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Pac-12 Road Trip T Arizona State empe Arizona National is one of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Places You Can Play. TUniversity of Arizona ucson


The only school from the original Pac-10 yet to play in the Rose Bowl, the University of Arizona appears to be on the upswing under up-tempo new coach Rich Rodriguez after an 8-5 first season. The student section dubbed the “Zonazoo” is always rocking, and runs end zone to end zone down the east sideline, providing a raucous and upset-ready environment. The seats from the top of the stadium allow for a sweeping view of the foothills surrounding Tucson, as well as campus and the downtown area. Just outside the stadium is the McKale Center, which houses the most popular sport at the school, the perennial national power that is Arizona men’s basketball. The Wildcats play their golf at Arizona National, one of


Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Places You Can Play. Also called the best course in Tucson by the Arizona Republic, it’s pure desert and target golf. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout routes through arroyos, rock outcroppings and a jungle of cacti— and even yields a glimpse of Mexico on a clear day. Just 25 miles northwest of Tucson at 3,000 feet of


elevation is Dove Mountain GC, the frequent host of the WGC Match Play Championship. The Jack Nicklaus signature design is known for its wildly undulating greens that can swing holes in match play. The ball goes about 5% farther in the high desert, making the 7,800-yard track slightly more palatable. The Catalina Course at Tucson National also hosted the PGA Tour’s former Chrysler Classic.


ASU’s Kartsen Golf Course is in the shadows of Sun Devil Stadium.


44 / NCGA.ORG / FALL 2013


Wedged between two towering buttes, Sun Devil Stadium is an impressive sight that embraces its des- ert setting with its unique architecture. A former host of the Arizona Cardinals, the Fiesta Bowl and Super Bowl XXX, Sun Devil Stadium also held mass for Pope John Paul II (al- though he wouldn’t enter until the word “Devil” was covered up on the facade). The Sun Devils have played in two Rose Bowls, most recently in 1997, when they fell seconds short of an undefeated season with quar- terback Jake “The Snake” Plummer at the helm. Tempe is a vibrant


college town teaming with fun. Mille Avenue is one of the best nightlife spots in the Pac-12, and the entertaining Phoenix and Scottsdale are both within 10 miles. There are nearly


200 golf courses in the greater Phoenix area, including ASU’s Kartsen Golf Course, a Pete Dye design in the shadows


of the Tempe Butte and Sun Devil Stadium. Golf Magazine’s top four public courses in Arizona are all located in the Phoenix area as well: Troon North (Pinnacle), We-Ko-Pa (Cholla), We-Ko-Pa (Sa- guaro) and Troon North (Monument). Then there is the historic municipal Papago, which hosted the 1971 U.S. Public Links. You may also want to check out Wigwam, which features three courses (two by Robert Trent Jones Sr.) and offers a 15% discount to NCGA members with its Tee it Up package. One of the more unique


courses you will find is Boulders Resort, which wraps around million- year-old rock formations. The Tom Fazio-designed Estancia Club was named Golf Digest’s Best New Private Course in 1996, and ranks 61st in the country overall. You can also play


where the pros play at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, which is overrun by rowdy ASU students every February during the PGA Tour’s Waste Man- agement Open, or Gray- hawk’s Raptor Course, which hosted the Frys.com Open for three years.


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