Few courses in the Sonoran Desert announce themselves quite like Arizona National. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 1996, the layout climbs into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains on Tucson's northeast side, where saguaro cacti stand like sentinels between fairways and the elevation changes are sharp enough to alter both club selection and perspective at nearly every turn. The desert is not decorative here — it is a genuine hazard, and errant shots disappear into it with finality.
RTJ Jr. leaned into the terrain rather than fighting it, routing holes along natural ridgelines and arroyos to produce a course that feels discovered rather than constructed. The views back toward the city are among the finest in Arizona golf, and the drama of the mountain backdrop intensifies as the round progresses uphill into the back nine.
Tucson has long supported serious golf culture — home to Tour events and a community that plays year-round — and Arizona National fits squarely in the upper tier of what the city offers the visiting or local player.
