The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain

The world’s best golfers have come and gone, but The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain is poised to return to the spotlight of match play competition.  This time, the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course is serving as venue for many of the best players in college golf, as it hosts the 2010 Callaway Match Play Championship.

The tour professional stars of tomorrow will be on display March 21-23, as 16 of the nation’s leading collegiate men’s golf programs square off for three days of head-to-head competition on the same award-winning layout the pros play during the annual Accenture Match Play Championship.

The collegians will follow in the footsteps of the game’s contemporary legends, who the past two years have produces stirring finishes during the Accenture Match Play Championships at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain.  The field, made up of the top 64 players in the World Rankings, has included Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson of the United States, as well as the new wave of superstars, such as Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.

Heading the field of the Callaway Collegiate Match Play is Texas A&M, the reigning NCAA champion that won the 2009 title in the new national championship match play format last spring at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

Three teams that advanced to the Elite 8 of match play at the NCAA are also competing – Arizona State, Southern California and Washington – as well as Middle Tennessee State, which won the 2009 Callaway Collegiate when it was played at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

At the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, the college golfers will be tested by a design that Nicklaus created specifically for the world match play stage.  Taking advantage of a spectacular setting in the High Sonoran Desert, the famed Golden Bear integrated strategy, variety and fair shot values into each hole.

This new desert golf layout, which opened in January 2009, features elevation changes from 2,300 to 3,000 feet, and distinct character that blends naturally among majestic saguaros that stand along the surrounding Tortolita Mountain Range.  Nicklaus’ first in the Tucson area in 25 years, the 27-hole Dove Mountain facility offers three distinct nines – the Saguaro, Tortolita and Wild Burro.  Each is not only a true test of golf for the best players in the game, but also one that is challenging, yet enjoyable, for resort guests.

The Callaway Collegiate Match Play is to be contested on the Saguaro and Tortolita nines, just as is the Accenture Match Play Championship.  They form a par 72 that measure 7,833 yards.



Course Rundown
Saguaro Course    Par 36        3,894 Yards
Serves as front nine for the Accenture Match Play Championship.  Set against backdrop of a majestic Saguaro cactus forest.  Key birdie opportunity: the par-3 third hole, which has the only pond on the nine.  No. 5 is a 536-yard beast of a par 4.  Fairways are wide overall, but carries over desert washes are required.

Tortolita Course    Par 36        3,955 Yards
Course winds along the base of the Tortolita Mountains.  Serves as back nine for Accenture Match Play Championship.  Par 3 third hole marks highest elevation on the course.  Fifth through seventh holes wander through a secluded box canyon.  Grassy hillside “amphitheater” surrounds the final green, providing a dramatic setting for matches that go the distance.

Wild Burro        Par 36        3,897 Yards
Deemed by Nicklaus as his favorite nine at Dove Mountain.  Spectacular vistas of the Tortolita Mountains at several points on the course.  Fifth green features a panoramic view of The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain Resort.  Water comes into play on the sixth hole.  At 482 yards, the ninth hole is the longest finishing hole of the three nines.


About The Resort
While the golf course is the centerpiece of The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, the resort is truly a place where adventure, golf and a gracious spirit of hospitality come to life.

Reflecting a “Spirit of Adventure,” the resort is ideal for those seeking private or play time – whether it’s hiking, horseback riding, a cookout under the stars, mountain biking, cooling off in one of three swimming pools, skimming down a 235-foot waterslide, or simply enjoying the food prepared by world-class chefs at one of the resort’s dining venues.

And, for the ultimate in relaxation -- and certainly after a round of golf -- there’s complete spa experience.

Nestled on 850 acres in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains, the resort offers 250 guest rooms, as well as a cluster of secluded, multi-bedroom casitas ideally suited for families and friends.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain embodies the authentic Arizona experience.  Just outside the resort, there are more than 20 miles of charted hiking and biking trails, specially commissioned by resort ownership and clearly mapped by National Geographic. Bordering the resort, the Tortolita Mountain Park offers 3,000 undisturbed acres and some of the most soothing desert landscape in the Southwest.

The resort offers a host of vacation packages, including golf and golf & spa.