Resorts at Ventana Canyon: Loews and The Lodge

Rode the Greens (6537/71.4/139) in 5H mid day. Paired with Rob, Brian and Marge. It was in the high 90's, overcast and calm.

Tom Fazio design. Many holes have severe elevation changes. Common them is that you climb long distances in carts, then play down hill, then repeat the process. No holes were severely uphill. The layout is tight in spots with desert scape surrounding nearly every hole on both sides. If you are not straight this course will become penal real quickly.

The Bermuda tees were excellent with only a few divots here and there. Level/lush.

The Bermuda fairways had been vericutt and were maintained long, almost like light rough. Only part of the course not excellent or exceptional.

The Bermuda rough was mostly lush and maintained at a level that the ball often sat up. Usually good to play from.

The sand traps were the best I have played out of in a ling time. Fine, coarse sand that was excellent to play from and they were beautifully maintained.

The Bermuda greens were smooth and medium fast. Best Bermuda greens I have putted on since I played the sister Canyon course here last year.

Only negatives are that the basic carts do not have GPS and that this complex is REALLY spread out. You park close to a mile from where the practice facilities and first tees are. This course would be almost unwalkable because of this plus many tees you ride hundreds of yards from the last green to again play downhill. The customer service was exceptional from everyone. Cart gal out making the rounds. Plenty of water stations on the course. Excellent layout, one of the top dozen courses I have ever played, very enjoyable to play. Highly recommended.

We have played 5 courses in the Tucson the last couple times we have visited, looking at potential areas/clubs to become members of. Not only if there one, but TWO amazing courses to play. The entire course is pristine, challenging, beautiful view on every hole, and at my favorite hotel chain for an extra star! No regrets, must play if you play any course in the area at a great value!

We live in Tucson, and have golfed this course now a few times. The course itself is beautiful and fun to play, but Vetanna pairs couples up with other two domes. This has happened the last two times we’ve played there. Today was the worst. The older couple we played but with complained constantly about the other golfers ahead of us and the slow pace of play. So, it should have been a beautiful, relaxing round of golf, but instead it was all about pace of play. I fault Golf Now and Vetanna for using the hot deal times as forced pairings.

The course in the summertime has reduced rates, and that's what made playing it palatable. Greens were in decent shape, but recent maintenance in the run up areas made hitting the right club into the green a crap shoot. And the layout is off the charts. Several distances from a green to its next tee can be more than a half-mile. Talk about breaking your rhythm. What was the architect thinking? Directional signage is marginal and there's no easy way for the golfer to get from the mandated parking lot to the pro shop. Other than that, it's worth the $32.

Price was low (normal gf = $155) because of the heat of Summer in Arizona and due to their aerating several fairways on the back nine. We lucked out and got a cloudy day, very good weather, and the fairways under aeration were still very playable. Love the layout, and I expect to play it better next time now that I know what the architects had in mind. Several holes had interesting bits in the fairway we weren't sure of until we got to our second shots. Greens were smooth and about 10 on the Stimpmeter, I'm guessing.

I played the Mountain Course at Ventana Canyon this morning and had a fun time. It is much more of a challenge than the Canyon Course in my opinion. The views of both the city and Catalina mountains were breathtaking. It was a bit sandy in front of the greens and lots of undulations on both the fairways and greens, which made for some high scoring. It was my first time playing the course, so knowing best places to be was a bit tricky. I will definitely come back and play this course again!

Next time, perhaps I'll have a big lower score!

One of the great things about living in Tucson in the summer is that you get to play all the really fine courses at greatly discounted rates. Which is what we did today at Ventana. The fairways were in great shape and the greens were fast. No problem with pace of play since only a handful of us were out there at 109F. Still, a great time and very helpful and friendly staff.

Course? Canyon

Views? Spectacular.

Course condition? Excellent.

Greens? Fast and true

Fairways? Mostly green

Sand traps? Wonderful.

Practice facility. Average.

Getting there? Not so easy. There is no bag drop. You pull up the circle and leave your bag on the curb and hope you found the right spot...according to the directions you go to the entrance for The Lodge, drive pass the 'Flying V' and it's on your right. Of course what you see is a plain building and tennis courts and there NO signs that direct you to the pro Shop. When you finally find it(on the back side of the building in a closet) they will treat you like your a homeless person because you are paying a golfnow rate.

AFTER that little experience it gets better, the cart guys and starter folks are really helpful. If you like scenic drives this is the place for you, it's nearly a mile cart-ride to the starter and range, and then you will drive another 7 miles on the course. I actually liked it.

Be sure to hit the concession stand for lunch at the turn, they have amazing sandwiches made in the Ventana kitchen.

We played the Canyon Course and had a great round! The weather was very hot but the course was in very nice shape for the most part. Groundskeepers were out keeping up with maintenance and the ground under repair areas were well marked. The staff were friendly and helpful! This course is definitely a do not miss and I'm sure that their sister course is equally good as well!

Will definitely come back for more!

Staff are repairing fairways, which are in rough shape in some areas. Greens are the best I've played in Tucson. Summer is a great time to play Ventana, price is reasonable.

I have played Ventana 5 or 6 times, and have never seen the (Canyon) Course I’m worse condition. The fairways had numerous areas with marginal grass. The greens varied from very fast to much slower, which made putting very difficult. Does Ventana abandon its courses in the low summer season?

Please read the June 24 review "If you book online". This says it all, with my personal add on below.

I was paired with 3 other local residents, 2 were staying at the hotel and we all had played this course before but never even knew about the little pro-shop hidden away down by the swimming pool and tennis courts.

Lugging my clubs up 2 flights of stairs and to my car in the back of the hotel lot in 102 weather is not how I expected to end my round.

Ventana continues to be one of best courses in the Tucson area. The layout is challenging and the grounds are superb. These greens are sometimes difficult to read but always a true roll...fast and no bumps. The lodge facilities (pro shop and restaurant) are very nice.

I teed off early (7 AM) and moved quickly around an enjoyable front 9. But when I approached the 10th tee, the Starter said he had two foursomes teeing off before me. I waited 25 minutes to tee off, then was stuck behind two slow foursomes before I quit on the 13th hole. I thought it was poor course mananagement to make those of us turning the corner while they started new groups off the 10 tee.

We have played Ventana many times over the years and still love both Courses!!

Great location , condition, and lay out.

Greens are very challenging, but for good golfers it is fun!! Very reasonably priced in the summer if you can take the hot weather . Traps are in good shape too!