management level. Aside from that, we're so glad you loved the course and would play again and again!
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

The course is in very good condition. For a first time player, it is a challenge to find your way around the course because it is really spread out. Signage could be a little better. The greens are a challenge because of the mountain layout. One must be aware of the mountains to determine how fast and how much break on the greens. During this time of the year, the rates are very good for a course of this condition.

Overall, a great experience.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 08/15/2017:
Happy to hear you loved the experience and the challenge that the course had presented. We hope to see you back again soon!
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Great Course, Confusing Navigation

I decided to play here because my wife was at a convention at the Ventana Canyon Hotel (Which we will never go to again for reasons not pertaining to this golf course). I got an amazing rate for playing on a Monday so it was hard to pass up going here versus the other recommended courses in the area. If you haven't been to this course before, you may want a map or GPS before starting because finding out where to start, let alone get from some holes to another, is somewhat challenging.

My tee time was at 7:00 am, which was the earliest you could get at the time. What kind of sucked was that they didn't even open until 6:30. So I thought I was going to get there early, maybe hit the range, chip and/or put a little... but nope. Had to wait about half an hour just to find someone. I was lucky enough to be paired up with a guy that knew the employees and the course very well so he was extremely helpful. We rode our cart down the hill (mind you, where the waiting area is from the hotel is at the 10th tee and 18th green so it's nowhere near the clubhouse) along some winding paths to get to the clubhouse. This alone I probably would have gotten lost unless we had someone show us the way.

So, we got our 15 min of driving range in and maybe a few putts before we had to get going. Now I will say that the views at this course are gorgeous! One of the best I’ve played in AZ in regards to that. The fairways were just getting cut so they were really nice, and the greens were smooth yet challenging. Each hole had a good layout and made the round really fun. If you have a wild drive, however, bring lots of balls. If you lose one out of bounds you will not find it (or you probably don’t want to find it because I’m sure there will be “animal friends” waiting for you).

The crazy part about it all was getting from certain holes to the next tee. If the guy I was playing with was new to this course like I was I’m sure we would have gotten lost a number of times. There is some direction with small signs, but if you didn’t know where you were going you would second-guess yourself because sometimes it took a bit to get to the next tee. Especially some parts where you are riding along the side of the road, it would have been very easy to take a wrong turn.

Overall, the course was fun, challenging, and had amazing views. If it’s your first time just remember to be mindful of the signs to get to the next tee and be careful of the wildlife. I would play this course again probably after I played a few of the other courses near there where some local people in Tucson said are a little more challenging and had better layouts

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 08/01/2017:
We're so glad you loved the course and the scenery too! Thanks for this detailed review, we're so glad you loved the course. We hope to see you again real soon, it's our pleasure to have you golfing with us!
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 08/01/2017:
Thank you for this excellent rating, come back and see us again soon!
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

One of the most beautiful courses in Tucson

Great conditions, beautiful course. Covers a vast area, so is not walkable. (at all).

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 08/01/2017:
Glad you loved the course and the scenery, thanks for sharing!
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Enjoyment

I am new to Golf now but have been satisfied with my experiences far. I continue to look for ways to enjoy my association with golf now.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Response from on 08/01/2017:
We're so glad you found a great deal online! Come back and play our course soon.
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Amazing views. perfectly maintained

An outstanding day of golf in the Southern Arizona summer. It was hot but we did not think anything of it nor did the temperature even become part of our conversations. Slight breeze in the dry air made it comfortable.

As for the course, the views of the dramatic Catalina mountain ranges coupled with the perfectly maintained tee boxes, fairways, rough and greens.

Entire experience was excellent and cannot even think of one thing I'd recommend for improvement.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 08/01/2017:
We thank you for this excellent review, we're so glad you loved everything about your experience with us!
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

ventana canyon

the staff was very friendly and helpful, the course was in excellent shape, they had just finished up on the reseeding of the greens. It was an enjoyable round I will go back again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Response from on 08/01/2017:
We can't wait to see you back for more, glad you loved the course conditions and the staff made your experience exceptional!
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