Starr Pass GC – Coyote & Rattler Hole-by-Hole
After a delightful six day stay in Scottsdale where Alison and I played the Raptor Course at Grayhawk and the Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa it was time to move on to our next golf destination, the J.W.Marriott at Starr Pass in Tucson. We will be here for three nights and use it as a base to explore some of southern Arizona’s top attractions including Chiricahua National Monument and the fabled western town of Tombstone. But we are also here to relax before starting the long drive back to Nova Scotia and for us that includes getting in a final round of golf at one of the top courses in the state, The Club at Starr Pass. Please join us for a hole-by-hole description of the Coyote and Rattler nines.
The J.W. Marriott at Starr Pass is a huge resort set in the desert hillside outside of Tucson. It is very close to the 20,000 acre Tucson Mountain Park and the western segment of Saguaro National Park so there are a ton of outdoor activities one can pursue outside the resort. You can also indulge yourself by staying on site and enjoying the many amenities including hopping on a tube and going around the lazy river which I did on the last day, something I haven’t done for at least twenty years. But it is the golf I was most interested in, particularly as I could see the course from our room.
History of Starr Pass Golf Club
The first two nines at Starr Pass opened in 1986 and were co-designed by Craig Stadler and Bob Cupp. While Stadler is known primarily as a golfer, Bob Cupp was primarily an architect. His Beacon Hall layout just outside of Toronto is currently the #8 course in the country on the definitive SCORE Golf Top 100 list.
The Coyote and Rattler nines were specifically designed to be up to the standard to hold an annual PGA event and the Tucson Open was first held here in 1987. That was a tournament that dated back to 1945 and had a prestigious list of winners including Jimmy Demaret, Lloyd Mangrum, Gene Littler, Bob Charles, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller who won it four times. However, my memories of the Tucson Open really started in 1968 when fellow Canadian George Knudson won the event. Even more memorable was Phil Mickelson’s first win on the PGA tour which took place at Starr Pass in 1991 when he was still an amateur. He went on to win it two more times including the last time it was held at Starr Pass in 1996.
In 2003 Arnold Palmer, who won the Tucson Open the year before George Knudson in 1967, was called upon to add a third nine holes and to redesign the original two nines which were deemed a bit too difficult for what was now primarily a resort course.
Today Alison and I will play the original two nines, Rattler and Coyote, in that order. We have an early tee time and will play on our own, which we always enjoy.
Starr Pass Rattler #1 – 340 Yard Par Four
While the Rattler/Coyote combo can play as long as 7,000 yards, I will be playing from the silver tees at just under 6,200 yards which is plenty for someone my age.
From the very first tee I know this is going to be a special round of golf with great views, fantastic conditioning and perfect weather. This is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary so you can expect to see a more natural environment than most courses and lots of wildlife.
I love courses that start out with a decent drop in elevation from the first tee as it gives an almost panoramic look to the hole and just makes you can’t wait to hit that first drive. The fairway is quite generous and a bit bowled so staying in play is not difficult. No need for mulligans on this hole.
However, I do note that if you do miss the fairway you’re probably screwed.
In a reversal of the old adage, what goes down must come up and this is the approach shot after a good drive. Foreshortening makes the green look a lot closer than it is, but it shouldn’t be more than seven or eight to this flat green with a decent backstop so there’s no excuse for being short.
The fairways at Starr Pass are Bermuda grass and the greens bent grass. Apparently the greens will be replaced with Tif Eagle Bermuda grass in the summer of 2025. This is a hybrid grass that is more heat tolerant than bent grass and with ever increasing temperatures this is a trend that is happening all over the southwest. The bottom line is that the greens at Starr Pass are very fair – not too fast and not too slow, not too contoured and not too flat. You might call them Goldilocks greens, which is what I would expect from a top notch resort course. You’re here to have fun, not to tear your hair out after a four putt.
Rattler #2 – 355 Yard Par Four
The second at the Rattler nine at Starr Pass is the first risk/reward hole on the course. Just how much of that dogleg right can you cut off without landing in the mesquite? That’s a real issue if you’re playing from the 455 yard tips, but should not be for the average golfer playing from the silver tees. Just make damn sure you reach the fairway is all you need to worry about. Going though it is not a disaster either as it is quite open on the other side.
Once you get down to the fairway you realize that it’s a lot wider than it looked from the teebox. Similar to #1, your approach shot on #2 will be a bit uphill, to a triangular green that has a huge trap at the back left. Stay well to the right and par should be in the equation.
Starr Pass Rattler #3 – 412 Yard Par 5
Although it’s rated the second toughest hole on the Rattler nine, at only 412 yards and downhill at that, this should be an easy par if you don’t try to overpower it. For reasons that will become clear once you reach the fairway, you don’t need to hit a driver on this hole. Just keep it in play and plan on reaching the green on the third shot.
OK, now you can see the problem with this hole. There is a small elevated green that sits atop a mini chasm. If you had hit a driver you might be tempted to go for it in two, but that could be disastrous. Instead just lay up as close to the trouble as you can and you’ll have this approach shot.
I could have got a lot closer, but this was still a wedge shot and I did manage to avoid both hazards and get the two putt par. Overall this is a very strange looking hole. It was almost as if they forgot what to do with that jumble of rocks and just left it for another day. Anyway, who am I to complain about pars?
Rattler #4 – 367 Yard Par Four
This gorgeous looking par four is the first true ‘target’ golf hole at Starr Pass. Although from the tee it looks like the fairway extends all the way to the green, it does not. The fairway is wide enough and long enough that this is a good hole to try to get some added length.
If you do get that extra distance, you should have an approach shot something like this. It’s all about the second shot on this hole as the green is an island surrounded by severe trouble to the right and a significant fall off to the left. This is a challenging hole and if you do make par it will require a precision short iron that holds the smallish green. All in all, a great par four.
Starr Pass Rattler #5 – 460 Yard Par Five
There’s no getting around the fact that #5 is a brute of a par five. From the tee you can see that the third shot is going to have clear a significant arroyo to reach the green. Going straight is not the way to tackle this drive. You need to aim at the house on the right in order to give yourself the best chance of getting as close to the shortest distance across the arroyo as possible on the second shot.
This is where my drive ended up and I could still use a wood on the second shot, once again using the house on the right as my target.
OK, I’ve executed two good shots to get as close as possible to the green without getting into trouble. And what’s my reward? This extremely daunting approach shot. There is a little bit of fairway to bail out on to the left, but a strategically placed bunker makes even that problematic. Trust me, your heart will be pounding as you face this third shot. I knew going straight at the pin was a recipe for disaster and decided instead to aim just above the edge of the trap which was still about a 140 yard shot. It worked out well enough that I was more than pleased with a bogey on this memorable par five.
As we left the green at #5 I noticed that we had an audience. Both the roadrunner and the deer showed no fear of us and were obviously used to sharing the course with those funny people with sticks in their hands. That’s also one ginormous barrel cactus in the background as well. Starr Pass did not disappoint in terms of the flora and fauna on the course. It truly adds an extra dimension to the enjoyment of the game.
Rattler #6 – 173 Yard Par Three
After holes 4 and 5 we were more than happy to finally see a par three and what a par three this is. What could say more about desert golf than this scene with literally hundreds of saguaros as background? The hole plays slightly downhill and just as long as you pick the right club this should be an easy par.
Starr Pass Rattler #7 – 380 Yard Par Four
There now seems to be one amazing hole after another on the Rattler nine at Starr Pass. A mere change in direction and the saguaros we saw in the background on #6 are replaced by this completely different ecosystem. The only saguaros in sight are right in front of and beside the tee box and I notice that the one directly in front has a number of balls embedded in it.
This is a tricky tee shot – not only do you have to avoid that saguaro, but the fairway is not that wide and in the distance you can see that the second shot will once again need to carry a wide arroyo. So all you have to do is be long and straight, something that’s not really my forte anymore. Oh well, I’ll just aim at the deer, hope I don’t hit one and pray for the best.
My drive carried a lot longer than I thought it would which I attribute to the elevation change from tee to fairway and the altitude. There’s still a decent distance to cover to get to the green and you will need to avoid the large trap that guards the entire front, but unlike 4 and 5 there is room to miss on the right and that is exactly where I ended up. No shame in carding a five on this hole.
Rattler #8 – 156 Yard Par Three
Wow, would you look at the size of that green! You’d really have to mess up to miss it, but then you might have a 100 foot putt. The second par three on Rattler, like the first, provides another good chance to add a second three to your scorecard.
Starr Pass Rattler #9 – 352 Yard Par Four
It hardly seems possible, but once again the Rattler nine at Starr Pass provides a completely different look on this finishing hole. It is the fifth hole on the nine that requires a long carry on the second shot to the green. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the approach because I was distracted by a group of javelinas that were foraging just off the fairway. I’d never seen them in the wild before and spent more time looking at them than worrying about my second shot.
While I might have flubbed my second shot I didn’t care.
Starr Pass Coyote #1 – 402 Yard Par Four
There were no blind tee shots on the Rattler nine at Starr Pass, but Coyote starts out with this long par four that makes you guess where to aim. It appears to dogleg left and I opt to aim down the middle and let my natural fade deal with the fairway’s turn. I note we have another deer watching us off to the left.
The ball rolled a long. long way down the hill leaving this surprisingly short approach although it’s farther than it looks. It’s another huge green with no real trouble other than going long. Probably best to not go right at that pin and settle for a two putt par.
Coyote #2 – 372 Yard Par Four
#2 is also a downhill slight dogleg left which suits my ball flight perfectly to move it away from the trap designed to snag any drive that is too far to the right. There are more houses on this nine than Rattler, but they never become a distraction and you don’t need to worry about hitting into someone’s back yard like a lot of courses I could name. The desert remains the primary environment and this does not in any way feel like an urban course.
Once again the saguaro covered hills provide the perfect backdrop to this approach shot. There are traps on both sides of the long green and if you can avoid them this should be another par.
Starr Pass Coyote #3 – 480 Yard Par Five
This will be a three shot hole no matter how you play it. The fairway narrows just about where a driver might land so using a wood to ensure you stay in play is a smart move.
Assuming you are safe off the tee you should have something like this for the second shot. You can’t really get a good look at the green and once again keeping it on the fairway is the one thing you must do with this shot. A five wood or hybrid should do the trick.
The reward for playing this hole conservatively is this relatively simple approach that like #2, just has to avoid the traps and unless you chunk it or shank it, that should be doable. A third par in a row is a very real possibility on the Coyote nine at Starr Pass, but I must be honest and point out that the conditions this morning are absolutely perfect for scoring. There is no wind, nobody in front or behind to throw off your game and the pin placements are very fair.
Coyote #4 – 318 Yard Par Four
This is the first genuinely short par four we’ve encountered today at Starr Pass. It plays over 100 yards less than from black and gold tees and from which this would be an impossible carry for me. From the silver tees this is a birdie hole and even a five wood should leave just a wedge to probably the smallest green on this nine. It is well protected by a trap that guards the entire front of the green so you have to pitch on to avoid it. There are very few opportunities to chip at Starr Pass and the bump and run is unheard of.
Starr Pass #5 – 160 Yard Par Three
The first par three on the Coyote nine presents a straight challenge to pick the right club and make sure you take the trap at the back out of play. Being long is not terrible as there is a decent backstop, so clear the trap on the front, avoid the one on the back and you have a great chance to put another three on the card.
Coyote #6 – 325 Yard Par Four
The second blind tee shot on the Coyote nine provides another birdie opportunity if you keep it in play off the tee. I cannot stress enough that that is the key to scoring well at Starr Pass. Do not try to overpower the course by gripping it and ripping it. The only thing you’ll end up ripping is your scorecard and maybe your pants. This hole is a perfect example of this. I have no idea what’s over that hill, but I can see the 150 stake and know that I can certainly get well past it with a wood which will leave a wedge in.
So that’s what I’ve done, and now have this second shot to a somewhat tricky pin placement, but it’s far better than being somewhere in the desert, maybe under a cholla.
Starr Pass Coyote #7 – 138 Yard Par Three
The final par three today at Starr Pass is this uphill shot to another enormous green. Obviously the key is to get there and once again being long won’t hurt you, being short will kill you. Take one extra club and go right at and a birdie putt might be the reward.
All in all, the par threes at Starr Pass are the weaker of the holes on the Rattler and Coyote nines. However, they are also the holes that you are most likely to par or birdie and so maybe that isn’t a weakness, but a strength. After a round, would you rather tell your friends, “The par threes killed me.” or ” I was one under on the par threes.”
Coyote #8 – 502 Yard Par Five
Lest you think Coyote is letting you off easy, then get prepared for this very difficult par five that requires length and accuracy. The tee shot is relatively straightforward and once again the fairway is slanted in such a way that it will keep my fade from getting into any trouble. For the fourth or fifth time today we have a wildlife audience to watch our shots.
The second shot on #8 is quite uphill, but there’s no trouble in the way of bunkers – the one you can see well past the 150 yard marker is not reachable. So a three wood is the right call here.
And that should leave this approach to a green that is protected by right and left frontside bunkers, but nothing at the back. Once again being a bit long is much better than short, but the green is quite large, so if you’ve made it safely to this point, par should be on your radar.
Starr Pass Coyote #9 – 376 Yard Par Four
This is a true beauty of a finishing hole at Starr Pass with great views of the Tucson Mountains and the city of Tucson nestled below them. The aim here is toward the 150 yard stick which is a longer carry than going straight, but once again I’m realizing how well this course fits a right to left tee shot. Most really good golfers favour a draw and not a fade and for right handers who have that shot this course would be heaven to play. That’s why Johnny Miller could shoot 25 under in 1975. But I’m not a really good golfer and a fade is my natural ball flight and that is just the ticket on this course.
The photo of this final approach shot at Starr Pass speaks for itself. I got a lot of roll on my drive and now have about 115 yards downhill to a narrow green. The best way to get a birdie putt would be to take it over the bunker and let the natural slope of the green take it toward the pin. However, I’ve been scoring very well by playing conservatively, so I take the chicken’s approach and keep the ball well to left which leaves an uphill two putt from the fringe for a closing par.
In closing let me say I loved playing these two nines at Starr Pass. They key was staying in play and with the redesign of this course by Mr. Palmer he has created a player friendly experience second to none. Thank you Arnie.
So long from Starr Pass and hope to see you at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in the next post.