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As
a tourist destination, Tucson is catching up fast
to Phoenix. One third the size of its northern rival,
Tucson is also surrounded by desert mountains that
look as if they've been pasted on to the azure sky.
Here, the high Sonoran Desert delights the eye and
ear with spectacular sunsets, the nocturnal cries
of the coyote, and the proud saguaro.
Tucson
-- "The Old Pueblo," the oldest continuously
inhabited city in NorthAmerica -- was settled by a
rich mix of settlers: Native Americans, the Spanish
and Mexicans, and the early American pioneers. Variously,
they all tried to tame her -- some with force, some
with God. However, in the early frontier days, peace
was more likely to be settled at the end of a gun
than a rosary.
Tucson
today is growing at a breathtaking rate around the
preserved historic district ("El Presidio").
Sprouting up like prickly pear cacti in the desert
are vast housing developments, malls, roads, and golf
courses including those of three world-class golf
resorts -- The Lodge at Ventana Canyon, The Westin
La Paloma and the ITT Sheraton El Conquistador Resort
& Country Club. Here, in the newest golf capital
of the Southwest, the six-iron has replaced the six-shooter.
The
Lodge is nestled against the foothills of the 9000-foot
Santa Catalina Mountains 30 minutes northeast of Downtown
Tucson. Like Carefree Resorts' other award-winning
properties, including The Boulders in Scottsdale and
Carmel Valley Ranch in California, The Lodge has a
decidedly personal feel to it. In addition to meeting
rooms for small business groups, the resort has only
49 suites.
| The
Lodge at Ventana Canyon
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Fifty-one
additional suites and a new pool complex are planned,
but the resort will always remain relatively small,
in keeping with the company's philosophy that less
concrete and mortar means greater experience of setting,
place and the environment.
Originally
developed as a private golf and racquet club with
time-share living quarters, the property was taken
over by Carefree Resorts in 1995. The company, which
was recently acquired by a Dallas-based Real Estate
Investment Trust, renovated the entire property, turning
it into a worthy addition to its prized portfolio.
The club with its 400 members continues to operate
on site.
The
resort is elegant in an understated way. Mahogany
wood paneling and desert earth tones have replaced
the art deco plastic furnishings and sharp colors
of the old club. The centerpiece of the main building
is a 30-foot stacked fieldstone fireplace that separates
the lobby from the Hearthstone, The Lodge's award-winning
dining room where I feasted on a mahi mahi dish that
was out of this world. The suites, which include patios
or balconies overlooking the mountains, are spacious
and comfortable, and the impeccable service includes
a freshly baked cookie and a printed schedule of the
next day's events left on your pillow at turn down.
Golf
at The Lodge is convenient and spectacular, consisting
of an exceptional practice facilities, outstanding
service and two Tom Fazio layouts -- The Mountain
Course and the Canyon Course. The pro shop is in the
main building within a minute's walk of your room,
and the staging area is directly behind the pro shop.
The first tee to The Mountain Course is but a chip
shot away, while Canyon #1 is a short cart-ride down
the hill.
Both
courses have received top industry honors including
Golf Magazine's Silver Medal. A master craftsman,
Fazio allowed the natural terrain to shape the courses'
character, using the desert elements and contours
of the land to create a challenging yet very fair
test of golf for player's of all caliber. Exceptionally
well maintained, these courses are not typical "resort
courses" nor do they resemble some of the modern
target-style desert courses with their tricked-up
holes and intimidating carries.
The
Mountain Course is the more heralded of the two layouts,
only because of its higher elevation, but some consider
the Canyon Course to be more scenic. The resort owns
and manages the courses for club members and guests
of The Lodge and the nearby Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
and Hotel.
The
front nine of the Mountain course works its way up
the slopes of the hills. At the highest point is the
signature 107-yard par 3 3rd hole. It is a visual
marvel and, if golf had a Seven Wonders of the World,
this hole would be included. The tee box sits atop
a large rock outcropping and to get to it you follow
a path so steep you wish your cart had 4-wheel drive.
The tee box offers a dramatic view of the canyon and
the Mexican mountains some 50 miles to the south.
When you finally decide to tackle this spectacular
hole, you must carry your tee shot over a deep, cactus-studded
ravine to a green set up against the mountains and
bordered by more rocks on the right and a steep arroyo
on the left. Hit the green with your tee shot or you
may need a calculator to tabulate your score.
Environmental
sensitivity was a major component of the design and
construction of the golf courses and, as a result,
wildlife thrives here. Red-tailed hawks, deer, coyotes,
roadrunners and gambel's quail are but a few of the
many species you are liable to see on your round.
I played the Mountain Course with two software
developers from Montana who saw a bobcat on the hill
behind the second green. "We guessed it was gathering
food for its cubs," said one, "because it
made short work of a whole family of rabbits who never
had a chance."
Ranked
#15 in Conde Nast Traveler's "Fifty Best Golf
Resorts" readers' poll, The Lodge is a certified
member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary program.
The resort also offers a tennis and swimming complex,
fitness and spa facilities, an outdoor fitness trail
that meanders through the resort's 600 acres and a
variety of outings such as desert jeep tours, horseback
riding, hiking, hot-air ballooning, excursions to
Spanish missions, El Presidio, and Saguaro National
Monument. For reservations including the Golf Getaway
Package call 1-800-828-5701.
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