mclee4nc

The most well laid out course I've ever played. Almost every single shot has a risk/reward aspect to it - drive it over the bunker and wedge it in. Land in the bunker and it's at least a 2 stroke penalty. Avoid the bunker and be safe, but with a long iron into the green. Requires a lot of thinking - out of the 14 par 4 and par 5 holes, I used driver 6 times, 4 iron 4 times 5 iron 3 times and even a 6 iron. No more "blindly grab the driver". I really enjoyed having to think my way around!

We were stuck behind a foursome that had no idea what they were doing - spraying balls all over the course. We ran into the marshall twice while being held up by them; the second time pointedly asking him if there was anyone ahead of the group in front of us. "No, it is totally open" he said and then left the opposite direction of the group ahead of us. What is the point of a marshall? Is his sole job to keep people from bringing their own water or does he have a pace of play job as well? He watched us sit on the tee box for 15 minutes while the group behind us caught us and we all sat on the tee box and lamented the slow play of the group ahead of us. We were trapped behind them for 11 holes total and it added almost 90 minutes to our total play time. Although I love this course, I will have to take pace of play into consideration in the future when I decide whether I want to play there or not - if I have 6 hours to burn, I just might...

This is the most well designed course I think I've played. The Jack Nicklaus knew exactly how to entice you into making possibly disastrous mistakes. Cut the corner, and if you don't hit it perfectly, you are in a bunker - bail out away from the hazard too far and there is a bail out hazard. Beautifully set up - the pin placements when I played (Wild Burro and Tortolita) was rough - I had some very long putts. The fairways and greens were in great shape, especially for August. Service was amazing and the entire experience was worth the cost of entrance. My only mild complaint was that the lunch/dinner room did not have appropriate fare for a golf round - there appeared to be a grill that probably solves that, but it wasn't open (Wednesday in August.... makes sense). The fare in the dining room was more on the upscale side, and most of the options would just make you feel sick and/or bloated on a golf course. But that is the only minor complaint. Water is plenty, the facilities are numerous and fantastic. A bargain at almost any rate.

July is when courses burn up, but del Lago is in great shape. The fairways are perfect and the greens run fast but true. It is one of the prettiest courses in Tucson and has been my favorite for a few years. The only small complaint was the pace of play - there were a lot of people on the course and it tookus 5 hours to complete our round. However, this great of a course with the low summer rates, the logjam isn't unexpected. And the course is so beautiful, and the wildlife so great (bunnies, prairie dogs, etc) that waiting wasn't as bad as it could have been.