Geoff Ogilvy didn’t stare long, but he scanned the stark Sonoran Desert landscape of Marana, just north of Tucson. He saw a forest of giant saguaros and the rocky, rugged, dry Tortolita Mountains rising on a perfect, sunny 80-degree Arizona day.

It was Sunday of the 2009 World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play, a two-round marathon with Paul Casey on March 1. His concentration was steely.

When his eyes reverted back to the rolling, curving putting surfaces of the Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, he didn’t aim for the flag on his 40-foot putt at the sixth green. He zeroed in on a spot some 45 feet left and his circuitous putt arched and twisted over a ridge, ending three feet right of its goal.

Ogilvy drew prowess from feeling at home, perhaps. He played many greens like this on the sand-belt layouts around Melborne in his native Australia. He’d also had a bounty of experience on the courses of Scotland, where golfers grow up keeping approaches on the ground and learning how to read contours, bumps and humps. Those who aim for the flag are disappointed countless times.

Two days after Ogilvy hoisted the trophy at Dove Mountain my college roommate and I were staring down the same fairways where crowds watched Tiger Woods’ much anticipated return after knee surgery.

Not that the greater Tucson, Arizona area really needs any more golf courses, but The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, Nicklaus’ first area design in 25 years, is simply desert rugged and visually stunning.

“Stunning,” however, is different from being stunned once you try to two-putt on these contoured, multi-level, tricky greens. If you watched the telecast you heard PGA Tour player Paul Azinger constantly talk about how they had to slow down the greens because of the contours.  Finalist Casey said if the greens were regular tournament speed they would be unputtable.

But why play golf unless you want to be challenged? If you haven’t figured out that Nicklaus designs usually have generous fairways, taxing approaches, and problematic greens with multiple levels, you probably haven’t played much golf.

The PGA Tour golfers played the Saguaro (3,894 yards) and Tortolita (3,955 yards) nines, making it 7,849 yards, the longest par 72 on tour. But there’s another nine, Wild Burro, (3,897 yards) which is Nicklaus’ favorite, and one he originally thought would be included in the tournament.

“Having rolled in a long putt on the first hole, I came back to reality as the three-putt monster grabbed me on more than one hole, reminding me to stay focused,” said Gary McWilliams, a San Antonio physician.  “A forecaddie is a must here, and you'll be thankful when you realize he saved you five to six strokes.  A beautiful clubhouse serves as the backdrop.”

So if you are planning a golf vacation to Tucson keep this one in mind. It also includes the Ritz Carlton, Dove Mountain, that will boast 250 lavish guest rooms, including 24 individual casita rooms and The Ritz-Carlton Club Level and suites, all offering views of the expansive desert terrain, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course or mountain vistas. All of the guest facilities reflect the local landscape, hues and cultures featuring natural elements of stone, wood, fire and stars.

The long-standing Catalina Course, 7,262 yards, par 73, home to the Tucson Open and Chrysler Open for 30 years, is a parkland beauty with push-up greens. All the greats of the game starting in the 1960s have walked these fairways, and in 2005 the resort opened the Sonoran Course, designed by 2006 Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman. It is a desert style layout with steep elevation changes and some unusual uphill/downhill shot opportunities not typically found in Tucson.

Old-timers have lots of stories of the days when Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Bob Charles, Miller Barber and Lee Trevino played here. One remembered a day when members realized they knew better than to try to hustle a hustler.

"Lee Trevino was on the first tee during one of the practice rounds of the Tucson Open," said former head pro Bob Klewin, "and I called him over to tell him there was a group of members betting the pros that they couldn't reach the par-4, 438-yard first hole in two. Well, you know Trevino, he was famous for hustling in his younger days in Dallas. Lee went over to the members and told him he'd gladly take that bet. Not one member was foolish enough to accept the challenge."

“I liked the third hole on the Canyon nine,” said Texan McWilliams,” it is a demanding par three that plays about 10 yards longer (178 yards) than the scorecard indicates, with a steep, deep rocky slope just in front of the green.  Any ball that comes up short is best donated to those brave enough to walk the canyon.  It's also easy to see why the seventh hole is the number one handicap hole (445 yards) as a well struck drive still leaves you about 180 yards uphill to a green protected by a hungry trap that catches anything hit short.”

Tom Fazio designed the courses and you won’t forget the Mountain Course’s third hole, a par-three 107-yarder nicknamed “Hole in the Wall” by Fazio. It is one of the most photographed holes west of the Mississippi. The Canyon Course snakes through the rugged beauty of Esperro Canyon and incorporates the massive rock formation known as Whaleback Rock, situated beside the 10th green.

“You need to know where your drives are going because there is almost always 75 to 100 yards from the tee box to the fairway,” McWilliams said. “I particularly liked No. 5 (518-yard par five) with the red, white and blue "A" across the pond from the green and the final hole is a nice finish with a great downhill view of the fairway and city. It’s also fun when your good friend floats his long approach over the water for a great shot at an eagle on the 18th hole.”

“If ever a name fits a course, this is it,” said McWilliams. “Stones and boulders frame picturesque canyons of lush green fairways that terminate at demanding greens.  From an elevated tee on the par-three sixth hole, the green seems to sit atop a perch, with waterfalls to the left and a collecting pond short and right.  This course has a fun 19th hole at 107 yards to help settle those pesky all even matches, or even better to give you an opportunity to go double or nothing.”

Tucson resort golf is not cheap, but I find myself wanting to come back here year after year. The natural beauty of Arizona is on display here. Check out the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum and you will learn why this is one of the most special places on earth. It is like nothing you have ever seen. Try it. You will agree.

WHERE TO STAY

WHERE TO PLAY

(private club, play only with invitation from a member or prospective members)

David R. Holland is a former sportswriter for The Dallas Morning News and author of The Colorado Golf Bible.