Strike Gold at Tucson's 49er Country Club

By Scott Behmer
Southern Arizona Bureau Chief

TUCSON - For the first time in 49er Country Club's 38-year history the course is open to the public. Seeking to increase its membership base that now stands at 3000, the club is turning semi-private with rates of $25 Monday through Thursday and $35 after noon Friday through Sunday.

49er offers a pleasant change of pace from the numerous new desert layouts popping up all over Tucson. Its flat design, with narrow mesquite-lined fairways and small greens, returns to the traditional style of rewarding solid ball striking with short birdie putts. Hit an errant shot, though, and you'll be pulling another ball out of your bag before the first one even touches down.

Birds' chirping filled the air as I arrived at 49er Country Club last Tuesday. Their song, combined with the huge willow trees at nearby #18, created the peaceful atmosphere for which 49er has long been known. I checked in with one of the friendly assistants and looked around inside the small pro shop. It has your basic golf apparel and equipment along with a nice variety of logo items.

Then I walked over to the dirt driving range to warm-up. Yardage markers run down the middle, but there aren't any other targets to aim at so I was forced to estimate my actual yardages. Nearing my tee time, I headed back toward #1 and the large practice green. Its green speed approximates those on the course and provided enough holes that I could practice almost every putt I might face during the round.

49er's greens roll true, but only about 8 on the stimpmeter, so you need to give it a firm stroke to get it the hole.

Once my tee time rolled around, I crossed the cart path and stepped up to the first tee. #1 is a 400-yard par 4 with mesquite trees lining both sides of the fairway. The intriguing aspect of #1 comes on the second shot. You're faced with a blind approach which you can either fly onto the green or bounce down the hill onto the green.

The green's guarded by a bunker on each side that catch all shots not correctly aligned. But hit the green and you should have a short birdie putt. #1 is my favorite hole at 49er, creating a unique challenge of a blind second with the many different options that aren't available on the other holes.

The only other unique hole is the 360-yard #2. An accurate tee shot with a fairway wood or long iron must be played to keep the ball from rolling into the desert at the end of the fairway. The second shot is severely downhill over that desert. Hit a wedge into the small green guarded by two bunkers in the front. The green is very firm, making it difficult to stick shots near the cup. Most likely, you'll have a 20-footer for birdie.

The par 5's are reachable, but there's not much margin for error. This would be an ideal layout for the Fred Funk type player who hits almost every fairway and green and doesn't need to overpower the course. But if you start pressing here, you'll be in for a long day.

Two of 49er's prettiest holes are the backside par 3's, #10 and #18. Both are mid-to-short irons over a lake with bunkers on the side of the green. Large weeping willows full of the those chirping birds sway in the backdrop. Both holes can be birdied, but catch the shot heavy and it's in the drink. Just like all of 49er's holes, hit a good shot and you'll be rewarded, hit a clunker and you'll pay the price.

After the round make sure to check out the clubhouse next to the pro shop. An assortment of beverages is available along with daily food specials. It's a comfortable place to relax and plan how you'll attack 49er differently next time.

49er Golf and Country Club
12000 E. Tanque Verde Road
Take Speedway to Tanque Verde Road, then go east 8 miles.
(520) 749-4212

Related links:
• More GolfArizona.com course reviews
• Past course reviews by Scott Behmer