Dove Mountain - Saguaro Course at The Ritz-Carlton

The Saguaro Course at Dove Mountain (formerly the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club) is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design that opened around 2008-2009 as one of three nines at the 27-hole Golf Club at Dove Mountain. The facility hosted the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship for six years (2009-2014), with the Saguaro and Tortolita nines forming the championship 18.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, and other stars competed here during the WGC years. Nicklaus designed the course specifically with match play in mind. The complex is now publicly accessible — no longer exclusive to Ritz-Carlton guests.

Three nines (Saguaro, Tortolita, Wild Burro) can be combined in any 18-hole configuration. The Saguaro nine is the flattest, laid out beside spectacular saguaro forests. The Tortolita provides dramatic elevation changes and mountain vistas. Nicklaus himself stated the Wild Burro contains some of the best five holes he ever designed.

Classic Nicklaus design: flashed bunkering, complex green complexes with small effective putting surfaces, and strategic risk-reward decisions. Forgiving fairways but demanding approaches.

Now publicly accessible at resort-level pricing ($100-225).

Focus on approach shots and putting — the greens are the primary defense. Nicklaus greens here have significant undulation and small effective targets despite appearing larger.

Club up on uphill holes on the Tortolita nine. The course shows beautifully but plays tougher than it looks around the greens.

Ask which 18-hole combination is playing that day. The Saguaro/Tortolita pairing was the WGC championship routing.